Ok, so we’re The Russian Store, but our number one goal is to provide the best quality products on the market. As far as turquoise goes, the American Southwest is the top so that’s where we get ours from. Throughout the state you can find some of the best turquoise mines around, the Bisbee mine, which is known for “Bisbee Blue” turquoise is no longer producing, but the Sleeping Beauty mine, which produces the word famous “Sleeping Beauty” turquoise still is...
Southwest Turquoise
Up until recently, Persian turquoise was the benchmark standard for judging this blue stone. However in recent years collectors have been claiming that the turquoise from the southwest is as good, or even better than the Persian variety. This is a huge claim to make, considering that for years, Persian turquoise has not only been a way to regionally identify the mineral, but has also been synonymous with quality.
One of the most alluring, charming, and highly sought after aspects prevalent in our turquoise, and all turquoise from the southwest is the occurrence of “spider webs.” Look at some of our turquoise, and you’ll see what appear to be tiny little veins meandering around the blue stone, when this occurs, the turquoise is dubbed “spider web turquoise.” The spider webs can range in color from black, to brown, to red, they criss cross and bevel around the stone creating beautiful patterns which enhance the natural charm of this popular stone. The spider webbing actually occurs when the stone is forming; iron oxide makes its way into small cracks in the stone, creating the pathway of spider webs that has become a main selling point in some of our turquoise.
Another distinct feature of turquoise from the American southwest is the use of silver. Elsewhere in the world it is not a common occurrence for turquoise to be accented by silver. Native Americans created a beautiful balance, almost a meeting of two worlds, by combining the deep ocean of blues in turquoise with the celestial shine of silver. It’s truly a sight to behold, and one that only enhances the beauty of the stone. It seems to give a more refined edge to the untamed raw beauty of the turquoise stone.
