Small 14kt gold pendant- Morenci turquoise

Handcrafted 14kt gold pendant by Navajo artist Rick Tolino. This small unique pendant features a tear drop shaped turquoise stone from the Morenci mine in Arizona. It is a rare find to see this turquoise in jewelry today as the mine has been closed for many years. Its distinctive coloring of blues along with its silver pirite matrix make it stand out from the rest. Nicely detailed and easy to wear, the bail is large enough to accommodate up to a 2mm chain. 

Mounting measurements: 3/4" x 1/2" with a taper from 3/16"

Stone measurements: 1/2" x 3/8" with a taper from 1/8"

Stone:  Morenci Turquoise is mined in southeastern Arizona, in Greenlee County. It is light blue to high blue in color. Morenci has an unusual matrix of irregular black pyrite, or fool’s gold; when polished, the pyrite often looks like silver. It also is sometimes webbed in a darker shade of blue, called water webbed. Morenci turquoise is well known because it was one of the first American turquoises to come on the modern market and is often difficult to obtain because the mine is now depleted, making it an exceedingly collectible turquoise. Material coming out in the 1960’s seems to be harder, tending more to the blue greens, usually with the pyrite. In the 1970’s, the material was a much brighter blue, often with quartz along with the pyrite