Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Turquoise | Beth Friedman Womens Necklaces

Description

Beth Friedman uses the finest "Sleeping Beauty Mine" natural turquoise to create this gorgeous necklace. The beads are faceted into unusual free-form shapes and interspersed with similar shaped 18 karat gold over sterling silver beads, VERMEIL. Do not expect "perfection" in each bead as they are cut from natural gemstone material and may have an occasional irregularity. Please check photos carefully to see how the beads vary. This is a One-of-a-Kind extremely rare strand of beads. The contrast of the turquoise and gold is rich and unique. A gold hook and eye clasp easily fastens at the back. Located in Globe, Arizona, the "Sleeping Beauty" turquoise mine is one of the most well known producers of turquoise in the world, producing everything from low grade white chalk to a hard, sky blue material with clarity that has made it famous in European markets where they prefer turquoise with no matrix. For years, due to it’s consistent color, low cost and high availability, it has also been extremely popular among Native American artists, particularly from the Zuni Pueblo.The Sleeping Beauty turquoise mine was named after the mountain range where it is located, which from a distance is said to resemble a sleeping woman with her arms crossed.Increased government regulations and mining costs led to the mine’s closure in 2012. Since then, the price for Sleeping Beauty turquoise has risen significantly.