Wholesale Fashion Jewelry & Accessories Blog

TURQUOISE DATES BACK TO ANCIENT EGYPT and is prized by many cultures throughout the world.  The Aztecs in Mexico forbade any mere mortal to wear it, and restricted turquoise to the Gods, using it in religious rituals and masks.  In the Near East, turquoise was believed to protect against the “evil eye,” and provide a barrier against the powers of darkness.  

Linked to the constellations Sagittarius, Pisces and Scorpio, turquoise is believed to possess many mystical powers:  To wear it means you will experience good fortune, success, friendship and true love.  It’s rumored to ease the mind and heal the body. 

    –But the most stunning attribute of this exquisite stone—or stones, as they come in a variety of shades and mineral makeup—is the color, which ranges from clear sky blue to blue-green (turquoise) to heavily green-blue.  In Persia (Iran) and throughout the Middle East, clear robin’s egg blue, vein-free turquoise is prized; but in the American southwest, native craftsmen traditionally choose electric blue and other shades of turquoise with silver matrix, or subtle tracings of light orange or rust or brown and gold matrix.    

                                               Magical Powers

Turquoise wasn’t brought to Europe until the time of the crusades, and the word turquoise (French) means “Turkish,” as Europeans believed it came from the Turks.

This opaque stone has been esteemed by many cultures, over thousands of years, and, for colored stone enthusiasts, turquoise is on par with, say, the jades of the Orient.

What a marvelous gift, a stone of remarkable beauty infused with life-enhancing magical powers!  Who wouldn’t want that?

DISCOVER THIS STONE’S RISING POWER TO ATTRACT YOUR CUSTOMERS:

• Turquoise Necklace in bold design.  Elegant.

• Chunky turquoise cross necklace – classic and trendy!

                                     Native Americans

VIBRANT COLOR DOMINATES the fashion scene now, and turquoise places naturally in the palette and dimensions of jewelry today.  Many cultures have their own styling for turquoise bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings:  here in the U.S., the Zuni, Navajo and Hopi tribes each developed their own distinctive craft style. 

   –We’re so used to seeing turquoise set in silver that we take it for granted, but it was the American Navajo tribe that became famous for turquoise/silver pairing in their jewelry creations.  The Navajos set this as the standard for all Native American turquoise handicraft, and it continues to this day.  And, as American Indian men embraced turquoise jewelry from pre-settler times, outfitting themselves handsomely with silver/turquoise belt buckles, rings, bracelets, necklaces and more, the history of turquoise for the U.S. is truly uni-sex.

Nothing is more flexible than turquoise in a social context.  The same cabochon necklace looks as dazzling on a long strapless evening dress as with jazzy skinny jeans or a demure 9-5 business ensemble.  True versatility!

                                     Ways to Improve Perfection                 

NATURAL TURQUOISE is the choice of fine jewelers, but even the finest grade turquoise is often waxed and oiled, as the stone is comparatively soft (registers between 5 and 7 on Mohs scale) and the stone can be compromised by exposure to light or heat or bodily oils.

In everyday use, over the years, untreated natural turquoise can fade, even discolor. 

For this reason, turquoise can be dyed and infused with resins (this is called “stabilized” turquoise.)  The result is a much harder, hardier stone that will keep its true color and any finish.  When enhanced, such treatment is hard to detect, even by experts.   

Reconstituted  turquoise is for costume jewelry, and is made from pulverized turquoise chips mixed with chalk blended with dyes and resin.  Today much turquoise is reconstituted in China to service the global market (accounts for 80% of U.S. turquoise costume jewelry.)   This technique creates an attractive, inexpensive product that incorporates lesser grades of turquoise and compensates for the fact that many turquoise mines around the world have been played out. 

Only a few mines in the U.S. continue production, such as the legendary Nevada Blue Mine.  Because of its popularity and the fact that it is becoming more and more of a rare commodity, all grades of turquoise are sure to increase in cost and intrinsic value in the coming years. 

Basic Care:  Minimal care will ensure long life and unchanging appearance.  Turquoise jewelry should be dipped in warm, soapy water, rinsed and quickly dried with a soft cloth.  Commercial jewelry cleaners should never be used on this stone…too harsh!  Don’t expose turquoise to too much light or heat (no sunbathing); you want to protect that gorgeous color! 

Get rich turquoise fashion at recession-savvy prices.  Fantastic!

