Buggy wonders

I was just reading in Colored Stone's latest online magazine that jewelry depicting bugs and other critters are becoming a big thing. So of course I have to put my two cents in. Here's my "Save the bees" necklace created in 2006, right around the time we first started hearing about colony collapse syndrome.

So also with other inspirations from nature. It has always been a source of creative ideas for me. here are two more nature inspired items. See more at my Deerwoman Designs Gallery at Artisans Market

Buying Turquoise, Part II

By Anita of Deerwoman Designs

Part II

This section will include information on testing, characteristics, composition and some of my personal experiences with turquoise.

There has always been much discussion about terms to describe stones and their treatment.
Much of it centers around what is "natural", "treated", "enhanced", or "stabilized".

Since turquoise is a soft and porous stone, that occurs as nodules, veins or a crust on matrix, it rarely occurs in large enough volume to produce a sizable piece of natural turquoise of uniform color. If it is a large stone it is unlikely to be natural or stabilized turquoise unless it is very expensive.

You can see irregular areas and nodules incorporated in the matrix in many of the illustrations I have provided. You can tell that they would not yield any sizable chunk of uniformly colored turquoise.

The basic chemical formula: CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·4(H2O)
The minerals: Aluminum, Copper, Phosphorus, Hydrogen, Oxygen:

Even more rare are turquoise crystals, so much so that you do not see these used in jewelry. For this and a beautiful picture of a turquoise crystal and its properties see:

http://www.webmineral.com/data/Turquoise.shtml

There are many variations on a theme in turquoise formulas, different minerals that contribute their own characteristics to the turquoise at hand. Expect to see a lot of differences in the formulae of tested specimens.

Turquoise occurs mainly in arid areas with copper deposits. Weathering may form a crust of turquoise, or it will cause filling in areas in rock, forming veins or nodules. The copper is what gives it the wonderful blue color. Iron contributes the green. Any real turquoise must have some copper, or it is NOT turquoise.

Knowing as little as I do about turquoise, sometimes the line between matrix and the turquoise itself becomes a little fuzzy:

For example:
On the right is a green turquoise nugget, but you can see a tiny area of pure sky blue turquoise.

On the left is a nugget with both the greenish and bluish turquoise existing side by side, transitioning from one to the other.


These examples show nodules in the matrix, webbing, and irregular large areas of turquoise interspersed with the matrix.


Natural turquoise will have had nothing done to it except cutting and polishing. As discussed in Part I, the most common treatment is stabilization, which involves strengthening the stone by adhesives or other binding materials. This is an addition to the natural components of the stone and not only changes the hardness, but also often the color.

A proprietary process called the Zachary process is also applied to turquoise. Although details of the process are not revealed, it is a patented technique involving adding chemicals, similar to the composition of the turquoise, heating it and running an electrical charge through it. This process can be detected by laboratory tests for certain earmarks, but it basically does not change the chemical structure or color of the turquoise. However, it hardens the stone and stabilizes the color, so that it will not turn greenish with wear and time.

For good examples of both natural and Zachery treated turquoise see
http://www.monsterslayer.com/Pages/Turquoise/Turquoise.aspx

Some say turquoise treated this way is still natural turquoise, others say it is treated or "enhanced". However, the process is much less invasive than stabilization or dying and preserves the look of the stone exactly like it was in its natural state.

Sleeping Beauty turquoise is stabilized with the typical stabilization process, but only on the request of specific buyers.

These interesting videos at the Sleeping Beauty website gives a good look at turquoise as it comes out of the ground and is sorted and graded.

http://www.sbturquoise.com/

Tests: There are a variety of tests that are used to determine the identity of a mineral or stone. These, also used to identify other types of gemstone, include hardness, streak test, magnetism, type of fracture, refractive index, specific gravity, and other more intensive tests.

These are done by professional labs, though you can do a rough at home hardness or streak test to approximate the hardness of the stone based on the Mohs Scale of hardness. The hardness test basically involves scratching the specimen by a harder substance for which the value of hardness is known. and using the specimen to scratch softer substances to determine its position on the scale. See http://www.galleries.com/minerals/hardness.htm

Minerals have different colors when you scrape a specimen agains a hard, rough ceramic surface. You can't do this with the harder minerals of course. You can find out the color of the streak of various minerals from mineral databases. Often, however, it does not reveal much. If the speciment streaks white, this is the color streak of a majority of minerals. It is wonderful though when you have a mineral with a colored streak and your specimen does have the right color! Turquoise should give a white or very light bluish green streak.

