From Gemstone to Masterpiece: Where Every Turquoise Design Truly Begins

When people see a beautiful piece of jewelry, their attention is usually drawn to its sparkle, quality, and shape. A beautiful turquoise ring, pendant, or handmade earrings seems to be the final instance of art and creativity, but before every finished piece, there is a wonderful adventure that no one gets to see.

The other day, we talked about Turquoise and its amazing history, colors, matrix variations and varieties across the world. We found out that there are not two similar turquoise stones and any piece of jewelry is actually a work of nature made by the Earth itself.

This week we move forward in the journey. Instead of focusing on a piece of jewelry, we are going to learn how and where real jewelry is born.

Every Jewellery Story Has a Beginning

Recent years have seen an unexpected development in the field of modern jewellery making. Nowadays, when a professional jeweller creates a new collection, he/she starts with the help of high-technology CAD program, which allows him/her to create a detailed virtual design of his/her future piece.

The introduction of CAD has made it possible to achieve high-quality products in production: high level of accuracy, speed and design visuals in the world of jewellery is hard to become true.

For jewellery designers, CAD is the best resolution for designing.

Nevertheless, some unique masterpieces might not be created through CAD technology.

Nature Never Creates Two Identical Turquoise Stones

Turquoise is one of the top gems that are very popular all around the world due to its unique nature.

While synthetic and calibrated gemstones are made according to pre-set proportions, turquoise has its own trait.

The following distinctive features are inherent to each turquoise stone:

• Shape
• Size
• Color saturation
• Matrix
• Surface character
• Natural alloying

There are stones with a very bright “robin's egg” color and a very slight matrix, while some of them have both black and brown veining that look like a wonderful piece of natural art. Some stones may be of an oval shape, while others may have an unusual form and a lot of asymmetric details.

Such variety makes the process of jewelry design complicated but interesting.

This can also be a good opportunity to get a unique item like jewelry that is made according to the stone’s demands.

Designing Around the Gemstone

This is where the beauty of traditional art comes to light.

Artisans initially investigate details of each turquoise stone and consider:

• Shape
• Curve
• Distribution of colour
• Matrix position
• Thickness
• Visual balance
• One stone with respect to the other

Only after gaining the required knowledge about stones does the design begin to take shape.

In some instances, a unique turquoise stone becomes the focus of a pendant.

In some other cases, two perfectly matching stones create a pair of earrings.

In yet again some other cases, a complete collection of jewelry is designed around dozens of carefully selected stones.

The Art of Hand Arrangement

One of the neglected yet essential steps in making jewellery is gemstone placement.

It may look easy, but it needs a wealth of experience, as well as patience and artistic skills.

The artisans spread out many pieces of turquoise and compare their shades, shapes, and patterns. They turn them around, put them next to each other, eliminate arrangements that do not work, and slowly find combinations of stones that look good together.

No program can replace a trained human eye that detects the harmony among natural stones.

Each arrangement of stones makes a different story.

Each arrangement creates a different design option. 

Since there are no two stones the same, there are also no two arrangements the same.

When Gemstone Manufacturing and Jewellery Manufacturing Work Together

Having gemstone processing and jewellery production in one place is one of the most significant benefits of jewellery production.

Why?

Because creativity can be more adaptable.

In the integrated process, it’s possible to generate the design from the stones in hand rather than coming up with it first and then looking for the stones.

Let’s take a look closer at some advantages of such integrated process:

Variety of Stones

Being able to use various types of turquoise makes it easier for designers to make an appropriate pick.

Increased Creative Opportunities

Thanks to the distinctive properties of each turquoise stone, designs create themselves rather than being forced by the standards.

Efforts in Pairing

Natural turquoise stones can be perfectly paired for earrings or multi-stone jewellery with colour and pattern uniformity, regardless of its individual uniqueness.

Efficient Working Process

Collaboration between gemstone professionals and jewellery makers provides an opportunity for adjustments at all stages of the process in order to get the best results achievable.

Celebrating Nature Instead of Controlling It

The evolution of technology has changed the way of making jewellery. The emergence of CAD, 3D printing, precision casting, and other technology advancement has changed the industry forever. On the other hand, the use of natural stones clearly shows that craft is not just about controlling everything in the process. Instead, craft is about knowing when and how to work with the material properly. The best jewellery makers know when to intervene in the process, and when to let the material determine the design. Turquoise is an example of a stone that benefits from this method.

More Than Jewellery—A Story Preserved in Stone

People tend to appreciate the beauty of a turquoise ring or a pendant.

However, it is important to note that the design of the piece originates well before it gets polished, set, or finished.

An artisan looks at a set of turquoise stones and asks:

"Which one is going to become something remarkable?"

This question marks the beginning of a creative process that is unlike any other process.

It turns raw gemstones into wearable pieces, all while taking into account the individuality created by nature millions of years ago.

Every curve, matrix line, and shade of blue is part of an ultimate story.

This is why every stone is unique and every final piece tells a one-of-a-kind story.

Experience the Beginning of the Journey

The next time you gaze at an exquisite turquoise piece, take the time to consider more than the shiny surface.

Think of the craftsman painstakingly scrutinizing each stone, placing it by hand, and permitting nature to do the talking.

That’s where true artisanship lies—not in the production process as such, but in the understanding of the nature of each gemstone.

This is a combination of many qualities such as patience, experience, creativity, and respect for nature’s work.

Because sometimes the most breathtaking jewellery is made not in spite of the gemstone.

It is done thanks to it.

Let us know what you think! If you had natural turquoise pieces in front of you, what would be the first one to catch your eye? Would you make a dramatic ring, a fashionable pendant, or some stunning earrings? Please place your comments, and we’ll be really curious about creativity of all kinds.