Any Turquoise Aficionados Out There?

Stiffwrists

Elite Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2017
Messages
3,693
Location
Utah
I dug this silver turquoise ring last week. I had a friend of mine true it up and give it a little polish. I don't know much about turquoise. Would it have much value? It looks well made. The stone has some metal streaked in it. Really good looking, just wondering if there is much of a market for this type of ring. Any information would be appreciated. I did a Google search but it created more questions than answers.
 

Attachments

  • 20180320_212425_resized.jpg
    20180320_212425_resized.jpg
    27.3 KB · Views: 755
  • 20180320_212433_resized.jpg
    20180320_212433_resized.jpg
    27.9 KB · Views: 716
  • 20180320_212442_resized.jpg
    20180320_212442_resized.jpg
    30.2 KB · Views: 712
The "metal" in it is known as it's matrix. It appears to be silver in color which I believe is good, but I don't know what kind of value it brings.
 
The "metal" in it is known as it's matrix. It appears to be silver in color which I believe is good, but I don't know what kind of value it brings.

Thanks. The matrix. I read about that too. I guess there are people that can just look at a piece of turquoise and can tell what part of the world it came from and its rarity.
 
The value is more in the maker than the fact there is turquoise in it. Some vintage stuff can bring big $$$ but modern stuff can be had cheaper than you would think.
 
Nice old ring! Thats worth an easy $20 to a turquoise/silver wearer or gift buyer for wearer...maybe more...let them make the first offer! You just never know! They might say, "I'll give you $40 for it!"

So hey, Great find! Even at $20, thats like finding a silver dollar AND a walker half!
 
I dug this silver turquoise ring last week. I had a friend of mine true it up and give it a little polish. I don't know much about turquoise. Would it have much value? It looks well made. The stone has some metal streaked in it. Really good looking, just wondering if there is much of a market for this type of ring. Any information would be appreciated. I did a Google search but it created more questions than answers.

The makers mark can bring a lot of money but when looking at the stone itself, I've sold a several pieces of high dollar turquoise. The high dollar is achieved from specimens that are pure blue and do not have ANY matrix or other minerals.

Geologists and curators have explained to me that many of the turquoise mines have been exhausted and the remaining material has a high matrix content, like the cabochon shape in your ring. Many folks like the blend of turquoise and matrix, but the real money is in the scarcity of solid, pure blue. Additionally, the hue of the blue (more blue than green) also adds to the value.

I've sold (wholesale) solid blue pebbles (raw and uncut) the size of a nickle for $20 and blue with matrix for $5. If I recall correctly, the most valued piece I sold was acquired from a mine in 1968. It had a mass of 690 grams (21 oz) and appraised for around $3,000. After negotations and commissions, I netted substantially less.

Anyhow, cool stone. If you do find some that are pure blue, I wouldn't count your chickens until the eggs are hatched. China is making boatloads of fake stones. Some are dyed. Some are a mixture of resin and other "stuff".
 
You may have a ring that was made by one of the Indian craftsmen in the four corners area. I don't see any type of makers mark but the style is similar to ones I have seen. When I was in high school, we had a family friend who was a big Navajo craftsman and I got to go to his shop and see how he made these items.

There are a lot of collectors for Indian jewelry so I would do some more research along these lines.

Ray
 
OK, that is an older ring, because the silver wire "rope-twist" is not used any longer.. Since there is metallic content in the matrix, my guess is it's very probably "tourist turquoise" and depending on the mark (if there is one) I'd say Harvey House silver. HH silver had a lot of those split-band styles joining the band to the bezel.

The turquoise *looks* Kingman but the matrix says otherwise. So I can't really tell you. Stones from the Kingman mine in Arizona were highly prized and eveen the lesser ones now go for quite a lot. My guess is anywhere from turn of the century to 1930's Have it looked at by a more experienced person than I am, though.
SageGrouse
 
You may have a ring that was made by one of the Indian craftsmen in the four corners area. I don't see any type of makers mark but the style is similar to ones I have seen. When I was in high school, we had a family friend who was a big Navajo craftsman and I got to go to his shop and see how he made these items.

There are a lot of collectors for Indian jewelry so I would do some more research along these lines.

Ray

OK, that is an older ring, because the silver wire "rope-twist" is not used any longer.. Since there is metallic content in the matrix, my guess is it's very probably "tourist turquoise" and depending on the mark (if there is one) I'd say Harvey House silver. HH silver had a lot of those split-band styles joining the band to the bezel.

The turquoise *looks* Kingman but the matrix says otherwise. So I can't really tell you. Stones from the Kingman mine in Arizona were highly prized and eveen the lesser ones now go for quite a lot. My guess is anywhere from turn of the century to 1930's Have it looked at by a more experienced person than I am, though.
SageGrouse

Thanks for the responses. I appreciate you both taking the time to respond and your input and knowledge. I did send some pictures to a free appraisal website and he responded with:

"Hi, this is a 1970s-1990s Navajo sterling silver and turquoise ring. A fairly common form. Value $50-75.
Thanks, Matt"

I'll stick it in the case with the rest of my fun finds. Sure was exciting to see that in the dirt!
 