• Turquoise nugget bracelet – primitive look, tribal aura, semi-precious,

                        created by nature

• Fashion cuff bracelet, Zuni inspired

                        Epoxy simulates turquoise – silver plate setting

DID YOU KNOW THERE IS an easy way to brighten the look of the eyes without using a lot of eye makeup?  Try putting on gemstones – real or faux, they both work wonders!  Emeralds, for example, will bring out the brilliant beauty of green eyes, while amber or even citrine will give pizzazz to any brown-eyed damsel.  Tourmaline will add sparkle and intensity to blue eyes. 

     –Think we’re kidding?  Try it, with earrings or a necklace, and you’ll be amazed!

Color is always a fascinating subject and, when it comes to gemstones, what could be more intriguing?  Realize that most gemstones are pieces of attractive mineral, although some are rocks, like lapis lazuli (wow! try this with blue eyes!), or organic material like amber or jet.

                                               Ruby is Red

THE CLEARER AND MORE DEFINED a gemstone’s color is, the more valuable the stone.  In each case, the color we’re looking at is that part of the natural light spectrum that is not absorbed by the object.  So, a ruby is seen as red because it absorbs all the colors of natural light except red.

Many gemstones come in a variety of colors.  Sapphires, for example, run the gamut of many different hues, from blue to pink to yellow.  Diamonds are even more diverse, and are found in almost every color, from clear to black and in-between!

Beryl might well be called the chameleon of gemstones.  In its pure mineral state it is colorless.  With chromium impurities in its fissures, it becomes emerald.  With manganese, it is pink morganite.  And with iron, it is aquamarine!

YOU CAN ADD AN EXTRA DOSE OF FLASH TO YOUR CUSTOMERS’ EYES WITH THESE FLIRTATION-ENHANCING JEWELS:                                  

• Green jasper semi-precious earrings can add a new dimension of depth and brilliance to green eyes!

• Amethyst earrings that impart a light purple color will throw super-sophisticated

light rays on blue eyes.

                                Laboratory Stones Are Vivid

LABORATORY CREATED GEMSTONES often have more vivid and exciting color than natural gemstones because they are free of impurities that occur in nature.

   —But natural gemstones still cost more money, mainly because of their rarity!

Using gemstones to enhance eye color is a technique that dates back to ancient Egypt.   Of course, back then, there were only real stones…no laboratory foolers here.  So, only the very rich could afford such bejeweled cosmetic enhancement!  Now there are myriad laboratory stones to add light and intensity to anyone’s eyes!  Hollywood has long known about it.

The best way to match eyes and gemstones is to experiment, putting the stone close to the eyes and gauging the result.  But again, like all color sciences, this is not at all exact.  Not only do gems come in an infinite variety of colors, but eyes do, too!

In simple terms, eye color is made up of two genes, one from each parent.  Brown “swamps” or dominates over blue.  So if you get one brown and one blue gene, you’ll have brown eyes.  Two blue genes, you get blue eyes.  Ahhh…if it were just that simple!

                                        Light and Mystery

THERE IS SO MUCH WE DON’T KNOW about eye color, it is almost mind-boggling.  We don’t really know where green eyes come from, although we think they are blue eyes with an added overlay of yellow.  And hazel eyes….they can vary from brown to green with yellow included.  Wow! Grey eyes are really a total mystery, along with real lavender colored eyes, like Elizabeth Taylor’s.

What we do know, however, is that gemstones enhance eye color. Dramatically!  It’s not just the color of the gemstone at work here.  It is also (and perhaps mainly) the powerful light play that goes on at the same time.  Light to light.  Color to color.

Try showing off green eye with emerald-toned stones.  Or green tourmaline.  Jade will have a quieter but intense effect on green eyes, as well.

                                Black Eyes/Black Diamonds

AMBER OR NATURAL TOPAZ stones work wonders with brown eyes.  So do brown diamonds.  What about eyes so brown they look black?  Were there ever more beautiful eyes?  They need rare treatment, like black diamonds, real or man-made.  Spectacular! 

Blue eyes get us back into that whirlpool of complexity, because they can vary so greatly in color.  In most instances, lapis lazuli will work magic with blue eyes.  But those very special light, water blue eyes…they need a softer approach.  Try pale ocean colors of blue topaz or aquamarine for real color dynamics! 

HERE ARE SOME MORE PRODUCT IDEAS FOR COSMETIC PLAYS WITH GEMSTONES:

• Amber light rays radiate out from this contemporary long necklace set to compliment any eye color, especially brown.

