INCOMPARABLE 1950s Navajo Sterling Silver Bisbee Turquoise Bracelet

Description: There are a few of these old Navajo silver and turquoise silver split shank bracelets on the market. Some that you find are mass produced tourist jewelry. This one is all handmade, so it's in a different class. The traditional turquoise bracelet is a lovely one. While it's set with a single round Bisbee turquoise stone, the elaborate silver work is what really sets it apart. The turquoise stone is set off with a sterling silver beaded "rain drop" border along with rope work. The rest of the bracelet is decorated with silver wire work, silver beads and really pretty stamping. You can tell how much this old Navajo bracelet has been loved by the great amount of wear, which only adds to the mystique of old pieces. The piece dates circa 1940s-1950s, so just think of all the stories it holds. The bracelet measures 5" inside plus a 1" gap. The width is 18mm weight 26.1grams no marks but tested as sterling silver great addition to your collection Learn a little about Bisbee Turquoise By John Hartman Bisbee Turquoise is one of the most beautiful types of Turquoise that has ever been taken out of the ground in North America. It's striking true blue color ranges are spectacular and the chocolate matrix that the Turquoise is found in, extends it's beauty. Bisbee Turquoise is some of the finest Arizona Turquoise and there is no Turquoise on earth that is comparable to Bisbee Turquoise, as it has it's own unusual charicteristics that are unique only to itself. The Bisbee Mine was originally founded in the mid 1870's and by 1975 when it was closed had become the largest and richest mine the world has ever known. Taking out over 8,000,000,000 pounds of copper the mine was given the name "The Copper Queen". The Bisbee Mine also produced nearly 3,000,000 ounces of Gold, 77,000,000 ounces of Silver and billions of pounds of lead and zinc! The Bisbee Mine also produced a variety of outstanding minerals including Malichite, Azurite and of course Turquoise that are by products of the metals and minerals that are native to this Mine. However, mining at Bisbee did not include mining for gemstones, any Turquoise or other gemstone materials were discarded by the mining companies and prohibited to be taken out by the minors due to liability reasons. In the late 1950's, a deposit of Turquoise was found in the Lavendar Pit region of the Bisbee Mine. Most of this Turquoise was hauled off to an area where they dumped their waste and over burdens from the mining project. Individual Minors recognized the beauty of the Bisbee Turquoise and would sneak small amounts of the Turquoise out in their lunch boxes and/or what ever other means they could muster. It was not long after Bisbee Turquoise was discovered in the Mine that it was introduced to the Southwestern Jewelry Industry. By the early 1960's, Bisbee Turquoise had become the finest Turquoise the market had ever seen and demand for it went through the roof. Again, the mining of Turquoise at the Bisbee Mine was restricted and only small amounts were able to be taken out and sold to the Jewelry industry. In 1972, the one and only lease ever given to work the dumps from the Lavendar Pitt was awarded to Mr. Robert Matthews of Durango, Colorado. Bob and his associates worked the dumps hard for approximately two years to recover less than 2,000 pounds of good to excellent quality Bisbee Turquoise. Due to mining restrictions and the cost of recovering the Bisbee Turquoise from the dumps, mining slowed down and ended by 1980. Only small amounts of Bisbee Turquoise have surfaced since and this has been from Mine Robbers that sneak into the guarded Mine late at night to hunt for bits and pieces of this fine mineral, Bisbee Turquoise! There is very little Bisbee Turquoise available today and due to it's rarity and exceptional beauty it is very valuable. Durango Silver Company had the great fortune to purchase the remaining collection of Bob Matthews and his partner Cecil Michelson in 2002. We have continued seeking small parcels of Bisbee Turquoise from individuals and have accumulated one of the largest collections of Bisbee Turquoise known. From the facts above, this is not a giant amount of Turquoise and Bisbee Turquoise remains nearly as rare as hens teeth!

Price: 345 USD

Location: Salinas, California

End Time: 2025-01-05T17:05:23.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD