Turquoise Beads the Stone of Friendship....How to Choose Quality Turquoise Gemstones

Every jewelry show offers a wide variety of turquoise beads. The question is;how do you recognize the quality product versus the one that has been highly treated?

I am a purist at heart, so I prefer to buy only the product that has that high natural quality that is found in southwestern jewelry.

Although it is getting harder and harder to find great quality cabochon and turquoise beads, there are some genuine dealers that still carry what I like. It is more expensive, but I am willing to pay the price for good quality.

In order to know what you are purchasing, let me walk you through a simple tutorial

How to Select the Right Turquoise Beads and Cabochons

That is the reason that much of the turquoise you find today has been stabilized. This method requires that the porous surface of the stone be filled with a stabilizing agent such as epoxy or acrylic. It is done slowly and under high pressure. The entire process can take weeks to be completed.

The process of stabilizing this gemstone began with the Aztecs. They invented adhesives in order to bond it to different materials and to create inlay. The stones were then used to make decorative weapons and jewelry.

It is believed that these technologies traveled north and brought great wealth to the Anasazi, the ancestral Pueblo an Native Americans around 1000 A.D. Today 1000 years later, Native tribes of the southwest have mastered this craft and their jewelry has been popularized and coveted around the world.

to read more about the history native-American-tribes-jewelry click on the picture.

this wonderful site has not only beautiful jewelry for sale, but it also offers a wealth of information about gemstones and the history of the Native Tribes.

This gemstone is probably one of the most recognized semiprecious stones in existence. Its name comes from French Pierre turquoise, meaning "Turkish stone," a reference to where Persian material passed on its way to Europe.

It represents strength and connection to the spiritual world. It is also know to protect the person that wears it. When given as a gift by a good friend, wealth and protection will be granted. It is known and the stone of friendship.

There are many variations of turquoise beads available to the public:

• High-grade natural: is the hardest grade and takes the best polish. There are many mines both in Arizona and Nevada that produce stones with distinctive color or matrix whose origin can be identified by an experienced person. Probably the most recognized mine is Sleeping Beauty. This mine produces a light blue color stone with no matrix.


• Enhanced:. is the common name for medium-grade stones treated by a process that saturates hardens the stone with vaporized quartz.


• Stabilized or treated: is processed with a plastic resin or epoxy. Most of the beads that you find today have been made from real turquoise that has been stabilized.


• Wax-treated: Much of the turquoise from China is wax impregnated. The process works like stabilization. The paraffin treatment only affects the surface.


• Reconstituted: This term describes small pieces of stone mixed with blue dye and plastic binder. This are really simulated stones and not true gemstone.


• Block: A mixture of plastic resin and dyes that is produced in loaf-size blocks, and contains no stones at all.


• Imitation and simulated: Stones, glass, ceramics, and polymer clay can be dyed to look like turquoise.

Buy turquoise beads only from a reputable dealer that guarantees the product.

I love the look of this gemstone and have a few piece of Native Tribes jewelry that my parents gave me when the closed their Western wear clothing store. I enjoy wearing it and have been inspired to give my own twist to this ancient work of art.

Click on the picture to see more of my jewelry at mirbelart.com

Click here for more information about turquoise beads and other gemstones.