Turquoise's hardness will vary in its natural state, even from the same mine. Even with stabilization, the hardness also varies greatly. Typically, turquoise hardness is between 5.5-6.5.

http://www.jewelrysupplier.com/2_turquoise/turquoisel_properties.htm

Common sense tells you that if it melts, it's plastic. if it shatters like glass, then it most probably is. If it is very lightweight, it could not be stone.

If you need to know what your turquoise is, you will have to test it in some way. Since some home tests can be destructive, you may need to get it tested by a lab.

Here's one that puzzled me.

I obtained some dark blue green nuggets a number of years ago, varying in size. They have a very waxy feel, which I did not like. I suspected they had been dyed and treated with some kind of oil or fat. I was told they had been oiled.

They look like Tibetan turquoise, with nodules in a dark matrix. I had one broken sample. Its interior color is consistent all through the nugget, the same dark color as the outside.

I soaked some in water and dish detergent for 24 hours and scrubbed.

They turned out to be a light blue green turquoise color, without the waxy feel.


I tried to break a soaked one open. NOT so easy, I whacked it 20 times with a hammer, dented the work area and only managed to break off a chip. The inside was the same original dark color. This didn't make sense. So I asked help in breaking it open. This time I could see the dark interior, consistent with the interior of the unsoaked one. I found some very small bubbles!


This could be a kind of faience or glassy composite with a strong adhesive added to make it very resistant to breaking. Real turquoise would not survive such procedures. Faience can be produced with the color consistent throughout, instead of just in the glaze, but it would be much softer than this example. Originally I wondered if it was a chalk turquoise or another white mineral treated with a very strong adhesive and enough pressure to infuse the whole nugget with the dye. But it is strange the way the dye at the surface was lightened so much by the soaking. Also notice how the "matrix" is only at the surface in this example. And why the bubbles unless it is glass? Could it be plastic with a fake matrix at the surface?

Guess what, it melted and burned! If you have a piece that can be destroyed, try the hot pin test or burning first. it may save you a lot of time.

I was amused to find a photo of "gaspeite" in the mindat.org forum/rockhounds that look like my mystery ones, but they are green. The owner was asking if they are gaspeite, as they were claimed to be. The photo can be seen at http://www.mindat.org/index.php

From that site go to:
http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?file,11,file=6794,filename=T526.jpg.



Examples of "chalk turquoise":


The sample at the far right is a large broken chalk turquoise beads with a matte finish. The vendor said he had treated them to give them this matte finish. The surface of the originals was a little more glassy as you see in the nuggets to the left here. They have the appearance of chalk turquoise with the faint variations in color and minor amounts of matrix. When broken open the color of the bead at right is consistant throughout except for a couple small spots that did not take the dye or were a different mineral altogether. I am not sure what the beads really are, chalk turquoise or perhaps dyed magnesite or other white stone. They were very easy to break.

Unless you have your turquoise tested you'll probably never be sure exactly what you've got.
My experiences here reveal just how little I do know. It takes a long time and looking at a volume of different types of turquoise to learn anything at all.

The best rule of thumb is to buy from a reputable dealer. This is a must if you are making an investment in turquoise. A reputable vendor should provide verification of what you are buying.

Most important, if you like it and it fits your budget then you will never lose. There is nothing wrong with using stabilized, "chalk turquoise" or dyed magnesite. They are very beautiful, durable and affordable materials.

You just should know what it is you have, and you should be told at the point of purchase. And when you use it in jewelry to be resold, please label it correctly.


All rights reserved

Additional turquoise references:

Look under T at
http://www.rings-things.com/gemstone/index.html

http://www.mindat.org/min-4060.html
http://www.bwsmigel.info/GEOL.115.ESSAYS/Gemology.Turquoise.html
http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/gemstones/sp14-95/turquoise.html
http://www.americana.net/jewelry_turquoise_origin_article.html
http://www.collectorsguide.com/fa/fa098.shtml
http://nevadagem.com/pages/turquoise.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turquoise

Definition of Zachary process and others:
http://www.turquoiserough.com/treatments.shtml

See the post by
JB posted on Thu, Feb 14, 2008 at the following website:
http://www.gemologyonline.com/Forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4859&view=previous&sid=e27049cec624b1ffa8d4fc0510a5c4ac

Historical turquoise: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/07/wai/ho_1989.87a-l.htm

Buying Turquoise

By Anita of Deerwoman Designs

Part I

Turquoise has always been a much desired stone. Its history is long, dating back to about 7000 BC, and mined in areas all over the world. At the end of this article is a brief internet bibliography that gives some of the history and significance. I am not a turquoise expert, but what I have observed about turquoise should be useful to those who are buying turquoise jewelry and would like to know more about it.

