Where to get raw turquoise

As a small family business ourselves, it is great to know that through building a relationship with specific suppliers we are helping to support small niche business like ourselves. Our natural untreated turquoise is mined by hand not using any heavy machinery at the oldest mine in Colorado, USA. Mining using only hand tools has meant that only a very minimal amount of earth less than half an acre has been disturbed despite being mined for over 75 years.

This makes this American turquoise an ethical choice for those concerned with environmental issues. In this and the following photo you can see the vein of turquoise revealed in the earth.

After a lot of experimenting with different polishing grits , the miner discovered that the best thing to polish the turquoise with was itself, so the pieces of turquoise are tumbled with turquoise grit to get them to a semi polished state. No chemicals and no other polishing grits make this stone very gentle on the environment. Here the turquoise is being sorted. Some will be made into cabochons and beads, whilst some will be left as rough, free-form gems.

The miner - Clint sorting through the turquoise. Turquoise is a strong part of the Native American history and it holds much value in many families. A close up of the beautifully vivid, rough and untreated turquoise. Natural turquoise cabochons on dop sticks part way through the polishing process. Kernowcraft's Managing Director on a recent buying trip where she was able to hand select a limited range of turquoise geometric and freeform cabochons as well as a regular supply of calibrated cabochons.

Holding a large vein of natural turquoise in its raw state, complete with small pieces of gold growing within the rock. Our buying team were also lucky to meet Ray Lovato, author and turquoise bead cutter.

Ray cuts the most exquisite and highly sought after turquoise heishi beads and creates wonderful Native American jewellery, turquoise is an important part of his culture and he has built a knowledgeable reputation for the best cut beads. The following tips are good advice to take when starting to buy gemstones and looking for a reputable supplier who you can trust. Colors of the matrix will also vary, giving you a wide selection of natural turquoise stones to choose from.

Click here to take a look at a collection of great turquoise jewelry. We highly recommend that you take a look at the great selection of turquoise jewelry at Amazon.

Home » Jewelry Basics ». Turquoise stones. Where to Buy Turquoise? Disclosure: Some of the links on our site may help us earn affiliate commissions from advertisers. As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.

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