Sleeping Beauty Turquoise

The Sleeping Beauty mine sits near Globe, in Gila County, Arizona, on a mountain whose silhouette is said to resemble a sleeping woman. For decades it produced clean, robin's-egg-blue turquoise before the operation refocused on copper and gold and turquoise mining ended.

Its matrix-free stone became especially beloved in Zuni needlepoint and petit-point work and in fine channel inlay, where consistent, calibrated color is essential and even the smallest stones must match. With the source now closed, authentic Sleeping Beauty has become one of the most sought-after American turquoises.

Sleeping Beauty's clean blue made it the go-to stone for the most exacting Zuni lapidary work — the dozens or hundreds of tiny, perfectly matched stones set in a single needlepoint or petit-point piece. It is equally at home in Navajo silverwork, where its pure color sits quietly against bold sterling.

As a protective sky stone, it carries the same significance as other Southwestern turquoise, with the added prestige of a closed mine.

Sleeping Beauty is defined by its uniform, light-to-medium blue and its near-total absence of matrix — the result of unusually clean deposition in the host rock. That purity is exactly what made it ideal for calibrated cabochons and the matched stones of needlepoint and petit-point jewelry.

Most Sleeping Beauty was naturally fairly hard; like nearly all turquoise sold today, some was stabilized for durability. Because supply has ended, even modest stones now command a premium.