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A particularly beautiful Navajo or Pueblo turquoise nugget necklace, c.1950’s-60’s
This is a completely classic Native American turquoise nugget necklace in every way with really terrific visual appeal; the nuggets are all a beautiful, deep saturated greenish-blue, they are all very good-sized and nicely-shaped and extremely well-matched all the way around the entire length of the necklace.
The nuggets appear to be primarily of Royston and Fox, Nevada turquoise as seen below; greenish-blue with
some medium-brown matrix with perhaps a few Morenci, Arizona stones with their characteristic Iron Pyrite
matrix thrown in. The nuggets are all very nicely tumble-polished. There are 83 or so nuggets in all in the necklace ranging from around 3/4" to 1" in width, most are in the 3/4" size range. The necklace measures 12"
from the top of the cotton wrap to the bottom of the nuggets measured while lying flat on a table and the necklace is approximately 23-24" in circumference all the way around. The necklace weighs a substantial, yet
very comfortable 159 grams or 5 5/8 ounces which figures out to be around 700 carats of turquoise.
The necklace is in completely excellent condition overall and it has recently been professionally and securely re-strung for safety and comfort. It is beautifully finished off with a wonderfully handmade white cotton “Pueblo” style wrap which measures about 6” in length. The soft cotton wrap has a very nice and comfortable feel on the body.
The Navajo say that when you wear turquoise, which they reverently refer to as “The Sky Stone”, that you will always walk in beauty which they consider to be the ideal state of human existence. That means that when you’re wearing the very considerable 700 or so carats of lovely sky stone in this necklace you will be walking in a
very considerable amount of beauty indeed.
Price $2,350
Fox Turquoise
The Fox turquoise mine, located near Lander County and discovered in the early 1900’s, was once Nevada’s largest producer of turquoise with some half million pounds. At that time, Dowell Ward, the mine operator, amassed one of the largest collections of turquoise rock. The mining operation continued to produce turquoise in quantity after 1968 and is still producing today. Fox turquoise is quite hard and runs from shades of green to an aqua blue color. It is found as both nuggets and vein material. The names Fox, White Horse, Green Tree and Smith to differentiate among the colors of turquoise produced in the area and to create a larger perceived share of the market.
-Royston and Fox turquoise text and photos source and © Waddell Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
Royston Turquoise
Royston is a turquoise mine located within the Royston District near Tonopah, Nevada. The Royston District consists of several mines including Royston, Royal Blue, Oscar Wehrend and Bunker Hill. While Royston is considered an active mine, it is a very small operation. Royston turquoise is known for its beautiful deep green to rich light blue colors. Royston stones are often two-tone, displaying both dark and light green and sometimes blue. Royston has a heavy matrix ranging from dark brown to gold in color. This matrix makes for beautiful combinations with the color variations of the stone. Today, the Royston district is still producing turquoise of high quality, but in limited amounts.
