Art of Turquoise

Mary Emmerling

• Éditeur: Gibbs Smith
• Année: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781423616313
• Sujet: Kunst
• Sous-sujet: Kunst Allgemein

Turquoise and silver is an icon of the American Southwest. For generations, people have ogled these gemstones in pawn shops, jewelry shops and antiques stores, looking for a special piece of Native American jewelry that speaks to their heart. Southwest jewelry is now valued and collected around the world. Photographs of collectible pieces reveal what the attraction is about. Whether in shades of pale aqua or deeper aquamarine, blue or jade green, Mary Emmerling reveals that the collector's hunt is about color. And beyond jewelry, the color turquoise appears throughout the Southwest in architecture and decoration. After all, it's the color of calm.

Jewelry

Wearing a chunky turquoise necklace in New York, I was practically accosted by ogling women asking where I bought it. Whether it’s a piece of Native American pawn such as a squash blossom, or an exquisite contemporary creation like this rhinestone cross on a turquoise heart with turquoise beads stringing the chain, turquoise jewelry takes your breath away.

It is so fun to collect individual pieces to add to a chain necklace or bracelet. I give presents and receive presents in turquoise. Due to the natural variations in turquoise stone, no two pieces of jewelry are alike, and that’s a huge part of the appeal.

In its natural state, turquoise is a soft stone, so it can become scratched. However, most stones used in jewelry have been stabilized with resin, making them harder.

Rings

Choosing one ring over another isn’t only about shape and color. It’s also about the markings—the life of the turquoise. The cross ring was given to me in Round Top, TX, and is a favorite.

Zuni and Navajo rings, 1900s–40s. Most rings were for the tourist trade. The skull is a contemporary Day of the Dead design.

The rings are mostly old pawn. Turquoise color ranges from bright blue to bluish green to deep green. The dark veins that run through it are called matrix..

Bolos & Pins

Studies in entomology. Close a shaw...