Zuni Sleeping Beauty TURQUOISE dangle EARRINGS, artisan hand crafted sterling with push backs. Recognizable store quality vintage collectible.

DESCRIPTION:
Collectible Zuni artisan hand crafted dangle earrings with very desirable color Sleeping Beauty turquoise and the rich patina of genuine age. Unique, elegant and very wearable eye catching design, with movement and a presence. The Sleeping Beauty mine closed in the fall of 2012, and the turquoise is rapidly increasing in cost as collector's buy it up.

***MORE INFO BELOW DESCRIPTION.

WEIGHT:
6.8 grams

SIZE / MEASUREMENTS:
1 1/2 inches x 5/8 inch wide.

MARKINGS / HALLMARKS:
Unmarked, tests as sterling.

MATERIALS:
Sterling silver, natural Sleeping Beauty turquoise.

CONDITION:
Beautiful vintage condition with only minor indications of prior use and the light surface burnish on the metal expected in a piece of this age. I clean vintage pieces by gently washing with dish soap (vintage patina is good, vintage dirt and germs are bad!) Then I usually give a quick surface buff with a silver cleaning cloth to bring up the contrast, leaving the natural patina of age in the details to enhance its beauty.

GIFT BOX INCLUDED, ready to give or just to enjoy!

OPTIONAL SHIPPING UPGRADE : I ship fast, usually the day you order, using USPS FIRST CLASS MAIL (1-5 days ), but for an additional cost you can purchase an upgrade to PRIORITY MAIL (1-3 days) at checkout if you wish.

***FREE SHIPPING INSURANCE ON INTERNATIONAL ORDERS*** :)

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MORE ABOUT ZUNI JEWELRY:
Some of the most beautiful and exciting Native American jewelry is made by combining many stones into one piece. Depending on how the stones are cut, this style of combining stones can be called Cluster-Work, Needle Point, Petit Point and Snake Eyes. These four styles emerged in the early 1920's-1940's and are primarily made by the Zuni Tribe, although some Navajos will make similar designs. These styles have a feminine quality to them, as the stones are set in small and elegant settings.

These designs are very tedious as each bezel (the silver holding the stone) is individually shaped and solder. Then the stones are cut, glued to matchsticks, then shaped and polished with a series of grinding wheel. Most artists typically will use Sleeping Beauty Turquoise or Mediterranean Red Coral, but other non-traditional stones (e.g. lapis, opal) have been used.

Cluster Work:
Many artist excel at combining stones of any shape into large clusters to form a design/pattern. The term "cluster work" is a general term that is used to describe this style. Many times "cluster work" is used synonymously with Petit Point. Generally with "cluster work" combinations of small round, square, rectangle and teardrop stones are used to create an infinite amount of designs.

Petit Point:
Petit Point jewelry refers to cluster-work that is made up of stones that are pear-shaped: oval on one end and pointed on the opposite. This type of work is typically made in round and oval designs, but other shapes are possible. This style is made by Navajo and Zuni artists.

Needle Point:
Needle point Jewelry is a very elegant style that emerged in Zuni jewelry in the 1940's. It is among some of the most labor store intensive jewelry to make. Made by both Navajo and Zuni artist, this style is defined as small slivers of stone that are pointed on both ends.

Snake Eyes:
This style of jewelry is among my favorite. The snake eye designs are when small round stones are set in a pattern, mostly precise rows of stones. When made properly, this style of design often has 100+ small stone in one piece.

Keep in mind that all of these style, as precise as they look, are 100% handmade and can never be made this precise with machines or cast with commercial casting equipment. These designs are staples of Zuni and Navajo jewelry, and genuine Native Handmade jewelry is not only beautiful, it is historical and cultural.

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MORE ABOUT SLEEPING BEAUTY TURQUOISE:
The Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Mine history started with the Anasazi Indians, but the current history began in the early 1900's when it was opened to mine for gold and copper. Up until recently the Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Mine was one of the world's largest producers of natural Turquoise. The gemstone got its name from the mountain where it is mined, which resembles a sleeping woman lying on her back with arms crossed. The mine closed in late 2012.

Sleeping Beauty stones are some of the most desirable gemstones produced in the world. Sleeping Beauty stones are unique in color and quality, anywhere from chalky-blue "robin's egg" blue to sky-blue to deep-blue Turquoise. The darker, the more rare the stones are. As far as Sleeping Beauty goes, jewelers and gemologist are looking for the "perfect" Turquoise, for that sky blue color, not too light, not to dark, with no matrix. Its pure color and natural strength make Sleeping Beauty Turquoise a favorite for jewelry makers and artists around the world. It is one of the most prized forms of turquoise for jewelry and adornment.

From its humble beginnings Sleeping Beauty Turquoise has become one of the most important Turquoise mines in the world. Even in rough form, the stones are vibrant and bright, even bluer than the bright Southwestern sky overhead. The Sleeping Beauty Turquoise mine was producing plenty of stone, which in the early days was mainly tumbled into nuggets, cut in half, backed and sold as "nugget cut" cabochons. If you look in pawn shops and in classic Turquoise books and magazines you will see a ton of this jewelry, which is mostly Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Jewelry or Kingman Turquoise from Arizona. Due to the amount of Turquoise the mine produced, it was available at an affordable price and was so widely used that it made Sleeping Beauty turquoise a household name.

Today, every person who has been to the Southwest or lives in the Southwest knows the name Sleeping Beauty Turquoise and exactly what it looks like. Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is revered and highly sought after due to its pure sky blue color which shows very little to no veining or webbing. The Arizona mine recently closed in the fall of 2012, and the Turquoise has jumped in value, and is rapidly increasing in cost as collector's buy it up. Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is truly a gem of the Southwestern United States and although available, it appears at this time that this amazing Arizona Turquoise won't be around forever.