Description
This round cabochon features the classic sky blue color Sleeping Beauty turquoise is famous for; ideal for traditional southwestern-style jewelry designs. Sleeping Beauty turquoise has been enhanced using electrochemical treatments to make the color permanent. The Sleeping Beauty mine, located in Arizona, closed in 2012, making the material valuable and increasingly rare. Turquoise is one of the birthstones for December.
Turquoise is a soft, opaque gemstone that takes a good polish. Its sky blue color comes from the presence of copper; green tones are provided by iron traces. Turquoise sometimes has a rock matrix and varying shades of gray, brown or black veining due to inclusions or oxide stains. Natural turquoise is untreated, chemically or otherwise. Treatments for turquoise include electrochemical enhancement to improve color and stabilization with resin that darken and harden stone. Individual types of turquoise are usually named according to their source.
Stone size: 4.5mm
Stone shape: Round
Material: Turquoise
Stone type: Natural
Color: Sky Blue
Mohs hardness: 5-6
Treatment: Enhanced (E)
Cutting center: United States
please note:
• IMPORTANT: The Sleeping Beauty mine in Arizona closed its turquoise-mining operations during the summer of 2012. Existing supplies are becoming harder to find, and backorders cannot be accepted on these items; however, we will continue to restock our inventory as supplies allow.
• Due to the limited availability of Sleeping Beauty stones, please allow size tolerances of +/- 0.25mm.
• Care: Never clean using steam or ultrasonics.