• Fashion jewelry in simulated quartz necklace – glass so well crafted only the wearer knows it isn’t the real thing!  And what this can do for lovely hazel eyes – just try it!  Add matching drop earrings for double duty brilliance!

Classic trends ushered in an intense interest in gemstone jewelry and there seems to be no let up as fall approaches.  Sales statistics show that wholesale turquoise jewelry leads all categories of gemstone jewelry shipped to retailers.  The affordable price prompts the question-Is it real and how can it be so cheap?  The question is legitimate because gem quality turquoise sells for $1,500 per pound and The Allure of Turquoise states gem quality accounts for less than 15% of the world market. 

Treated and reconstituted turquoise make up most of the remaining market and this is the turquoise you see so reasonably priced that makes up turquoise jewelry for the fashion industry.  Treated turquoise uses soft, chalky turquoise and impregnates it with resin and dye to enhance color and achieve hardness. 

 Reconstituted turquoise pressure forms soft chunks or more often grinds turquoise and mixes with resins and dye to form the gorgeous beading and pendants found in gemstone fashion jewelry.  From small fashion businesses to major department stores, this is usually the turquoise on display that grabs customers’ attention with stunning designs. 

Another process dyes howlite, which is an off-white semi precious stone that has natural matrix spidering.  Howlite makes beautiful semi precious jewelry in its own right.  It is porous and can accept dye while retaining the matrix for a realistic turquoise look.  Our feeling is if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it so leave howlite alone and let it make its own gorgeous fashion statement in semi precious jewelry.

Classic fashion trends bring a renewed interest in gemstone jewelry and designers incorporate reconstituted turquoise into fashion creations arranged with other semi precious stones and fashion components like faceted glass and plated metal.  The reconstituted turquoise bracelet shown alternates with faceted glass beads. 

Reconstituted turquoise creates striking contrast with other semi precious stones such as picture jasper. Picture jasper generally has a beige color, which is a wonderful neutral that showcases the turquoise as in the semi precious necklace set shown.  A variety of  semi precious stones mixed with turquoise make dramatic changes in a look and offer color to go with nearly anything in the shop.

But this season’s favorite seems to be turquoise and coral combinations-especially good with red so important in the season’s fashion palette.  Dye usually also enhances the coral to achieve the rich red color whereas the natural color is often a far less appealing grey.  Without the enhancements such gorgeous looks of turquoise and coral jewelry would not be available at such affordable prices. 

So when customers ask if t is real, you can tell them yes and explain how it is so affordable.  They will appreciate your honesty and you will gain their trust.

A look at the runways, celebrity magazines, and fine department stores leaves no doubt the classic trend in fashion is alive and well.  The trend began evolving a few seasons ago and brought with it fashion jewelry embellished with gemstone components.  The semi precious stones that are household words like tiger’s eye, rose quartz, and carnelian ushered in the trend.   The consumer couldn’t get enough of it so the field expanded to the point that gemstone jewelry today is like a walk through a natural history museum. 

These are some of the obscure and unique semi precious stones that are bringing new excitement to fashion jewelry using gemstones. 

Red Agate Jewelry

This semi precious stone can’t seem to find a name.  Some call it red agate; others fire agate and crackle stone.  The gemstone has a salmon color with translucence that reveals interesting pomegranate like design.   Magnifying these stones reveals intriguing patterns that galvanize attention even outside the jewelry design. 

Picture Jasper Jewelry

Jasper has an infinite variety of looks, all with different names.  Picture jasper has patterns that appear to scenes usually in beige colors.  Occasionally aqua blue colors mix with the beige for even more attractive designs.  Smaller beige beads often provide spacers in designs while larger stones can deliver the scene effect as pendants. 

Dyed Crystal Jewelry

Crystal quartz is providing a rainbow of bright colors with a process of dying.  The semi precious stone is too hard to dye so the process heats the crystals and then douses them in cold water to create fractures, which absorb the dye.  The fractures also create some shimmer to add to the interesting color.

Tree Agate

Agates, like jasper, come in a huge variety of looks with as many different names.  Both are hard stones ranking 7 on the Mohs scale.  Usually agates have some transparency and often display banding while jasper is opaque.  Tree agate provides interesting color for semi precious jewelry with its white and green mottled hues.

More wholesale jewelry using unusual semi precious stones can be found at gemstone fashion jewelry or gemstone bracelets.

Expect plenty of new surprises in gemstone jewelry as the summer goes on because this jewelry category seems to be capturing the most interest among consumers.