Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Bead Jewelry

A sleeping beauty turquoise bead is a vivid sky blue color with no matrix to speak of. Named for the mine it comes from, these beads and stones are well sought after for jewelry making and a favorite of the Zuni Pueblo silver makers who incorporate it into their traditional inlay jewelry.

Although Sleeping Beauty turquoise bead mining has only been opened in recent years, turquoise has been used in jewelry and carvings for over 6000 years! Well known for it’s use in Native American jewelry, this beautiful stone was also used by the ancient Egyptians and evidence of jewelry adorned with turquoise has been found in Egyptian tombs. In it’s natural state, turquoise is rather porous and most modern turquoise is stabilized in order to make it hard enough to use in jewelry. Turquoise can be sky blue, green or even yellow and has dark black or brown veins running through it.

For centuries, turquoise has been used to heal all kinds of ailments. New age healers use it for the skeletal, digestive and respiratory systems. It is said to help remove toxins from smoking and other pollutants from the body. The stone is also said to help improve your attitude as well as enhance creativity. It is reputed to bring you inner awareness and help strengthen friendships. Turquoise is reputed to help those who have trouble speaking in public, improve empathy and honesty.

Turquoise is mined in China, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and Persia. In North America, it is found in Arizona and New Mexico. The stone can be rather porous and chalky and is usually treated before it is suitable for use in jewelry. The beads from the Sleeping beauty mine, however can be purchased in their natural form and will come that way unless a jewelry designer specifically asks for it to be stabilized. A common treatment is to “stabilize” with a resinous substance. Since only about 3% of the stones mined are hard enough to be used in jewelry in their natural form, most turquoise is stabilized and this is a quite common and accepted practice. Without this process, the stones would chip too easily and the stabilization also helps keep the stone from changing color due to the contact with the oils on your skin. When you buy turquoise you do need to be careful to make sure you know what you are getting as some of the lower quality stones are dyed to make them more desirable and other stones such as “howlite” can be dyed and passed off as turquoise by unscrupulous jewelers. Some jewelry is also made with “reconstituted turquoise” which is ground up powder made from inferior stones – the powder is molded together with epoxy resin and pressed into forms shaped like stones. It looks quite nice but does not have the value of a real whole stone.

Like all gemstones, turquoise should be cleaned carefully. This porous stone can become damaged if submerged in chemicals and you should never use anything other than soap and water. Never use steam or ultrasonic cleaners for your turquoise jewelry. The gentlest method of cleaning sleeping beauty turquoise beads is to dip a Q-tip in warm soapy water and wipe the stone with that - wipe again with plain water to remove any soap residue. Avoid submerging your jewelry in any kind of liquid as this can cause problems from moisture years later. Some collectors feel that the patina accumulated on old turquoise is part of the value, so be careful when cleaning old jewelry with turquoise stones.

Other Interesting Articles:

Buying A Turquoise Pendant Necklace?
Wearing unique handmade jewelry can help you make a statement and express how unique you really are. Find out more about the history, processing and healing properties of turquoise.

The New Popularity Of The Turquoise Color
This color is a must have for spring and summer clothing, jewelry and accessories. As a color for jewelry, the turquoise stone is an outstanding gem and can be combined with other stones or used alone.

Raw Turquoise Stones
Raw turquoise stones can be quite a bit different than the stones that you see in jewelry. In their natural form, these stones can be porous and chalky. Depending on the quality of the stone, they may need to be treated in order to be used in jewelry.

Native American Turquoise Jewelry
Native American turquoise jewelry of all ages is highly collectible and very wearable. Although the vintage and antique pieces are highly valued and sought after, the newly made Native American turquoise pieces are just as prized and many are just as valuable.

The Turquoise Gem Stone
Find out the history, processing and healing powers of this sought after stone. Feat your eyes on turquoise jewelry!

Native American Indian Turquoise and Silver Jewelry
Read about some of the most highly sought after cultural jewelry made today.

The Birthstone Turquoise
Turquoise is the birthstone for the month of December and a popular stone used in jewelry making. Birthstone jewelry has been worn for centuries and while December has also been associate with the birtstones lapis lazuli, blue topaz and zircon, The American National Association of Jewelers formulated a standard list of birthstones in 1912 and named Turquoise as the birthstone for December.

Loose Turquoise Stones
Loose turquoise stones in their natural form, can be quite a bit different than the stones that end up in jewelry as they can be porous and chalky. In order to keep them from breaking and chipping, they are typically treated before they are used in jewelry.

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Mine
The Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Mine located in Arizona is one of the largest turquoise mines in North American and produces a stunning sky blue turquoise that has no matrix and is referred to as “Sleeping Beauty Turquoise”.