MC349 Natural Old Style Morenci Turquoise Cabochon 7 Carat Cab Stone Untreated Gemstone Gems Nugget

7 carat Morenci Turquoise Cab from the Morenci Mine in Arizona. It measures 14.9mm x 14.0mm X 4.7mm.

These “Old Style” cabochons were cut many years ago. I purchased them, pre-cut, as a group from an old collection.

The colors are great, but you can certainly see the difference in the more recently cut stones and these old style, rustic stones. A great collection and example of vintage turquoise cabochons.

I guarantee the authenticity of these stones and that it is 100% NATURAL and free of treatments of any kind.

The stone has a slight layer of backing.

About the Morenci Mine:

The Morenci turquoise mine produced a turquoise that is light to bright blue in hue. This stone has an unusual matrix of irregular quartz and pyrite that, when polished, often resembles silver. Also, a small amount of Morenci turquoise had some brownish matrix called “Morenci red matrix”. One of the first American turquoises to come to the market, Morenci is highly valued and difficult to obtain.

It is located in southeastern Arizona in the Shannon Mountain and is the by-product of a large copper producing open-pit mine. The first records of this area were those of Henry Clifton and an army scout by the name of Robert Metcalf in 1864. William “Lucky” Brown and J.W. Edgar were mining turquoise at the Carico Lake Mine in Nevada when they received a letter that offered them the turquoise mining rights at Morenci. They partnered in Morenci for seven months until J.W. went back to Nevada. Mr. Brown leased and marketed this turquoise concession (1956-1984), and the Brown family has continued his work for generations. The Morenci mine is now closed and buried under tons of rock. The land was leeched with chemicals that would destroy any trace of turquoise, which means that there is never a chance to re-open this mine. The former miners of Morenci still have quite a stash of rough stone, enough to release a small amount every year to keep it available.

I will be listing a variety of colors and grades from this mine over time.

Morenci turquoise is still available in limited quantities.

Investment:

The small percent of available natural Morenci turquoise as well as it’s history makes it valuable addition to any collection. There are times when the prices of turquoise will drop, but it is rare. My experience is that they consistently rise, due to supply and demand. The supply of good American turquoise continues to decrease.

Natural American turquoise is only a small percentage of the American turquoise sold on the world market today. Much of the current supply has been stabilized or enhanced due to the very limited quantity of good natural stone.

100% natural stones are the best investment choice a collector can make.

Guarantee:

If the stone/stones do not completely fulfill your expectations, simply repackage them in the package I sent them to you in, put a new address label on the front and return to me for a refund of your purchase.

One More Note:

I have done my best to get the most accurate representation of the stone/stones. I have noticed that the photos look slightly different on different computers, and with different lighting, etc. I take the photos under natural light with a quality camera or iPhone and with no alterations. Other than cropping, you will find no color, clarity, or photo enhancements of any kind. I can assure you that the photographs do not do any stone true justice in my mind.

I am selling these from my personal collection. I have been a collector for most of my adult life. I have Native American jewelry, arts, crafts and a collection of turquoise stones from a variety of U.S. Mines.

Check my other items frequently. I will be adding to the inventory regularly.

Thank You!