Vintage Turquoise Jewelry

Vintage Turquoise Jewelry is a fun item to collect and there is nothing more fun than rummaging through an old box or footlocker to discover a piece of vintage turquoise.

While Native American designs seem to be the most prevalent and the style we most often associate with turquoise jewelry, there are also many beautiful pieces, especially vintage turquoise rings, with a more traditional design.

This simple gem has a lot of history and folklore associated with it.

• Turquoise has been mined since around 6,000 BCE
• Egyptians considered this stone a symbol of purity
• Horsemen in Europe used to carry Turquoise as a talisman to protect them from falling.
• Turquoise is a lucky stone for Aquarians, and the birthstone for December.

For those of us who aren't lucky enough to find vintage turquoise jewelry, there are certainly many places to purchase it. The problem becomes knowing what you're getting from your comparison-shopping. This article serves as an introduction to buying Antique Turquoise Jewelry.

Quality Turquoise:

If you only think of Turquoise as blue - stop now. It has very pale varieties and others that move into a dark green hue. There are also very rare colors like red, yellow, white and brown.

The shinier / brighter the turquoise the newer it probably is. Similarly vintage jewelry did not use a "block" technique (which is actually resin mixed to appear like natural Turquoise).

Besides the appearance of the stone, realize that the Native American pieces of vintage jewelry will typically bear the simple word “sterling” if set in silver – no numbers or other details.

Eagle Eyes:

Since Turquoise was used globally in jewelry it can't be pigeonholed into a specific design motif. In order to recognize true vintage turquoise you'll need to determine the era and/or culture in which you're most interested and then become a fast study. When available, contact a trusted source if you're uncertain about a jewelry offering.

Of additional importance is becoming familiar with reputable sellers. There are many sites like eBay where a merchant's goods get reviewed by buyers regularly. Read those reviews and look at customer satisfaction carefully before you buy.

Safeguards:

If you find that you're unhappy with a vintage turquoise purchase, you can use the dispute function on your credit card (or PayPal) to protect yourself.

If you're interested in obtaining some lovely pieces of turquoise vintage jewelry take a peek at these fabulous eBay listings:

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