Turquoise Legend has is that, Aztec Emperor Montezuma beckened himself in necklace and pendant, made of Turquoise from the Cerrillos Mine in what is now New Mexico. Turquoise is the state Gem in New Mexico. Turquoise can be found in the Southwestern United States, in Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico. It is also found in Mexico, China and was once mined in ancient Persia, now Iran and Iraq. When the Spanish Conquistadors came to New Mexico, they found the Indian people adorned in Turquoise. The Conquistadors introduced silversmithing in the 1800’s to the Navajos who in turn taught this craft to the Zuni people. The Indians of the Southwest used the Turquoise Gem for religious and ornamental purposes, dating as far back as the Anasazi people of ancient America and can also be found at Chaco Canyon, an ancient Indian civilization dating back to 500-700AD. Even then they would drill the Turquoise stone as seen in this nugget necklace to be worn for personal adornment. It was not only used by the Navajo for religious and ornamental purposes, but they also used it as a currency. It was symbolized by the Zuni as giving supreme life powers, the Santo Domingo people believed that it brings good fortune and ensures a long and happy life. Natural turquoise Natural turquoise is so hard and beautiful that it is simply mined, cut, polished and set into a piece of jewelry or carved into a fetish or sculpture. Less than 5% of all the turquoise on the market worldwide is natural. Stabilized Turquoise The purpose for stabilizing Turquoise is to give it hardness and color and to make it more commercially valuable. Often when a stone has been stabilized it can be more valuable than a natural stone, because the stabilization process brings out the brilliance, of the stone and allows it to keep its color indefinitely. Whereas, natural stone may change color over time. Stabilized Turquoise can be a low grade or chalk turquoise combined with a colorless acrylic or another bonding agent under pressure or in a vacuum to harden the material and darken the color. Santo Domingo Turquoise must be stabilized when it is worked and shaped like the Santo Domingo Indians do. Using a natural stone would not be cost effective because of the waste involved. The Turquoise that they use must be stabilized to give it hardness in order to work it in this fashion. Zuni Most Turquoise used by the Zuni Indians today is from the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Arizona and is natural Turquoise. The Zuni Indians are known for their fine and delicate stone work. Their designs with stone consist of needlepoint, an elongated stone to pettipoint, a delicate round stone, to intricate inlay work. Along with many other fine stone works. Their jewelry making and designs have been passed down from generation to generation, seemingly each generation becoming more talented then the last. Navajo The Navajo use what ever Turquoise is available or affordable to them. Depending on the silversmith, the stone can be a high grade Turquoise down to a low grade. They are an incredibly gifted people that can make most anything, from jewelry to pottery, Sandpaintings, rug weavings, dolls, paintings, and replica artifacts to Navajo folk art and on and on. Their imagination is boundless.