TURQUOISE PROVENANCE:

These BLUE GEM turquoise cuts are just another perfect example of the turquoise that came from the late Larry Cooley's collection.Larry was a serious "scholar" in the turquoise industry & had a vast collection from every single mine,with only the finest, most premium qualities on hand, so when artists like Federico would come to buy, this was the go-to guy that everyone went to.

Larry collected for decades & since then,many of our mines have since closed down & since his collection was mined before they started treating turquoise, means that his turquoise was all natural & one thing you wouldn't find would be low grade-inferior cuts & or treated stones. Long story short, when Larry passed some years back, everyone wanted dibs on buying his whole collection, but because of Federico's connection to Larry, Larry's family offered Federico his AMAZING collection.. Yes it was over the top in price, but worth every dollar & some of Federico's most beautifully designed pieces have Larry's turquoise.(The quality in these is dictated in the price) To see more: Put the name "Larry" in the search bar when you are on my front page)

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THE BLUE GEM MINE:

These cuts were mined long before the Blue Gem mine closed back in the 70’s & was a favorite for many Zuni & Navajo artisans & especially from the 40’s to it’s closing. If you were to find any Blue Gem floating around the internet today (And that’s a big “IF”) the comparison doesn’t even come close to the Blue Gem that was mined back when these were. You figure, the ‘harder’ cuts were more available,(Which equates with ‘quality’ in turquoise) the colors were richer & had that true Blue Gem teal color & the quality that was found didn’t need any stabilization for the Lapidarian to cut.

THE EARRINGS:

Made for the serious turquoise "connoisseur" who focus on the quality and will settle for nothing less. This timeless 2 stone drop design, is one of the most enduring designs that will be around no matter how advanced & what direction we turn to in jewelry design. Its sits high on the list for women & for many, it's their #1 choice since they tend to be a very versatile style earring. And from a designers point of view, this is the perfect style when an artist has over the top quality cuts such as these and want the stones to "speak" rather than being overshadowed by a lot of metal work. After all, the total focus should be on the stones, with nothing more & nothing less & nothing to distract, nor take away from.

Small and wearable, while their quality overrides their size, these are made in a classic contemporary style, which makes them a great choice no matter where you live in the world. They'll take you from your day job to a night out & would beautifully compliment your Native or Non-native collection!

**I have listed more of this style with this turquoise (Some have already sold out!) and will be listing more that are not shown yet. Some are less expensive, while some are more. (They will be in any one of the 4 “Earring” categories listed)

A NOTE:: You are paying for the quality & rarity in these earrings..In this business, you pay for what you get. And just like with any other gemstone, there are 'grades' with some being low grade which are less expensive, while others are high grade and are more expensive.. Turquoise is the same, with the cost being higher for 'natural turquoise' that are a high/excellent grade. I always say "look at the price" & that should give you some clue as to how good something is, especially in jewelry. Although, anything with Larry's turquoise will always come with a higher price tag, due to the quality & limited supply*

****The Artist, the turquoise quality, the availability, the carat weight, the cost per carat for this type of quality, sterling cost & artists time are all reflected in the price****