The Story of Our North American Turquoise

North American Turquoise is one of the few stones that never leaves North America, from the mining, to the cutting, to the finished bead. North American Turquoise all carry the names of the mines from which they are produced - Sleeping Beauty, Kingman, Nevada 8, Campitos and Caballo Campitos are all names of turquoise mines, either in the U.S. or Mexico. 

We are proud to bring you these new, unique North American Turquoise stones.

The Sleeping Beauty Mine is one of the most beloved mines in the Southwest. Located in Globe, Arizona. Sleeping Beauty was first mined for copper and gold. The city of Globe was founded in 1875 as a mining camp and today, mining and tourism are the driving force behind the town’s economy. The Sleeping Beauty mine supplied copper and turquoise for 40 years. However, turquoise production was closed in August 2012, when the owners decided to focus solely on copper mining. This mine gets its unique name from its shape. It appears to resemble a sleeping woman with her arms crossed or Princess Aurora “asleep” in her bed.

The Kingman Mine, which began mining in the 1880's, is still exploring and could continue to find new veins. The Campitos turquoise comes from a mine in Sonora, Mexico, that has been in production since the 1980's. There are a few other mines, some still producing, scattered across Arizona, Nevada and into Mexico. Once a mine is closed, you will only be able to find "old stock" collections of rough, cabs or slabs. Luckily, mine owners, miners and collectors have always kept a nice stash of turquoise from various mines and will usually part with it down the road for the right price.

We have located great sources of natural North American Turquoise. They know the ins and outs of the mining process and the stabilization of each stone. They stand behind their work as 100% genuine and untreated beyond their proprietary stabilization process. They do nothing to alter the color or appearance of the stone. Stabilization is standard in Turquoise beads today. The stones with both good natural hardness and color are very rare and are incredibly expensive. The Turquoise in mines today may not be hard enough and would break if drilled or shaped without stabilization.

Every stone has a unique story. We are proud to offer these rare, limited stones and we are excited to explore how we can bring more beautiful stones with truly unique stories to you.