Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Ring

Product Details

Sterling Silver
Stamped with “IH” Sterling for Ivan Howard

Traditional-Modern Style
Sterling Silver and Sleeping Beauty Turquoise
Size:8.5

The Sleeping Beauty mine is named after the range of mountains, which look like a maiden in slumber. They are located in Miami, Arizona, near Globe. The Sleeping Beauty mine produces light to dark blue turquoise with very little black matrix if any at all. It is usually found in granite and is very easy to work with. Silversmiths in the Southwest commonly use it in inlay jewelry especially the Zuni Indians who incorporate it into their petit point and needle point jewelry. It was one of the largest turquoise producing mines in America. Unfortunately the Sleeping Beauty mine closed in Sept of 2012.

Handmade by Ivan Howard

Ivan is a multiple award winning Navajo artist and continues to showcase his exquisite traditional style jewelry at special events and museums throughout the Southwest. After serving 5 years for the U.S. Navy, he was taught silversmithing by a good friend, in 95’. Ivan put a lot of patience and love into the making his art, making it very distinctive from others by using the best gem quality turquoise and silver. Ivan has constructed his own tools to create intricate rosettes, fans, leaf-work and silver bezels in his pieces. Other than working confidently on the side of his lovely partner, Marie Lee who enjoys creating beautiful necklaces herself, Ivan works as a senior electrical technician by day.