Untreated Turquoise For Sale on 1stDibs

You are likely to find exactly the untreated turquoise you’re looking for on 1stDibs, as there is a broad range for sale. Every item for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using gold, 18k gold and yellow gold. In our selection of items, you can find a vintage example as well as a contemporary version. You’re likely to find the perfect untreated turquoise among the distinctive items we have available, which includes versions made as long ago as the 19th Century as well as those produced as recently as the 21st Century. Creating an untreated turquoise has been a part of the legacy of many jewelers, but those produced by 15DEGREESLONDON, Doves by Doron Paloma and David Webb are consistently popular. An untreated turquoise can be a stylish choice for most occasions, but turquoise rings, from our inventory of 79, can add a particularly distinctive touch to your look, day or night. A cabochon version of this piece has appeal, but there are also round cut and oval cut versions for sale. Most of our untreated turquoise for sale are for women, but there are 22 pieces available to browse for men.

How Much is a Untreated Turquoise?

On average, an untreated turquoise at 1stDibs sells for $3,523, while they’re typically $337 on the low end and $56,000 for the highest priced versions of this item.

The Legacy of Turquoise in Jewelry Design

The thought of vintage and antique turquoise jewelry often conjures up images of striking Navajo bracelets and necklaces worn with a denim shirt and cowboy boots. This all-American look has been celebrated by fashion designers like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger on their runways and in ad campaigns. In the October 2016 issue of Vogue magazine, Tom Ford said he only wears turquoise jewelry at his Santa Fe ranch. So what is it about this gorgeous blue-green stone that makes us wish that we were born in December?

It’s not surprising that turquoise is abundant in New Mexico and Arizona because, according to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), it needs to be in “dry and barren regions where acidic, copper-rich groundwater seeps downward and reacts with minerals that contain phosphorus and aluminum.

Turquoise is not found in a single crystal but is a combination of microcrystals. Its appearance, waxy and opaque, is attributed to its structure and composition. “It’s an aggregate of microscopic crystals that form a solid mass. If the crystals are packed closely together, the material is less porous, so it has a finer texture. Fine-textured turquoise has an attractive, waxy luster when it’s polished. Turquoise with a less-dense crystal structure has higher porosity and coarser texture, resulting in a dull luster when it’s polished,” notes the GIA. Since no one wants to set a dull piece of turquoise, porous turquoise is often treated to make the stone more attractive.

In the United States, there have been discoveries of turquoise from 200 B.C. It is not just loose turquoise stones that have been found, but entire suites of jewelry from prehistoric times. In the late 19th-century, the Navajo Indians, who learned silversmithing from the Spanish, started to make beads out of turquoise and eventually combined it with silver around the 1880s. Initially this jewelry was for ceremonial purposes, but it became fashionable once the tourism in the Southwest picked up in the beginning of the 20th century.

Find antique and vintage turquoise rings, necklaces, bracelets and other accessories on 1stDibs.

Untreated Turquoise

Vintage 1960s Italian Contemporary More Earrings

Vintage Flower Head Turquoise Diamond Earrings

2010s American Contemporary Solitaire Rings

Natural Turquoise Sterling Silver and 18 Karat Statement Ring