In today's fashion it is in and out every several years, and the best time to buy higher end turquoise of course is when it is less in favor.

But what are we buying? The buying challenge is even greater now than it used to be as there are more imitations out there and clever ways to make them appear more like the real thing.

The golden rules are quite simple.

Let price and your own judgment guide you when you are buying from retail stores, department stores, discount jewelry outlets and the like. In most cases they will not have much, if any information on the turquoise. But you can always ask.

Ask the vendor for specific information on origin and treatments. Reputable vendors will tell you what they know about it. They should tell you if it is from a specific mine, the Southwest, China, Tibet or otherwise and what has been done to it.

You may find that they don't know. A lot can be learned from its price. If it is very expensive, make sure you are buying from a reputable dealer. Natural, untreated turquoise of good color and size is rare and jewelry made from it is beyond the budget of most of us. In most cases the natural turquoise will have its mine or region included in its description.

Illustration of Kingman and Sleeping Beauty turquoise. from left to right two Kingman nuggets, two Sleeping Beauty nuggets.

Next is stabilized but undyed natural turquoise. This includes turquoises from specific mines that were too soft to use without stabilization. If they have been stabilized this information should be supplied.

Since turquoise is a soft stone, and will vary greatly in softness even from the same mine, you can expect that it has been treated in some way. Stabilization, a process to make the stone more durable by the addition of resin or other adhesive is extremely common. Without this process, there would be very little turquoise to buy. Even centuries ago turquoise all over the world was treated with various kinds of oil, wax or fat to stabilize it.

The price, of course, is less than for natural untreated turquoise.

Left- broken samples of Chinese turquoise, middle- two samples of Tibetan/Chinese, right - dogbone shaped stabilized turquoise, probably Chinese.

3 samples of Tibetan or Chinese green turquoise

Then there is white turquoise matrix, a white stone that is the same composition as natural turquoise but without the copper and other elements that specifically give it the color of turquoise.* This "chalk turquoise" is dyed as well as stabilized.

3 samples of chalk turquoise beads with webbed matrix and variation in color

A selection of typical chalk turquoise beads

White stones that take dye well are also sometimes erroneously called chalk turquoise. The most common are magnesite and howlite, but new ones such as marble, dolomite, calcite and other white stones are beginning to appear on the market.

These samples show the typical magnesite matrix patterns.

Samples of magnesite, the one on right dyed to imitate turquoise

Lookalikes, other stones that naturally have a turquoise-like color are sometimes mistaken for turquoise. The most common examples are African jasper, variscite, chrysocholla, amazonite and apatite. The colors vary a lot but they are visually distinguishable from the color of true turquoise.

Lookalikes: top-African "turquoise", middle from left to right: 2 amazonite, chrysocolla, variscite, bottom-variscite beads

Further down the ladder is reconstituted turquoise, which is ground up bits of turquoise mixed with glassy material and then heated and formed into blocks that are then turned into various bead shapes, seed beads and heishi.

Reconstituted turquoise seed beads from Afghanistan

Synthetic turquoise may contain turquoise, but may also be made from other materials and dyed to imitate it.

Last and least in terms of value are the imitations, such as glass, faience, ceramic and plastic. The dead giveaway here is the weight. They are much lighter than stone. In addition plastic melts if you pierce it with a hot needle.

From left to right: dyed howlite, synthetic turquoise, small plastic bead

Faience is an interesting medium in itself. It has a very long history as a replacement or imitation of turquoise. The ancient faience is a whitish clay coated with an alkaline glaze containing copper to give it the turquoise color.

Ancient Egyptian faience is a good example. Somewhere after the first millenium the knowlege of using alkaline glaze with copper was lost in the ancient Near and Middle East.

It was rediscovered around 1100-1200 AD, when ceramics in Persian and other ceramic products along the silk road began to appear with a beautiful turquoise color.

Turquoise from the various mines and regions often have typical colors or patterns in the matrix.

Traditionally the most favored sky blue turquoise comes from Iran and various mines in Arizona. The Sleeping Beauty mine in Globe, Arizona produces much of this most valued color.

Not all of these mines are still producing. However, turquoise from some of these defunct mines can still be found on the market. In Tibet the greenish turquoise is more favored, and you can find some beautiful green stones. Greenish turquoise is also typical of mines in Nevada and other parts of the Southwest, Mexico and the Hubei mines in China.

