2mm by 7mm Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Bead Nuggets 19 inch Long Strand

Wholesalers and crafters, this one is for you. These strands feature gorgeous nuggets of genuine, natural Sleeping Beauty Turquoise. These Sleeping Beauty Turquoise nuggets were hand-drilled and are ready for stringing. These are 2mm by 7mm Turquoise nuggets but are free form nuggets so the measurements may vary slightly. This is perfect for anyone who wants to create their own jewelry. Turquoise jewelry is high in fashion this season. Each nugget of this beautiful Turquoise delivers a gorgeous display of natural colors making each nugget unique. Just like snowflakes, no two Turquoise nuggets are exactly alike. You can order as many strands as you want while supplies last; just let us know what you need. These Turquoise nugget strands are each approximately 19" long.

The Sleeping Beauty mine is located near Globe, Arizona. Its turquoise is noted for its solid, light blue color with no matrix. Sleeping Beauty 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 and is still operating.

In Arizona turquoise ranks first in terms of value of production and is also the best known of its gem materials. As stated earlier, nearly all important deposits of turquoise are located near copper occurrences or in copper deposits in arid desert regions of the world. Thus, the world famous turquoise deposits associated with certain of the large Arizona copper deposits are to be expected. Turquoise is or has been mined from a number of these copper mines as a byproduct, usually by outside contractors. The financial and operating terms of the collecting contracts vary from mine to mine. Some of the operations are little more than the efforts of individual commercial collectors. Some are essentially full-scale mining operations that are simultaneous with, but separate from, the regular mining operations; and still others operate on an on-call basis as turquoise is uncovered by the regular copper mining operation. Regardless of the size or the sophistication of the initial mining or recovery operation, the actual turquoise is recovered by careful extraction using hand methods.