All, I have read several times about turquoise being stabilized. I
just thought I would tell you I found some a local miner claims is
not stabilized. He uses a piece to scratch his windshield to show how
hard it is. I have several chunks of it waiting for me to come up
with a jewelry idea so I can cut it to the correct size and shape. I
have polished a couple of pieces and they proved to be hard and took
a polish quite well. I polished some real small pieces I got at an
estate sale and they were almost gone before I could get them shaped
they were so soft.
I just thought I would tell you I found a supply that is hard and
easy to work with and does not have a plastic look. I have seen it in
light blue to robin egg blue and even blue with dark green mixed in.
I saw one four inch piece that was a nice dark blue with a sea foam
shape. I would like to find a small one like it to make a ring out
of.
I do not know if rough turquoise is normally easy to come by or is as
hard as this stuff is. I do not use turquoise and the only stuff I
have to compare to is the soft stuff from the estate sale. If any one
cares to enlighten me I will not be offended, I have no real
experience in turquoise.
John, Given your location in Grand Junction, CO, I assume you’re
cutting the turquoise mined by the Bad Boys of Cripple Creek, in
Cripple Creek, CO. This turquoise is indeed untreated and very hard.
I believe Lapidary Journal did an article about Bad Boys turquoise in
Dec 2000 or Jan 2001 (or close to then).
Turquoise is a life long obsession, with me any way. I’ve been
actively seeking it for 25 years and am still amazed by what I don’t
know. Turquoise come in many hardness’s and shades from apple green
Northern Lights to Morenci with deep blue matrix and Bisbee smoke.I’ve
bought pounds to cut and have been fooled and delighted by a batch I
felt was a good buy. I guess it averages out. To treat rough and get
by with it is harder than cut cabs. You can see the opticon build up
in low spots in rough. The Zachariah Process is more difficult to
determine but, I’d be surprised to be fooled by that either after all
the stones I’ve seen. The only sure way to tell what you have is to
cut it and get experience. You will know what is hard and soft with
the diamond saw then you have to start worrying about color. Damn
near any hard stone will polish to look nice even if mostly matrix.
You have great turquoise in the green shades in Cripple Creek, CO. I
hope this helped. Sam Patania