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DecorationsThe Dry Creek turquoise and its unique color
Among the gemstones that have fascinated the world for generations, American turquoise is a stone with many shades of blue that we would like to introduce to you.
HARPO : a unique shop to find genuine American turquoise
Harpo has been created in 1971 and here, you will find one-of-a-kind, sterling silver jewelry set with superb turquoise from the Southwestern United States. All our jewelry is made by Native American artists and craftsmen with incomparable jewelry-making talent.
History and location on the Dry Creek turquoise
In the early 1990s, the Dry Creek turquoise mine was discovered in Lander County, near Austin, Nevada. This is the same area as the Godber-Burnham turquoise mines. Dry Creek turquoise has a very light hue, which at the time of its discovery created doubt among stone-cutters: they weren't sure it was really turquoise because of its unique color. It wasn't until 1999 that laboratory tests carried out by the mine's current owners confirmed that it was indeed turquoise... And what a gorgeous turquoise it is!
The Dry Creek turquoise : so rare, so beautiful
Dry Creek turquoise is an American stone of remarkable beauty. Its hue is a very light pastel blue with nuanced matrices ranging from chocolate brown to pearl grey. You have to see it to believe it... Lucky You, you can find jewelry set with genuine Dry Creek turquoise at HARPO!
How to explain the beauty of Dry Creek turquoise ?
Real turquoise owes its color to the presence of heavy metals in the soil, particularly iron and copper. These two elements are the source of turquoise's hues, which vary from intense blue to bright green. In the case of Dry Creek turquoise, the mine is located in a particularly arid zone with low levels of these heavy metals. This rare situation is what gives Dry Creek turquoise its captivating pale blue color.
What makes Dry Creek turquoise so special?
Most pale blue turquoise is chalky and too porous to cut without stabilization. Dry Creek turquoise is naturally hard and when cut and polished, it looks stunning. No treatment is necessary and its beauty is natural.
No other vein of this material has been discovered anywhere in the world!
This makes Dry Creek turquoise as superb as it is rare and prized.
Some years ago, internal family issues put an end to mining at Dry Creek location. As a result, jewelry set with genuine Dry Creek turquoise is created from stock dating back to the 1990s.
The HARPO jewels in sterling silver and Dry Creek turquoise
As mentioned above, Dry Creek turquoise was only discovered in the 90s, with the result that it was not worked by Native artists until relatively late. So the sterling silver and Dry Creek turquoise Native American jewelry we carry at HARPO is all very special to us.
To discover our jewels set of Dry Creek turquoise
Browse our collections and treat yourself:
Native American jewelry in genuine turquoise and sterling silver
is for everyone!
