Books on Turquoise

I discovered this book recently and it has become one that I refer to a lot.  The color photos of of different turquoises makes it a great resource.  It details the fascinating story of turquoise, its history from ancient times to the present, and the influence of native artists in making this gemstone part of popular culture in America. There are over 390 dazzling color images, illustrating turquoise from New Mexico to Nevada, China to Iran, and all the important localities in between in its natural state, cut, polished, and set into silver and gold jewelry. Detailed text discusses its values and many mines that have relinquished turquoise over thousands of years. This comprehensive guide introduces more information on turquoise than you have ever anticipated or seen before!

Another great book by Joe Dan Lowry, world-renowned for his knowledge about turquoise and sought after for appraisals, interviews, and lectures. His research has led him to work with many experts in the fields of geology, mineralogy, and archeology, and he has seen some of the most spectacular turquoise specimens and artifacts on display in the world's museums as well as private collections.  Turquoise's history and folklore is laced with mystery and colorful legends about its alluring mystical qualities.

Turquoise: The World Story of a Fascinating Gemstone represents the arts and traditions of prehistoric, historic, and modern societies, and includes examples from the greatest collections in the world. Included are artifacts and collections representing cultures, museums, and individual artists from Egypt, Persia, China, Tibet, Russia, Germany, Italy, Mayan, Aztec, Inca, Southwest Native America, the United States, Great Britain, and Australia. Lively stories, new information, scientific methods, and vivid photography combine to capture the romance and passion of one of the world's rarest and most colorful gemstones.

Turquoise is a symbol of New Mexico’s beauty and ancient history, turquoise is highly valued. The gem enthralls modern man just as it charmed the Ancestral Puebloans who lived in the great stone structures of Chaco Canyon. In 1967, the New Mexico legislature adopted turquoise as the state gem,THE A acknowledging its importance in the culture and history of the Southwest. From early trade, to Native American ceremonial use, to trendy contemporary jewelry, turquoise inspires its collectors to trace the distinctive varieties of the mineral back to their individual mines.

This book includes articles on many aspects of the crown jewel of New Mexico, from geology and mining history, to its use and significance to American Indians. Fascinating chapters discuss the "allure" of the stone, old pawn, how to detect manufactured fakes, and even a special relationship between ants and turquoise. Published by New Mexico Magazine

This newly revised 4th edition edition displays a wide variety of Southwest Indian-made jewelry which features the many different colors and types of turquoise, depending on their origins. The turquoise mines in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico are discussed with characteristics of the turquoise found there. Beautiful color photographs show hundreds of examples of Southwest Indian jewelry, dating back over a hundred years and up to the present, with innovative designs. Men's, as well as women's, jewelry is shown to display the many colors and textures of turquoise in belts, bracelets, bolo ties, necklaces, and special pieces of particular beauty. The price guide has been newly revised. Another great resource book from Nancy Schiffer.

Here is a book for the serious collector of vintage turquoise jewelry.  This is a fairly comprehensive source for identifying the hallmarks of  American Southwest Indian artists working in silver. Barton Wright, the pre-eminent historian, curator, and proponent of these native crafts-people, has collected and organized these hallmarks into a useful book. Compiled over many years of work with the craftspeople, and with the cooperation of one of their main organizing bodies, the Indian Arts and Crafts Association, Mr. Wright has with this book both made a useful tool for identification and left an important record of the work of these talented people. The information is alphabetically arranged with important personal data, tribal affiliation, working dates, materials used, and facsimiles of their marks. I refer to my copy of this book often!

This is well-rounded personal and historical look at fine Southwestern Indian  jewelry with wonderful detailed photographs of New Mexico art patron Millicent Rogers' (1902-1953) stellar collection of Navajo and Zuni silver and turquoise, Hopi silverwork, and Pueblo stone and shell jewelry that she purchased during the late 1940s and early 1950s when fine late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century work could still be found. Her collection provided the foundation for what has become one of America's most important repositories for the aesthetic achievements of Native American artists of the Southwest: The Millicent Rogers Museum.

In summary, "Masters of Contemporary Indian Jewelry" is a magnificent collection of art jewelry made by members of over 30 American Indian nations. Anyone who enjoys the beauty of Indian jewelry art would be immeasurably enriched by its many offerings. It is a collection of brief biographies of over 50 Native American jewelry artisans with magnificent arrays of full color photographs of their finest works.  Each artist is pictured at the beginning of his or her display and a brief description of his/her background, location, and heritage follows. Some famous names are included among the artisans, such as Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Northern Cheyenne resident of Colorado and former U. S. senator.

It is said that many Native American beliefs attach the hope that the virtues of a noble animal's representation can come to the individual who wears a piece of jewelry evoking it. In a sense, many if not all of these pieces are like sacred prayers translated into metal and stone mediums. The effect is certainly majestic, and beautifully conveyed in the many photographs. Listed at the end of the book are resources including a month by month schedule of Indian markets and shows where the jewelry is displayed and sold, selected galleries, and a bibliography with suggested reading.

Collectors all over the world prize the distinctive silver jewelry crafted by the Hopi people of northern Arizona. Margaret Wright's comprehensive guide, first published over thirty years ago and updated in 1998 to include new artisans, has long been considered the best available reference on Hopi silversmithing and is now available only from UNM Press.

The index of hallmarks utilized by more than 300 Hopi silversmiths, arranged chronologically and by type of symbol, with brief information about each artist is a necessity for anyone collecting Hopi silver work.