Sonora Gold is a striking turquoise from the Sonora region of northern Mexico, distinguished by golden-to-caramel pyrite matrix swirling through blue-green stone. The dramatic warm veining makes it a favorite for bold, contemporary Native American designs.
Sonora Gold comes from the mineral-rich copper belt of northern Mexico that has produced fine turquoise for decades. It rose to prominence among Southwestern jewelers as several classic American mines slowed or closed, prized for an unusually warm, golden matrix that set it apart.
Its blend of blue-green stone and golden host rock gives silversmiths a versatile palette suited to both sterling and warmer-metal designs.
Sonora Gold's warm matrix lends itself to statement rings, cuffs, and pendants in contemporary Navajo silverwork, where the gold web becomes part of the composition. Its balance of cool stone and warm matrix makes it a natural partner to both silver and gold accents.
Like all turquoise, Sonora Gold is a hydrated copper-aluminum phosphate. Its distinctive gold-to-brown matrix is the pyrite-bearing host rock in which the turquoise formed, and that iron pyrite produces the characteristic metallic warmth.
Stones showing balanced blue-green color against a vivid golden web are the most sought after.
Protect Sonora Gold as you would any turquoise: keep it dry and away from perfume, lotion, sunscreen, and chemicals, and remove it before swimming or bathing. Wipe with a soft cloth and store separately to avoid scratches.
From its discovery in the copper-rich hills near Globe, Arizona in the 1920s to the mine's permanent closure in 2012, Sleeping Beauty turquoise has undergone a transformation from abundant commercial stone to one of the most coveted minerals in the gemological world, with prices increasing 300-400% since the final extraction.
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The Kingman mine in Mohave County, Arizona has operated continuously since the late nineteenth century, producing turquoise in a remarkable color range from sky blue to deep blue-green, with its spider-web matrix specimens ranking among the most valued turquoise in the world.
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