AUSTRALIAN TURQUOISE

        "TurqOZ"  - Australia's one and only Turquoise 

The Background:

Turquoise was mined in the excessive heat of Central Australia during the early 1970's.

The mine was operated by a public company and although Turquoise was only a by-product, it is nevertheless the only commercial Turquoise mine that's ever operated to any scale in Australia.

Most of the production were shipped by airfreight(!) in 44 gallon drums to the USA where the Turquoise jewellery craze was still strong, although in a decline.

For the most part, the rough was sold to traders in that industry who in turn gave it to Amerindians on their reservations to be made into genuine handmade Amerindian Jewellery.

The USA Government contributed "Dollar for Dollar" what the Indians were paid by the traders.

This was in the days of Mail Order Catalog selling; today replaced by Etsy, eBay, Amazon and the likes.

And, to receive an order from a mail order company for small Turquoise rings in 12 designs, 10,000 pieces each... were not unheard of.

Meanwhile, back in Australia, the mining company apparently ran into a bit of bother due to its operations approaching an Aboriginal sacred site. 

As a consequence, it had to close down the mine.

The entire stock of rough Turquoise held by the company at that time was sold.

 

The History:

The history of our "TurqOZ" commenced when that rough Turquoise was bought by myself and I decided to store it away for the time being, intending to attend to it later on.

However, as the saying goes: "Out of sight, out of mind."... and how true is that not!

The Turquoise was left in that storage until a few years ago, nearly half a Century later(!!!), when I "discovered" the rough during clean-up and "yes!", I don't clean up all that often...

Despite the fact that I should have retired more than a decade ago, but having "discovered" this Turquoise I decided to sell a few pieces of rough over the internet.

When I saw that it was the same person buying each piece the moment it was listed for sale, I messaged the buyer and asked if "he was eating Turquoise for breakfast...???"

The answer I got back was: "I don't think you know what you got... you are the only one that got this stuff..." 

Having never been involved in buying or selling Turquoise, except for that purchase from the mine in 1975, I did some research and very soon realized it's uniqueness and with that decided to have some of the rough cut into gemstones for the enjoyment of those who appreciate something unique, interesting or just plain beautiful.

I am now set on a course of cutting some of this rough and once that's done, this Turquoise will be "history"; no more... the end... finished and a collector's item to some, a piece of beauty to others for wearing.

Why Turq”OZ”…?

Many Australians refer to themselves as being an “Aussie”, pronounced “Ozzie”, and Australia, (AUS), as “Oz”.

 

It's Rarity:

Although Turquoise has been found in many places across Australia, it is not found in commercial quantities, but rather as a piece here and there by fossickers and usually only of a so-and-so quality.

Our "TurqOZ" has intentionally been left untreated, no colour dye, no resin injected; it has been left completely natural to preserve its distinctive natural appearance which adds to its rarity.

This is in contrast to other Turquoise where possible more than 90% of what is sold has been treated, one way or another.

The rarity of this “TurqOZ”, when compared with Australian Black Opal which has been mined for more than 100 years and considered a relatively rare gemstone, "TurqOZ" is extremely rare in terms of the number of stones that will eventually be cut from the rough as against the number of Black Opals found.

(In recent times, there has been more Australian Turquoise on the internet, no doubt due to the promotion of “TurqOZ”, but whatever quantities are available from fossickers, collectors and gem merchants, it is still a very rare gemstone.)

 

It's Care:

Australian Turquoise is mostly a very soft stone and at times quite porous and as such require reasonable care, particularly if NATURAL, and if liquid gets onto the stone, it must be wiped off immediately.

If the likes of Emeralds, Pearls and Opal are treated with more care than a Diamond, well so should a NATURAL, untreated Turquoise. 

Just like Opal, Turquoise contains water... Yes, they may be rocks, but they are both porous and if repeatedly allowed to soak in a liquid and then left to dry out, it may cause stress within the stone which may cause it to crack.

Coloured liquids will cause discoloration, wipe immediately, if so happens.

As Turquoise can be quite porous, it will quickly absorb any liquid and, if left in a dry or hot area, it will loose water which will cause it to fade; the colour will return if padded a with a damp cloth, but NO SOAKING.

Clear wax can bring colour back and also seal the porous to reduce water loss, but more importantly, prevent liquid from being absorbed.

Ultrasonic cleaners are likely to damage the stone and if the vibration won't, then the detergent used will.

Never do dish washing whilst wearing a Turquoise ring or wear "TurqOZ" set jewellery whilst bathing in the sea, pool or bath or having a shower. 

Prior to the technique of (stabilising) injecting a hardening compound into Turquoise under pressure, stones were commonly waxed to seal them and also give them some shine after years of wear.

If the polish is gone then rubbing the stone fast and firmly with most soft fabrics will give it some shine, but so will sometimes hard material like leather, even paper as it just depends on how soft or hard the stone is.

Something like a clear lacquer can be applied, but it needs to be very thin for the stone to absorb and also; will it leave a polished shine to the stone…?

Best to first test the back of the stone!

As "TurqOZ" is untreated, it is possible that a stone can break, but if a clean break, then it is the perfect stone for gluing as the stone is very porous and the glue will really stick, even making it far stronger than what it was originally.

After all, if it is OK to repair valuable paintings or a smashed Ferrari, then why not an opaque gemstone where the repair is invisible.

 "TurqOZ"... After half a Century in hibernation, 

The Sleeping Beauty of OZ has awoken...  

 

PLEASE NOTE:

If interested in large quantities, please contact us.