Turquoise Post Earrings

Turquoise Post Earrings Southwest Inlaid Turquoise Sterling Silver Post Earrings are beautiful and will go great with any other southwestern jewelry. These elegant southwest earrings measure 5/8" long. These southwest earrings have been inlaid with blue turquoise. Southwestern jewelry has become extremely popular in the fashion industry. Turquoise Post Earrings

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise: The Sleeping Beauty mine is seven miles outside of Globe, Arizona. It is noted for its solid, light blue color with no matrix. The host rock is usually granite. Sleeping Beauty Southwest turquoise is the favorite of the Zuni Pueblo silversmiths for use in petit point, needlepoint and inlay jewelry. This mine is one of the largest in North America. Monty Nichols, owner and miner of the Sleeping Beauty mine, says that the mine is producing about 1600 pounds a month. Of that, only 4% is natural. Most of the Southwest turquoise from the mine, 80-90%, is altered in some way. Most of that percentage is enhanced, which is more expensive than stabilization, and sold to large distributors in this country and Europe. Now, most of the Southwest turquoise that comes out of that mine comes from the tons of tailings piles that have been accumulating all these years.