Turquoise Hoop Earrings come in a wide variety of styles and colors. The Turquoise Hoop Earrings are crafted from the highest-quality .925 Sterling Silver, and all are inspected for a fineness mark to ensure quality.
The gemstone Turquoise is considered by many to be the most valuable, non-transparent mineral in the jewelry trade, and has been mined since sometime around 6000 B.C. by early Egyptians. Beautiful ornamental creations have been made by Persian and Native American artisans. Recently, turquoise jewelry, including Turquoise Hoop Earrings, has regained its popularity. A multitude of experts in the field of gems and minerals believe the finest turquoise comes from Iran; however, this view has been challenged by some southwestern United States specimens. The word “turquoise” comes from the French people and means “stone of Turkey”. It is also the route that Persian material took on its way through Europe.
Turquoise comes in various color forms, which is attributed to the metals in the ground that surround it. Blue turquoise indicates the presence of copper and green turquoise indicates iron is present. The mother rock or host rock is the matrix. The matrix can be made from several different elements such as quartz, chert, pyrite, cuperite, and manganese oxide. Spider web turquoise is made up of small nuggets that are naturally cemented together with matrix or rock, and when the stone is cut and polished it resembles a spider web.
Different turquoise mines produce varying colors, which can be seen in our collection of Turquoise Hoop Earrings. Sleeping Beauty Turquoise comes from The Sleeping Beauty mine, which is seven miles outside of Globe, Arizona, and is one of the largest in North America. It is known for its solid, light blue color with no matrix, and the host rock is usually granite. Sleeping Beauty turquoise is the favorite stone of the Zuni Pueblo silversmiths for use in needlepoint, petit point, and inlay jewelry. Although some of these earrings were created by Zuni Indian artists and Navajo Indian artists, including the Tahe Family, and are authentic, the collection also includes other Turquoise Hoop Earrings that cannot be authenticated.
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