Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Turquoise to the Right of Me

Turquoise to the left of me. Turquoise all around me! Yup, here in Tucson turquoise is a big deal and for good reason. This is just one tiny little vendor representing about three percent of what I have seen over the last few weeks. Sadly, I don't design with turquoise but that doesn't stop me from looking at all the rough and beads when I come upon them. I figure there are so many other designers out there doing such lovely things with this magical stone, that I just decided I couldn't compete in design or with cost.

So I leave that stone to the turquoise experts. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that I don't love the gem. In fact, my love affair with turquoise started very early in life when my parents surprised me with a turquoise ring they picked up on one of their road trips to the Southwest. I was about eight at the time. Believe it or not, I still wear that ring. Beautiful Old Number 8 stone -- and artisan crafted all the way. It's a beauty.

I have worked with chrysocolla, which is a very close relative to turq, for many years and it seems to be growing in popularity. And, iif you like the colors of turquoise, wait until you see the green mist jasper I uncovered yesterday. I'm thinking I may do something with the green freshwater pearls I got last week. Oh boy!

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