With or without matrix? The turquoise of highest value is an even color throughout and free of any matrix (the background material in which the turquoise nodules form). Stones with a bluish turquoise color have the greatest value , for instance the robin's egg blue of Sleeping Beauty turquoise.

Turquoise with matrix is desired by many people, particularly where a Southwestern or ethnic look is in fashion. In contrast in Middle Eastern and many Asian countries the turquoise without matrix is preferred. Turquoise for this market is often set in gold rather than in silver and also with diamonds and other gems for a completely different look.

The matrix can be a good marker for real turquoise as its appearance is very typical for turquoise from specific locations, and also as a marker for stones such as magnesite, which has its own distinctive patterns.

The matrix patterns can take a delicate webbed appearance or a deep colored ground in which round nodules or irregular patches of turquoise appear.

Color: Unless you can see the kinds of turquoise side by side it is difficult to vizualize the subtle variations in color and texture, but the next best thing is to check photos of the natural turquoises and compare the colors, matrix or lack thereof, and the characteristics of the matrix.

Natural and stabilized turquoise showing the range of colors from blue to green. The color here is only approximate, since colors appear differently in photos and on screen.

And then there is "yellow turquoise". This generally refers to samples made from matrix around the turquoise itself, which sometimes has a very yellowish color. Not to be confused with the yellow turquoise of China which is dyed chalk turquoise.


This is labeled yellow turquoise, but as you can see, some of it is not very yellow! Jasper is one of the common stones found in "yellow turquoise".

"Lime" and" yellow" turquoise from China

A site I have visited often for examples of different types of turquoise is http://nevadagem.com/pages/turquoise.html. They sell only natural turquoise, so the examples they show are a good start to turquoise education.

The major mines, both active and closed are represented, along with concise descriptions of the stone, a little history and several photos for each type. Once you become familiar with these differences you will be more able to distinguish a good or bad buy when purchasing turquoise.

Another with a good variety of samples from mines and their general information is: http://www.skystonetrading.com/turquoise.asp

The most well known turquoise regions include: The Southwest, (Arizona, Utah, Nevada), Mexico, Iran (Nishapur), Tibet, China (Hubei mines), and the Sinai peninsula (source of the ancient Egyptian turquoise).

Turquoise mine names you are most likely to see include Kingman and Sleeping Beauty, but there are many others you should know about.

The sites mentioned above give very good information on many more mines and the varieties of turquoise that come from them.

But don't expect to become a turquoise expert! this is just to help you become aware of the many characteristics of turquoise and its imitations.

Even experts cannot always tell by eye whether turquoise has been treated, or is an imitation. There are simple tests to supplement visual information. You really can't assume anything about the source of turquoise depending solely on where it is bought and its surface appearance.

In the past Chinese turquoise usually had a glassy surface. Now I hear from turquoise vendors that they are producing turquoise with a matte surface as well.

I observed some Navajo women at this past year's Tucson show buying stabilized Chinese turquoise. Many mines in the Southwest are no longer producing, and fine gem quality turquoise has never been in great supply.

Hearsay has it that In Iran they now sell turquoise from Arizona. The mines in Iran are said to be depleted.

One great thing about life is the chance to learn new things. Certainly the subject of turquoise will supply us with new things to learn for a long time to come.

* Correction. the "real" chalk turquoise does have copper but in very small amounts. It is very whitish in appearance. This chalk turquoise is found in the Southwest and in China as well, and presumably wherever turquoise deposits are found. My thanks to Russ Nobbs of Ring & Things for clarifying this point. See more on the issue in Part II.

Additional turquoise references:

http://www.rockhounds.com/rockgem/articles/turquoise.html

http://www.bwsmigel.info/GEOL.115.ESSAYS/Gemology.Turquoise.html

http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/gemstones/sp14-95/turquoise.html

http://www.rings-things.com/gemstone/index.html look under Turquoise

http://www.jewelrysupplier.com/2_turquoise/turquoisel_properties.htm

http://www.collectorsguide.com/fa/fa098.shtml

http://www.lapidaryjournal.com/feature/may03str.cfm

http://nevadagem.com/pages/turquoise.html

http://www.khulsey.com/jewelry/semi-precious_gems_turquoise.html

http://www.luckygemstones.com/turq_informed_buyer.htm

http://www.silversun-sf.com/turquoise_info/turquoise_page.htm

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hi/hi_sttu.htm

All rights reserved.

The next section will include information on testing, characteristic, composition and some of my personal experiences with turquoise.

To be continued in Part II

I'd love to hear your comments.