The makers mark can bring a lot of money but when looking at the stone itself, I've sold a several pieces of high dollar turquoise. The high dollar is achieved from specimens that are pure blue and do not have ANY matrix or other minerals.

Geologists and curators have explained to me that many of the turquoise mines have been exhausted and the remaining material has a high matrix content, like the cabochon shape in your ring. Many folks like the blend of turquoise and matrix, but the real money is in the scarcity of solid, pure blue. Additionally, the hue of the blue (more blue than green) also adds to the value.

I've sold (wholesale) solid blue pebbles (raw and uncut) the size of a nickle for $20 and blue with matrix for $5. If I recall correctly, the most valued piece I sold was acquired from a mine in 1968. It had a mass of 690 grams (21 oz) and appraised for around $3,000. After negotations and commissions, I netted substantially less.

Anyhow, cool stone. If you do find some that are pure blue, I wouldn't count your chickens until the eggs are hatched. China is making boatloads of fake stones. Some are dyed. Some are a mixture of resin and other "stuff".

Thank you for responding. I did get this response from a free appraisal service. It was free, so I'm not sure how accurate it is.

"Hi, this is a 1970s-1990s Navajo sterling silver and turquoise ring. A fairly common form. Value $50-75.
Thanks, Matt"

Regardless, it's a cool ring. For sure!
 
OK, that is an older ring, because the silver wire "rope-twist" is not used any longer.. Since there is metallic content in the matrix, my guess is it's very probably "tourist turquoise" and depending on the mark (if there is one) I'd say Harvey House silver. HH silver had a lot of those split-band styles joining the band to the bezel.

The turquoise *looks* Kingman but the matrix says otherwise. So I can't really tell you. Stones from the Kingman mine in Arizona were highly prized and eveen the lesser ones now go for quite a lot. My guess is anywhere from turn of the century to 1930's Have it looked at by a more experienced person than I am, though.
SageGrouse

I am thinking you are a Pretty damn Experienced Person in this Subject matter..

good write up Sage (Damn she's good) Grouse
 
I dug this silver turquoise ring last week. I had a friend of mine true it up and give it a little polish. I don't know much about turquoise. Would it have much value? It looks well made. The stone has some metal streaked in it. Really good looking, just wondering if there is much of a market for this type of ring. Any information would be appreciated. I did a Google search but it created more questions than answers.
i was wondering what the website was that u used to get the appraisal? I found a HUGE ring with no hallmarks at all along with a ton of stuff from 1940's And earlier. Its similar to yours so it got me thinking I should check it out
 

Attachments

  • photo-20160609090559.jpg
    photo-20160609090559.jpg
    45.2 KB · Views: 533
OK, that is an older ring, because the silver wire "rope-twist" is not used any longer.

I used the twisted rope design until i retired a few years ago. As for Indian craftsmen, there are a lot of families that use the same stamp. Some do great work while others just relay on their family name for sales. Turquoise comes in many different forms and colors. Anymore a lot is stabilized (treated for hardness). There is nothing wrong with that if done properly. Some is just dipped and the color grinds away when shaped. Natural turquoise is best but more expensive. I know that i sold most of my rings too cheap because of the customers (Cheap) I had. One took a ring that I had sold for $40.00 and was told that in the Southwest it would have brought over a hundred dollars. They couldn't believe what he gave for it. I enjoyed doing silversmithing. It was a hobby that became a way of life for over twenty years.
 
OK, that is an older ring, because the silver wire "rope-twist" is not used any longer....
Says who?? They still teach this in the intro silver smith courses at the lapidary clubs.

Let me add to that. The lapidary shows have rocks... some rocks that have been in private collections for 80+ years. My grandmother was one of those sellers that had mined them at quarries and sold such specimens. She'd teach folks how to make "Indian Turquoise" and produced 100's and likely 1,000's if you include her students.

To identify a non-hallmarked "Indian" made item from one that was made by hobbiest is nearly impossible.
 
Ah, I stand corrected. :) I'm only relaying what I was told by a salesman at Rainbow Man Store in Santa Fe. I figured he sells thstuff so e'd know more about it. I should research before I make a claim. :)
One thing I DO know is that the swastika design I have on an old ring *is* prior to WWII. Back then the swastika design was on just about everything Indian.
Sage(I was never a Nazi!)Grouse
 
Ah, I stand corrected. :) I'm only relaying what I was told by a salesman at Rainbow Man Store in Santa Fe. I figured he sells thstuff so e'd know more about it. I should research before I make a claim. :)
One thing I DO know is that the swastika design I have on an old ring *is* prior to WWII. Back then the swastika design was on just about everything Indian.
Sage(I was never a Nazi!)Grouse

Native American or Indian from India?
 
Back
Top Bottom