This necklace design features a beautiful intense blue Sleeping Beauty turquoise nugget and disc, combined with an old ebony bead from Mauretania. The old Tuareg bead is carved from ebony wood and inlayed with fine filigree silver wire. The necklace is adjustable, just pull along the two knots on top to alter the length.

Sleeping Beauty turquoise comes solely from a mine in Arizona, in the Southwest of the United States. Having served many native American tribes such as the Navajo and Zuni as a source of turquoise for indigenous jewelrymaking, the Sleeping Beauty Mine is among only a handful of turquoise mines worldwide to produce such an intense blue stone.

The use of turquoise as a gem stone goes back to antiquity. With its range of green, blue and pastell colors, turquoise has been a favorite stone for many cultures. This stone adorned the pharaos of ancient Egypt, the Aztecs and Pre-Columbian rulers, and the members of Persian, Mesopotamian and Chinese ruling dynasties. Turquoise reached Europe eventually after being traded and sold along the Silk Road.

49cm/19.5 inches