If you’ve spent much time looking around h.g. Jewelry, you probably already know I have a hard time passing up a good piece of turquoise.
One of the things I love about working with turquoise is how much variety there is. I can have a tray full of stones in front of me, and no two really feel the same. Some are bright blue with almost no visible matrix, while others are green, blue-green or covered with brown and black patterns.
That variety is also what can make turquoise a little confusing when you first start looking at it. You’ll hear words like matrix, spiderweb, natural, stabilized, along with names like Campitos, Royston, Tyrone, Kingman and dozens of others.
You definitely don’t need to become a turquoise expert to find a piece you love, but knowing a few of the basics makes shopping for it a lot more interesting.
Turquoise Isn’t Just Blue
When most people picture turquoise, they think of a bright sky blue or robin’s-egg blue. That classic color is certainly popular, but turquoise naturally occurs in a much wider range from blue into greenish-blue and green.
Traditionally, an even medium blue has been especially prized, although green and greenish turquoise have also become popular with contemporary designers and collectors.
Personally, I don’t choose stones based on whether someone says one particular shade is supposed to be better than another.
Sometimes I’m drawn to a bright blue stone. Other times, it’s a green stone with an unusual patch of matrix that immediately gives me an idea for a piece.
That’s one of my favorite things about working with natural materials. They don’t have to match perfectly to be beautiful.
Campitos Turquoise
Campitos turquoise comes from the Sonora region of northern Mexico, near Cananea. It is especially known in the jewelry trade for bright blue material that can have very little visible matrix, although individual stones can still vary.
The Campitos stones in these bracelets are a good example of why color alone can make turquoise so interesting. They have that clean, recognizable turquoise blue, but each stone still has its own shape and small differences.
What Is Matrix in Turquoise?
Matrix is the material from the surrounding host rock that remains visible within the turquoise.
It can show up as fine lines, large patches, streaks or web-like patterns. Depending on the material surrounding the turquoise, the matrix may appear brown, tan, black, yellowish or in other earthy shades.
Some turquoise has almost no visible matrix at all. Other stones may have large areas of it.
That doesn’t automatically make one prettier than the other.
A clean blue stone can look beautiful in a simple sterling silver setting, while a stone with dramatic matrix can become the entire personality of a piece.
What Is Spiderweb Turquoise?
When the matrix creates a network of fine interconnected lines across the stone, you’ll often hear it described as spiderweb turquoise.
Some collectors especially like a tight, contrasting spiderweb pattern. While clean turquoise without matrix has traditionally been highly valued, some buyers specifically prefer turquoise with attractive spiderweb matrix.
When I’m picking stones, I tend to look at how the matrix works with the color and shape rather than simply deciding that more or less matrix is better.
Why Does Turquoise From Different Mines Look Different?
Turquoise forms in dry regions where copper-rich groundwater interacts with minerals containing aluminum and phosphorus. Differences in geology, surrounding rock and formation conditions help create the wide variation we see from one turquoise deposit to another.
That’s why mine and source names have become such a big part of turquoise collecting.
When someone says Royston turquoise or Tyrone turquoise, they’re talking about where the material is believed to have originated—not describing one exact shade or pattern.
Even turquoise from the same source can vary quite a bit, which is one of the things I enjoy about working with it.
Tyrone Turquoise
Tyrone turquoise is associated with the historic copper-mining area near Silver City, New Mexico. It is often recognized for blue and blue-green material, but—as with other turquoise sources—the individual stones can have plenty of variation.
The three stones in this cuff are a good illustration. They clearly belong together, but none of them is exactly the same.
That variation is something I like rather than something I try to hide.
Royston Turquoise
Royston turquoise comes from Nevada and is well known for producing a broad range of material, from relatively clean stones to blue and greenish-blue turquoise with contrasting matrix.
The stone in this pendant is a perfect example of why I like matrix so much. The brown portion isn’t something I would want to remove from the stone. It’s what makes that particular piece interesting.
Put it beside a clean Campitos stone and they hardly look like the same gemstone, but both are turquoise.
Does a Mine Name Make Turquoise Better?
Not necessarily.
Certain mines and sources have strong reputations and can be especially desirable to collectors. Documented material from a well-known source may also carry a premium.
But geography alone doesn’t determine whether a stone is high quality. The quality of the individual material still matters, even when it comes from a famous source.
If you’re buying a piece to wear, I’d look at the stone first.
- Do you like the color?
- Does the matrix catch your attention?
- Do you like the shape?
- Does the silverwork complement the stone?
If you keep coming back to the same piece, that probably matters more than whether the mine name happens to be fashionable at the moment.
I enjoy knowing where a stone came from whenever reliable information is available because it adds another part to the story. But the stone still needs to stand on its own.
Natural vs. Stabilized Turquoise
This is another area where turquoise terminology can get confusing.
Turquoise can be porous, and some material is stabilized with resin to make it stronger and more suitable for everyday jewelry. Other treatments can be used to affect color or appearance.
Stabilized turquoise isn’t automatically bad turquoise. The important thing is that it’s represented accurately.
Treatments are common with turquoise, so if untreated material is important to you, it’s worth asking questions and buying from someone you trust.
When reliable information about the treatment or source of one of my stones is available, I’d rather pass that information along than make a guess based solely on how it looks.
What Makes Turquoise Valuable?
There isn’t one simple answer.
Turquoise is generally evaluated based on characteristics including its color, texture and matrix. Fine-quality material also tends to be denser and less porous, which helps it take a good polish and makes it more durable.
Traditionally, clean and evenly colored blue turquoise has been highly valued.
Collectors don’t always follow one rule, though.
One person may choose the cleanest bright-blue stone in the case. Another person may walk right past it because the green stone with heavy brown matrix is the one that caught her eye.
There are characteristics that affect market value, but jewelry is still personal.
How I Choose Turquoise for h.g. Jewelry
When I’m buying stones, I’m usually already thinking about jewelry before I ever start cutting silver.
Sometimes it’s the color that grabs me. Sometimes it’s an odd shape. Sometimes there’s a particular line of matrix that makes it obvious which direction the stone needs to face.
I don’t buy only perfectly matched turquoise because I don’t make jewelry that way.
A lot of what I create at h.g. Jewelry is one of a kind, and I like allowing the stone to influence the final design instead of forcing every stone into the same setting.
That’s also why the selection in the shop changes so much. Once I turn a particular stone into a piece and someone takes it home, I may never have another stone exactly like it.
What Should You Look for When Buying Turquoise Jewelry?
My first answer is pretty simple: buy the piece you actually want to wear.
If knowing more about the stone interests you, ask questions. Ask if the source is known. Ask whether treatment information is available. Look at the craftsmanship and buy from someone who is willing to tell you what they know—and also willing to tell you when they don’t know something.
But don’t feel like you have to buy one particular shade of blue or avoid a stone because it has matrix.
People who collect turquoise for years often develop very specific preferences, and you may eventually do the same.
For your first piece, though, I’d start with the one you keep picking back up.
That’s usually a pretty good sign.
Shop Handmade Turquoise Jewelry
If you’d like to see how some of these colors and matrix patterns look once they’re set in silver, browse our Turquoise Jewelry collection.
I create turquoise rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and other one-of-a-kind pieces in my Broken Bow studio, and the selection changes regularly as new stones make their way to my bench.
Or, if you’re visiting Broken Bow, stop by the shop and look at the stones and finished pieces in person. I’m always happy to talk turquoise.
h.g. Jewelry
24 N Broadway
Broken Bow, Oklahoma