Turquoise has been revered by the native peoples in what is now called the Southwest since at least 300 AD. Examples of worked turquoise from this period have been found in archaeological excavations. These examples include nuggets and rough beads into which holes had been drilled to create simple necklaces and earrings. About 1300 AD the Hohokam people of what is now southern Arizona began creating a more refined jewelry and glued chips of turquoise to wood, bone and shell bases to make ceremonial objects.
These techniques were adopted by the Hopi, Zuni and other Pueblo people of what is now northern Arizona and New Mexico.
Archeologists have identified more than two hundred prehistoric turquoise mining sites. After the conquest of the Aztecs in Mexico in the early 1500’s, the Spanish explorers came in search of gold. Not finding any, the Spanish seized the Pueblo turquoise mines and forced the people to work them. During the Pueblo revolt in 1680, the Spanish were forced to flee to what is now Texas.
In 1692, the Spanish returned to New Mexico and took control. By the late 1700’s, their influence had spread as far west as Nevada. They brought with them metal mining and smithing tools, and other iron, silver, tin and copper objects and materials.
As native artists learned and refined their skills in working with turquoise, consumer interest in Native American jewelry grew thereby creating a demand for artists, silver and turquoise.
It is much more expensive to mine turquoise today than in earlier days because labor and machinery costs are higher, government worker safety laws are stricter and environmental regulations require that miners reclaim and restore their land once mining operations have stopped.
Finishing turquoise requires the skill of lapidaries who turn chunks of turquoise ore into polished stones in a series of steps. Vein formations of turquoise can range from the width of a cornflake to a quarter inch thick. The final shape of a piece of turquoise is determined from the shape of its slab.
The lapidary decides whether to leave the stone irregular or cut it to fit an oval or marquis setting. The stone is next attached with hot wax or wood glue to a wooden dowel in a step called dopping. This makes the blank piece easier to handle for shaping and polishing.
Grinding and sanding follow. After the stone is ground into its final shape the lapidary uses fine sandpaper to smooth the stone. Once the stone is ground and sanded it is ready to be polished with a damp piece of leather or felt, water and usually a tin-oxide cream. At this stage, a gem-grade stone will take on a high-gloss shine.
Both New Mexico and Arizona now recognize turquoise as their state gem and Nevada has designated it as the semiprecious state gem. The highest quality gem-grade turquoise deposits in the Western Hemisphere are in the arid regions of the Southwest; particularly in the states of Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
In China, turquoise has been mined for thousands of years. Since the 1980’s, China has rapidly become the largest source for turquoise; accounting for almost half the world’s demand for the stone.
Chinese turquoise is more affordable than American turquoise because the supply is abundant, labor costs are lower, and there are fewer environmental regulations to deal with. Colors will vary greatly; the stones usually have a brown or black web matrix. Major deposits have been found in the Hubei Province north of Xian.
Some Chinese turquoise looks like American turquoise. It is more common today to find Indian jewelry set with Chinese turquoise than with true Southwestern turquoise. It is important to work with a reputable dealer when purchasing Indian jewelry. A piece of Indian jewelry set with Chinese turquoise is worth only a fraction of the value of an identical piece set with Southwestern turquoise.