Thanks Bob - that's tomorrow night! Would love to go if I were closer.
I've studied and worked with turquoise (and the many imitations)for years.
I'm sure I would learn even more from this talk.
The photo posted looks like what some call "red skin" turquoise. A Nevada miner told me "red skin" turquoise was enhanced Chinese turquoise soaked in copper sulfate solution. I've never verified that story.
Russ,
My first impression of the turquoise in the image was that it is Chinese. The Chinese mines did in fact have turquoise with a red matrix,this said I looked at many thousands of kilos of rough my first trip to the PRC,I would rarely see the red matrix and it always got high graded to the stash,I'd say that the red matrix was extremely rare and so the turquoise in the image most likely is turquoise that has in fact been doctored.
There are the rare domestic mines that have red matrix common to the mine, a friend has a mine "Red Widow" in Nevada that produces quite a bit of red matrix ......... Again this said red matrix is the rarest and quite uncommon.
I have attached two very poor images of me in the PRC 1987, yes that is a mountain of turquoise I'm standing on..... Yes it was very very cold!!
All my best .......... Danny
As my stash of Chinese turquoise is in fact stashed all I had on hand is some stone I keep out in a Navajo wedding basket as eye candy around the office so the red matrix stones are quite small but they are in fact high grade Chinese red matrix rough.
The second image is for Bob ........ Hope you like it.
All my best ......... Danny
Not all turquoise, not all Chinese turquoise, but all high grade.
All my best ........ Danny
BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN = GOOD!
Beautiful Stone Danny! Let me guess..... CHINESE???
I actually agree with you Danny. Potentially much of the turquoise came from China. Just not to the exclusion of anywhere else.
My point is what if somebody goes to Wikipedia and sees that all "Tibetan" turquoise came from a mine in China? Would that be accurate?? (Maybe so?)
If it isn't "Tibetan" then the inevitable argument is what to rename it and how it will be spelled. This kind of dialogue has happened before on BCN and no one prevails. You just get exhausted.
I'd rather switch than fight myself!
Here's what I think. You know way more about turquoise than I do and I could learn a lot from you. In some cases the opposite may also have some relevance?
With that in mind when we finally get together I will buy the first round and the first guy to run out of wind has to buy the next one.
Bring your friends but please - no knives!
Rock, paper, scissors....... OK?
Best // bob ;-}
.
ps: This Buds' for you..... (too bad your not here!)
Bob,
Good guess, I'll be glad to have the stash out again so I can feast my eyes on it once again.
I also think that some of the Tibetan turquoise originated from other locations, it would be an impossible argument to say otherwise. We will just have to say a majority of the rough and or beads had Chinese origins.
Can't rename the products because they are from Tibet so a Tibetan turquoise bead will always be a Tibetan turquoise bead. Fire agate is another story I won't get into ........ Its not Agate just named this so people went along with it.
I'll have a jack and coke and it would be my pleasure to buy the second round while we are still sitting with plenty of wind left. It would be a great visit.
As a true ex marine pacifist no need to worry about weapons.
I'll buy dinner we will have the image below.
All my best ....... Danny
P.S. I have no doubt that you could teach me plenty, I've never met someone that couldn't as long as I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut!!
