Sonoran Gold Turquoise Jewelry

March 22, 2019 2 Comments

Last week I mentioned a brand new stone that just hit the market called Sonoran Gold Turquoise. We had seen a few pictures in the last couple of months but finally got a chance to see it in person. Several of our Native American jewelry artists have suddenly begun incorporating it and there seems to be a very positive reception. I am really excited about it and am thrilled to finally share some information with you. So let’s explore the question, what is Sonoran Gold Turquoise?

Sonoran Gold Turquoise is mined in Sonora, Mexico near the city of Cananea. The mine is located at the Campitos Mountain just outside of the city, only about a 35-mile drive from the Arizona border. The local economy relies heavily on the large copper mines in the area and turquoise has long been a by-product of these mines. There are a couple of different types that come from this area, but Campitos Turquoise is the most prominent. It has been produced on and off for a very long time. In fact, it was mined hundreds of years ago and brought north through trade routes with the Native Americans. White Water Turquoise is another beautiful stone that comes from this location.

Sonoran Gold Turquoise is a brand new finding from the Sonora area of Mexico. Just like Campitos, there is an unusual way that it is mined. Most turquoise is cut from veins that interlace through host stones. A good way to visualize this is to take a look at a piece of Boulder Turquoise, which has been cut to emphasize these intricate ribbons of material. In contrast, Sonoran Turquoise actually forms inside clay deposits as individual nuggets. I don’t know this for sure, but I imagine that extracting this material would be easier than most.

The most eye-catching aspect of Sonoran Gold Turquoise is its gorgeous color. It features a bright green color with splotches of blue and gold. It is not uncommon to find specs of pyrite in the stone, giving it an added flair. Personally, I really love the amazing color variation in Sonoran Turquoise. A single stone can have a vast variety of colors interlaced throughout, giving the look a lot of interesting detail. No two stones appear the same and every piece of jewelry has a unique look. I definitely think the Sonoran Gold Turquoise has a lot of character and really makes a statement. While most of our jewelry is sterling silver, these colors look absolutely stunning in yellow gold. If you are interested in having a piece in gold please let us know. We can certainly make a piece for you.

As I said earlier, Sonoran Gold Turquoise has really taken off and several of our Native American artists have started using it. We first saw it from David Rosales, who creates most of our inlaid jewelry. His jewelry utilizes different cuts of the Sonoran Turquoise pieced together in a mosaic style. This really adds to the nice variation in these stones. You might get some parts with deep forest green and others with more blue or gold hues, all in a single piece of jewelry. With Sonoran Gold, every piece will have a different look.

We also have Sonoran Gold Turquoise jewelry with single cabochons. Because these feature a single, whole stone, you get a little less variety in your piece. However, these are nice because you get to see an entire stone that is not broken up into smaller pieces. It really just depends on your individual taste between inlaid or cabochons. I love both looks and think that this stone looks beautiful no matter how it’s cut.

The Sonoran Gold Turquoise is very new and we are only just beginning to gauge its popularity. It has already gotten a lot of great feedback and it catches people’s eye. It has a very different look from most turquoise and our customers really notice it in our store. We are so excited about it that we have prominently displayed it right up front as people walk in the door. It has attracted enough attention in our store that I am confident that you will get lots of great comments on your Sonoran Gold Turquoise jewelry. Take a look at the different pieces that we have shown on our website. If you are interested in having one made in gold simply give us a call at 308-234-3313.

Let us know what you think about Sonoran Gold Turquoise in the comments below. Would you like to see more of this stone featured on our website? We always appreciate your thoughts and it helps us make important decisions about what to offer in the future.

Now that you have some information about it, be sure to shop our collection of Sonoran Gold Turquoise Jewelry.

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