# Turquoise



## Tony (Jul 5, 2017)

@barry richardson , weren't you looking for some awhile back? Did you ever find a good source? Tony


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## barry richardson (Jul 6, 2017)

I've got a pretty good supply, always got my eye out for it though....


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## Tony (Jul 6, 2017)

Would you be willing to share some or your source?


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## The100road (Jul 6, 2017)




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## Tom Smart (Jul 6, 2017)

I've just returned from a trip to SW Colorado and New Mexico and spent a fair amount of time asking around for reasonably priced pieces of turquois to crush for inlay. Went to jewelry stores asking for sources, stopped in rock and mineral shops, spoke with Native Americans selling their jewelry. I was uneducated enough to think I could just buy a decent sized rock and bring it home to smash. Bottom line is I wasn't very successful finding inexpensive stuff to pound into dust. The 2 best places I found were a jewelry supply store in Santa Fe (https://www.sfjssantafe.com/) and an out of the way place in Madrid, NM (Silver Day Trading Co.). For the most part the stuff is labeled by the mine it came from and is sold by the gram or ounce, depending on the source. It ain't cheap by any means, and I was just looking for chips and cutoffs to make smaller.

Reactions: Informative 4


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## TimR (Jul 6, 2017)

I've always been pretty pleased with price/consistency of the stone and dust from Craft Supplies. If you don't fill voids all the way, only the last layer, it goes along way. Be sure to get both the stone AND separately, the powder.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## David Hill (Jul 6, 2017)

I have had some luck with ebay--you have to search " bulk" turquoise. I look for the larger amounts (bigger than 4 oz) since some of my projects require more than just filling a crack. You have to search patiently--turquoise must be a high interest word--no telling what'll pop up in search; like fabrics etc. Sometimes you'll find a US source, but the stuff I've bought recently actually came from China--gets here pretty fast. By and large-not as colorful as the SW US stuff, but will do the trick.
DO NOT buy the "aquarium rocks"--they're either dyed or painted rocks, many of which are as hard or harder than your steel. I just know that

Reactions: Informative 2


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## The100road (Jul 6, 2017)

That's what worries me. I'm not sure which ones are real and which ones arnt. I guess the price might be a give away.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Tom Smart (Jul 6, 2017)

_Much_


The100road said:


> That's what worries me. I'm not sure which ones are real and which ones arnt. I guess the price might be a give away.


A bit more on the real vs not that I learned tangentially by listening to the guy (Dayton Simmons) at the Silver Day Trading Co as he was speaking with another customer. Some turquoise is not completely "natural", that is, it has been what we would call stabilized with epoxy or resin (of course his sales pitch is that he sells only natural). He says that enhanced or stabilized turquoise does not work well as an inlay medium because it will not crush properly and to the consistency we use/require. Here is a link to an older blog about him and "processed" turquoise - http://sherrycordova.com/blog/2010/05/31/all-about-turquoise/.

I don't know much more than that, other than the "natural" stones are really spendy and I found that each place I went to, not just his.

As a side note, there was one other couple in his tiny shop in Madrid, NM, a place that probably saw its zenith about 1885. He was selling this other couple, a gentleman about my age with a _much _younger, tall slender blond, a ring. After they completed and left I gave him my credit card for my tiny baggy of all natural turquoise he said "your name is Thomas Smart, so was that other guy." Huh, there really can't be too many of us. Tried to find them but could not. Whoa!

Reactions: Funny 1 | Informative 3


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## barry richardson (Jul 7, 2017)

Tony said:


> Would you be willing to share some or your source?


I have just accumulated it here and there. Some is kinda crappy (lots of brown rock inclusions, etc) and some was pretty decent. Got a couple of good deals on scrap from jewelry makers at a gift store in Prescott. There is lots of it on ebay, often called turquoise floor sweepings. I could spare you a little if you are in a tight spot.


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## Tony (Jul 7, 2017)

barry richardson said:


> I have just accumulated it here and there. Some is kinda crappy (lots of brown rock inclusions, etc) and some was pretty decent. Got a couple of good deals on scrap from jewelry makers at a gift store in Prescott. There is lots of it on ebay, often called turquoise floor sweepings. I could spare you a little if you are in a tight spot.



I appreciate the offer Barry! I'm not in a bind, don't even have a particular project for it. Just one of those things I want to try and I would rather have it before I need it than have to scramble whrn I do. I'll probably pick some up at SWAT, I'm sure it will be there. Tony

Reactions: Like 1


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## David Hill (Jul 8, 2017)

Tony said:


> I appreciate the offer Barry! I'm not in a bind, don't even have a particular project for it. Just one of those things I want to try and I would rather have it before I need it than have to scramble whrn I do. I'll probably pick some up at SWAT, I'm sure it will be there. Tony



Tony-- I'll likely have some too-- should you need.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## NYWoodturner (Jul 8, 2017)

Tom Smart said:


> _Much_
> A bit more on the real vs not that I learned tangentially by listening to the guy (Dayton Simmons) at the Silver Day Trading Co as he was speaking with another customer. Some turquoise is not completely "natural", that is, it has been what we would call stabilized with epoxy or resin (of course his sales pitch is that he sells only natural). He says that enhanced or stabilized turquoise does not work well as an inlay medium because it will not crush properly and to the consistency we use/require. Here is a link to an older blog about him and "processed" turquoise - http://sherrycordova.com/blog/2010/05/31/all-about-turquoise/.
> 
> I don't know much more than that, other than the "natural" stones are really spendy and I found that each place I went to, not just his.
> ...




Tom - I realize that being in New York I have become pretty jaded but check your credit card statement. There are a lot of those folks with the readers that scan your cards with RFID scanners. I hope to hell I'm wrong but thats just too big of a coincidence.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Tom Smart (Jul 9, 2017)

NYWoodturner said:


> Tom - I realize that being in New York I have become pretty jaded but check your credit card statement. There are a lot of those folks with the readers that scan your cards with RFID scanners. I hope to hell I'm wrong but thats just too big of a coincidence.



Scott, I too am a bit paranoid about stuff like this. In fact, I did check my credit card online as soon as I got home. All was in order, but you made me look again this morning. I was uneducated about the RFID threat until reading an article about it recently. So I purchased a new wallet that is supposed to be RFID blocking. 

So at this point it is still a really big coincidence. Thanks for the heads up. You cannot be too careful these days.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Mike Hill (Jul 12, 2017)

If you think turquoise is expensive, try to buy some White Buffalo turquoise! Although you have to be careful not to get the dyed stuff, beads are a relatively inexpensive way to by turquoise. I have a few pieces, but most are ribbon turquoise - more matrix than turquoise.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Tom Smart (Jul 12, 2017)

Mike Hill said:


> If you think turquoise is expensive, try to buy some White Buffalo turquoise!.


I saw some of that, but only in jewelry form. Didn't ask the price for it.


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