Turquoise (rare locality stone)

Item Description

Here we have a truly fine quality, hard to find, beautiful rich blue colored Turquoise gem with an "Oval Cabochon" cut from the famous locality at Morenci, Arizona. This locality is well-known in the lapidary world for its fine quality Turquoise, but they are seldom available in today's market, as they haven't been available for decades. This stone is superb for its saturation of color and absence of cracks or crazing on the surface. It also features the characteristic dark brown colored "spots", which is a sign this is natural untreated Turquoise. Great quality and size, and it would make a fine addition to any collection or, as the center stone in a piece of jewelry.
This stone is from the estate of former Phoenix area dealer Marvin Rockey. Rockey's Gems was a significant business in the early days of Arizona lapidary material, and he was a prominent dealer and buyer in the Arizona area of local lapidary and carving material from throughout the state, including Bisbee, the Ray Mine, Miami mines, and the Peridot finds on Indian lands in the 1950s-1970s. This stone was kept back from the retail stock for its quality and beauty, in a tray of special material, and was found in his estate (sold to us recently). Today, these are not only rarely seen but of a highly desirable old quality, and sought after by collectors and gem / jewelry enthusiasts alike.