The Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Mine

The Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Mine located in Globe Arizons is known for producing beautiful stones that have no matrix and range from a vivid sky blue to a deep royal blue. This mine was originally used for copper and gold, but also produces some of the worlds best turquoise. You can purchase untreated sleeping beauty turquoise from this mine that is the worlds largest supplier of natural turquoise.

Turquoise has long been cherished for it’s uses in Native American jewelry and carvings, but it’s uses go back to 200 BC. Uses of turquoise are evident in Egyptian tombs where jewelry adorned with this timeless stone has been uncovered. This popular stone can range from sky blue to greenish blue and is characterized by the dark veins that run throughout. Although quite porous and chalky, most turquoise has been stabilized for use in modern jewelry and has a shiny polished look. Turquoise from the Sleeping Beauty Turquoise mine can be strung as beads, carved into animal fetishes and combined with a variety of other stones to make striking handmade jewelry.

Along with it’s beauty, turquoise from the Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Mine has powerful healing properties. It is used by new age healers to treat the respiratory, digestive and skeletal systems and is thought to help those with asthma as well as fight infections. It is said that wearing turquoise can help with speech and anyone that has trouble speaking in public should wear plenty of turquoise jewelry! This stone can also help you keep a positive attitude and enhances your feeling of self and inner happiness. It is reputed to improve friendships and enhance the bond between people.

When shopping for Sleeping Beauty turquoise keep in mind that most stones need to be treated before they can be used in jewelry. Most raw stones are too porous and would chip too easily so they are “stabilized” in a process that treats them with a resinous substance. This is quite common and accepted practice for these stones. Be aware however, that some inferior stones are also dyed to make them more desirable and other stones such as howlite which is similar in structure to turquoise is also dyed and passed off as turquoise. Another common practice is to use ground up inferior stones to make “reconstituted turquoise” which combines the ground up powder with an epoxy and molds it into a stonelike form. This jewelry can look nice but does not have the value of real stones. The Sleeping Beauty Turquosie Mine does, however send out it's stones untreated and you are able to purchase raw stone right from their site below. Turquoise is also found in Arizona and New Mexico, China, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Persia.

Turquoise should be cleaned very carefully. Many people feel that there is an extra value in older turquoise that has had a chance to develop a patina and too much cleaning can ruin that look. The best method to clean your stones from the Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Mine is to simply wipe it with a cotton cloth but there are times that you may need to do a bit of a deeper cleaning and our advice is to use warm soapy water. If the turquoise is mounted in a piece of jewelry you should not submerge it in liquid as the liquid can seep into the crevices of the jewelry and cause deterioration years down the road. One safe method for cleaning turquoise is to dip a Q-tip in warm soapy water and swab the jewelry with that – swab again with plain water to remove any soap residue. Never clean your turquoise in ultrasonic or steam cleaners or use any type of chemical on this stone.

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 Beads
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.