Under the ancient portal of Santa Fe's Palace of the Governors, in the shops around the Plaza and at the Pueblos: everywhere you are confronted and tempted with the cerulean shades of the Southwest's primordial gem. How to approach this beauty? How to see with eyes of wisdom, and to make the sky one's own? We posed the most-asked questions about turquoise to several experts.

The truth about turquoise "is elusive," says Douglas Magnus, owner of Santa Fe's Heartline Design and owner of the oldest turquoise mines on the continent. "The more I know about it, the more I see the complexities of the subject."

C&I: In your opinion, what is the standard of perfection in turquoise?

DM: Until this century, highly-prized things had purity and clarity. In today's world, we can create perfection with machines, so we tend to value the imperfections found in natural objects. But in absolute terms, you can say the harder the natural stone, the more valuable.

C&I: How does color and appearance relate to value?

DM: It's a relative thing. In Southwest jewelry, the turquoise with spider web matrix has been the rarest and most valued. Greens have always been more popular in Santa Fe - it's an earthy place - but elsewhere, blues are considered the best. Indians seem to prefer the sky colors.

C&I: How is turquoise altered?

DM: Most raw turquoise falls into the category of "chalk" and is too soft to use. It is put through a process called stabilization in which liquid plastic is injected so that it permeates the stone. This brightens the color and hardens the substance. Most of the turquoise on the market today has gone through this process.

C&I: Is natural turquoise still available?

DM: Fine jewelry makers may use it along with other precious and semi-precious stones. To be sure it's natural, do some research, connect with the jewelry-maker. Buy from someone who can give you a written guarantee that it's natural. Get as much information as you can about what you are buying. If you're buying turquoise as an investment, you should make sure it's natural.

C&I: What is Chinese turquoise like?

DM: It is brought in by dealers either as raw or rough, or cut. Some of it is natural and some is stabilized. There's a variety in color and hardness - you can get green, blue, spider web and a new variety this year that's like high-grade Blue Gem turquoise.

C&I: Is turquoise becoming scarce?

DM: Though China has four or five turquoise-producing regions, the Chinese extract huge quantities, so one wonders how long their reserves will last. Many U.S. mines have been depleted. Unless other sources are discovered, it could become scarce.

C&I: Any advice for the turquoise buyer?

DM: The true value of turquoise is in the beauty of the stone. Buy at the level you can afford and buy what speaks to you, what you find most attractive. There's no stone like turquoise, and rarely are two pieces alike. An interesting thing about turquoise is that its value will increase to the individual who wears it - it becomes a part of you.

Ron Alexander, an importer of Chinese turquoise and a jewelry maker who lives in Naco, Arizona visited China's turquoise region while he was living in Beijing during the mid-1980s. He was surprised to find tons of hard, high-grade turquoise. He immediately formed a partnership with the Chinese and quickly became the biggest importer of Chinese turquoise.

C&I: Is Chinese turquoise treated or stabilized?

RA: Most turquoise needs some form of treatment, and there are lots of different processes. There's a "clear treat" in which acrylic resin but no color is added. Then there's a "color treat" with epoxy resin and color. The important thing to understand is that treatments must exist or there won't be enough turquoise for the market.

C&I: What is the future of Chinese turquoise?

RA: High-grade turquoise is hard to get now, and there's never enough to satisfy the market. The price will increase. You have to realize that high-grade turquoise is so much rarer than diamonds or other stones like lapis. In China the medium grade turquoise occurs in fairly large quantities, so for now there's a good supply. As domestic sources are depleted, this will become more essential.

A final perspective is offered by Joe Dan Lowry of the Turquoise Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Lowry's great grandfather, J. C. Zachary Sr., began mining turquoise, and grandfather J. C. Zachary Jr. amassed the world's largest collection of turquoise.

C&I: Why create a turquoise museum?

JDL: There are so many stories, myths and half-truths about turquoise. I like to say there are two aspects of turquoise: one is the color of the stone, the other is the colorful characters who sell it. Seriously, we approach it in terms of history, mining, industry, consuming, collecting, purchasing, religion and mythology. Our purpose is to give you a perspective so that you can make your own choices.

C&I: Do you address the complicated question of natural or stabilized turquoise?

JDL: We look at turquoise from every standpoint. The question we want you to be able to ask yourself and hopefully, answer, is: what thrill are you looking for? Are you in it for the history? The lore? The color? The natural stone? As a casual ornament? Once you identify how you want to participate in turquoise, you can go about educating yourself in that direction.

The Zach-Low Turquoise Museum
is located at 2107 Central NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104, and is open M-F, 9:30-6. There is a small admission fee. For information, call (505) 247-8650.

Text by Charlotte Berney Photographs by Studio Seven Productions Illustration by Greg Scott