Graduated strand of freeform turquoise nuggets, 24x15mm to 15x18mm
16-inch strand of blue turquoise from the Elisa Mine in Sonora, Mexico, famous for its range of turquoise colors, some like this one approximating Sleeping Beauty's sky blue, others more green.
In speaking to various processors in Tucson this year I learned that all recently mined turquoise is stabilized. This is necessary because, unlike old fashioned pick & shovel mining, the explosives used in today's mining processes leave innumerable micro-cracks in the stone. These are filled with a clear liquid resin in which the "rough" stone is soaked for long periods of time until penetrates, and seals, all the cracks. At that point the stones can be safely cut, drilled for beads, and/or made into jewelry.
These beads are guaranteed to have NO color added to the resin, which means they will never fade as some treated beads do, nor will they become greener over time as untreated turquoise does when exposed to body oils and other substances.
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