Why is Turquoise Becoming Rarer and More Valuable Than Diamonds?
With depleting mines, turquoise, probably the most sacred stone to the Navajo, has turn out to be more and more uncommon.
A Sky-blue coloured stone with a grey and gold spiderweb matrix sits melded into an intricate silver ring with engraved feathers alongside the edges. This one piece of jewellery might have taken years to make and is value hundreds of dollars, however the story it tells is priceless. It’s the story of a stone, of a tradition, a historical past and of custom—the story of the Navajos.
The stone is turquoise, an opaque mineral, chemically a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminum. Its pure shade ranges from sky blue to yellow-inexperienced and its luster from waxy to subvitreous. The mineral is usually present in arid climates—main areas embrace Iran (Persia), northwest China, the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt and the American Southwest. The phrase itself is derived from an Old French phrase for “Turkish” merchants who first introduced the Persian turquoise to Europe. It has graced the halls and tombs of Aztec kings and Egyptian pharaohs, comparable to Tutankhamun, whose golden funeral masks is inlaid with turquoise.
The significance of this gem lies far past its identify (Doo tl’ izh ii in Navajo) and traits within the tradition as showcased within the exhibition “Glittering World: Navajo Jewelry of the Yazzie Family,” which opened final week on the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City. The present options greater than 300 examples of up to date jewellery made by the Yazzie household of Gallup, New Mexico. It is the museum’s first exhibition to discover the intersection of artwork and commerce and the personification of tradition by means of jewellery. Although turquoise just isn’t the one stone included within the jewellery, it might be crucial.
“Turquoise is a superb instance of a secular and sacred stone,” says Lois Sherr Dubin, the curator for the “Glittering World” exhibition. “There is not any extra necessary defining gem stone in Southwest jewellery and a part of the exhibition’s function is to show individuals to turquoise that isn’t dyed or stabilized, however is the genuine stone.”
Turquoise is a central aspect in Navajo spiritual observances. One perception is that to convey rainfall, a bit of turquoise have to be forged right into a river, accompanied by a prayer. Its distinctive hue of inexperienced, blue, black and white represents happiness, luck and well being and if given as a present to somebody, it’s seen as an expression of kinship.
There are some 20 mines all through the American Southwest that provide gem-high quality turquoise, nearly all of them are in Nevada, however others are in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. According to turquoise skilled Joe Tanner, when Spanish conquistador Coronodo took residence riches to the Spanish king, the turquoise from the jewellery was traced again to the Cerrillos mine in New Mexico, the oldest recognized in America.
“What the Yazzies work with is the best from the mines,” says Dubin. “We’re saying it’s extra uncommon than diamonds.”
Less than 5 % of turquoise mined worldwide has the traits to be reduce and set into jewellery. Once a thriving business, many Southwest mines have run dry and at the moment are closed. Government restrictions and the excessive prices of mining have additionally impeded the power to seek out gem-high quality turquoise. Very few mines function commercially and most of in the present day’s turquoise is recovered as a byproduct of copper mining.
Despite the shortage of mines in North America, turquoise is available available on the market, with greater than seventy five % popping out of China. However, a lot of this turquoise has both been full of epoxy for stabilization or enhanced for shade and luster.
Lee Yazzie, generally known as one of many world’s main crafters of this artform, prefers his turquoise from the Lone Mountain in Nevada. “I was uncovered to the stone in my youth,” he says. “My mom wore it and I keep in mind her working with turquoise to make rings and different items. Later, I discovered it was thought-about a sacred stone.”
He got down to discover the sacredness of this stone. “One day, I tried to hook up with that spirit. I began speaking to it and stated, ‘I have little or no information on find out how to work with you and wish you to offer me path on what it’s you need.’ I can testify to you that when I began speaking on this very particular approach, I found why the Navajos thought-about turquoise to be sacred—every part is sacred on this life.”
This concept of sacred and secular coincides with the thought of preserving custom via innovation, a standard theme within the Yazzie household’s manufacturing of jewellery.
“My custom has all the time been in my work, regardless of how modern my items look,” says Raymond Yazzie, whose jewellery is distinguished by the standard of his domed inlay work.
“The capability to take conventional varieties and make it modern is a transparent expression of how native individuals have transitioned from their conventional cultures right into a world that could be very totally different,” says Kevin Gover, the museum’s director, “but they’ve managed to retain their cultural id.”
Raymond incorporates turquoise into his designs, though he’s higher recognized for his use of coral, which he says can also be uncommon when looking for good high quality.
The above submit is reprinted from Smithsonian magazine