Thanks.

Check out new items

I've made more items using the coated resin beads. See the necklace with roses. Also a new necklace with black lip oyster shell.

I just added my jewelry to Etsy.com

I see that many artists and craftspeople at Indiepublic have a shop on Etsy. So since the cost seems minima,l I decided to give it a try. I'd love to hear any comments you have.

New Alternatives

Recently a new kind of bead has been showing up on the market. I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling the frustration at the cost of precious metal findings and beads. I used to use a lot of silver and 14K gold fill chain and beads in my work, but with rising prices I cut back on my purchases.

This past year or so my friends (See links on this page for Afghan Tribal Arts and Silk Road Treasures)) were carrying metal coated resin beads that are much more reasonably priced than the precious metals. For a long time I didn't use them much, but as my supplies dwindled I decided to try them.

I combined them with the handmade Afghan heishi, beads and buttons my friends carry and also with freshwater pearl for some unique looks.

The beads come in a variety of sizes and shapes. I'm told they are made in Indonesia so many have that nice ethnic look which works well in my designs. I'm posting some pictures of a sample of the beads and examples used in my work. The clasps in the copper/resin photo are not resin.

"Turquoise"

For several years now we have been seeing new kinds of turquoise, or is it turquoise? Chalk turquoise, white turquoise, yellow turquoise and more. Now you even see "white turquoise" referred to also as magnesite, which is what it really is.

When I use any of these not really turquoises, I indicate what they are, by saying turquoise, (stabilized, dyed etc. ) But really it should be reading in a lot of cases as magnesite, (dyed, stabilized) and not turquoise at all. Here are two links, one defining magnesite, and one a good explanation of turquoise and its matrices: http://geology.com/minerals/magnesite.shtml, http://jewelry.about.com/cs/turquoise/a/turquoise_facts.htm. It doesn't appear that it is even a type of matrix for turquoise.

Here's a good summary of the situation. Look under Turquoise: http://www.rings-things.com/gemstone/index.html

When looking at a lot of the "turquoise" in Tucson this year I began to wonder how I could even tell if a strand was stabilized turquoise or chalk turquoise on the fly. A lot of chalk turquoise has inclusions that really look like real turquoise. In many cases I could recognize what I have come to know as typical webbing patterns of magnesite in the strands, thus indicating what it was, but in many cases I just didn't know for sure. It looks like they are indeed using a matrix of turquoise that just doesn't have the turquoise color so they dye and stabilize it. And when you break one that you know is chalk turquoise, the color goes all through the bead. It sure seems that there is a lot more chalk turquoise out there next to the stabilized turquoise. What do you consider chalk turquoise to be? There are differing definitions.

What are your feelings on this? What do you do for labeling when you use these materials?

Deerwoman Designs: Beginning Thoughts

If you are interested in the following, maybe we have something to chat about: Jewelry-making, gemstones, selling your craft on the net, rocks and minerals, beads, jewelry design, photographing jewelry, and more. I'll keep adding to this list.

I am a jewelry designer located in the Chicago area, and have been making jewelry for 15+ years. I use mainly gemstone beads and precious metals. I make jewelry because I love working with the stones. It gives me a wonderful excuse to hold them, gaze at them and spend lots of time learning about them. They are so beautiful in themselves. I want to celebrate this. But they also become something so different when they become part of something made by people.

We are all so different and what we turn out with similar materials allows us endless possibilities to create something beautiful. That's why I like to look at what other people make. This infinite creativity is inspiring and fascinating to me. Still, when I am truly following my feelings the items I create seem to have a particular style or character which is uniquely mine.

What do you think about when you are making jewelry or your work of art? What brings an idea to your mind? How do you decide what materials to choose?

Are you interested in the rocks, minerals and crystals you use to make your pieces? Do you know where they come from? What do you like about them? Do you have any favorites? Have you seen any unusual ones lately?

If you want to see any of my work there's a good variety at www.artisansmarket.com.
Besides my work you'll also find hand crafted items, paintings, photos, accessories and all kinds of things that our creative minds can produce. You might even like something enough to buy it!

You'll find my work under Deerwoman Designs, and also a little about me.

What do you think makes a piece of jewelry beautiful? What kind of jewelry do you like best?

Besides selling on the Artisans Market website, I have sold my jewelry through shops in the Chicago and northern Wisconsin areas, to friends, at jewelry parties set up for the purpose and through word of mouth.

I buy my materials mainly from wholesale jewelry dealers, the Tucson shows and from friends who import handmade Afghan beads.

I'm just nuts about beads: