BLUE STONE MESA Up here on Blue Stone Mesa, nature has provided a wonderful variety of beautiful stones from which to pick.  Within the shadow of the Mesa, the owners of Rio Concho Trading Company offer an exceptional selection of jewelry crafted by talented artisans and silversmiths who match the beauty of turquoise with the gleam of fine silver.

 

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TURQUOISE 

     Since the time of the Ancient Egyptians, turquoise has been mined around the world and used in beautiful jewelry and objects of art.  It was believed to have healing properties and to this day evokes a kind of mysticism attributed to only a handful of gems and minerals. 
     Today, there are mines in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado producing a fine quality turquoise for use in jewelry, carvings, and mosaics.  Stones from legendary mines such as the Bisbee and Cerillos are still sought after by collectors. 
     A favorite stone at Rio Concho Trading Co. is Cripple Creek turquoise; an excellent grade of stone with colors ranging from light robins egg blue to a dark jade green, sometimes with the colors mingling.  The hardness of this turquoise is running up to 6.5 and more on the Mohs scale. 
     A by-product associated with turquoise mining is a low grade material know as chalk.  This chalk can be white or contain traces of color and the amount found in the mines normally exceeds by far the higher grade and quality turquoise prefered by artisans and jewelry makers.  This chalky material is injected with plastic or resin in order to "stabilize" the stone.  Then to enhance the color, it is color shot to the desired effect.  Typically, stabilized material has a hardness of 2.5 to 3.5 on the Mohs scale.   If a piece of stabilized material is placed on a lapidary wheel, it will smell of burnt plastic.
     Of the stone being mined today, about 15% can be used without some form of treatment.  Of this 15%, about 5 to 8% is considered to be gem quality stone.  It is this difference between stabilized and 100% natural high grade turquoise for which one pays a higher price.  If it were not for the stabilized material, the cost of turquoise items would be prohibitive for most of the general public.  When purchasing turquoise, try to obtain as much information about the piece as you can.  It is also a good idea to ask for a Certificate of Authenticity.
     To obtain the best education possible on turquoise, the owners of the Rio Concho Trading Co. sought out the expertise and advise from Joe Dan Lowry and his family, the owners of the Turquoise Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico as well as from Harriet and David Graham, the owners of the mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado.  The majority of the turquoise used in the jewelry and carvings offered by the trading company were hand dug at this mine by the owners of the trading company and with the assistance of the mine owners.  Then they brought it to the Turquoise Museum to be cut and polished into cabochons by Joe Dan Lowry.  They are proud to be able to offer you, the customer, a Certificate of Authenticity on all these pieces.