Mexican Sterling Silver Ring With Red Turquoise Stone

I love this chunky Sterling silver ring which is marked "ATI" on the inside.  It features a beautiful red turquoise stone, most likely hardened and enhanced with a coloring agent.  I believe this ring is a modern piece, but it is absolutely stunning.  There was no information online about the maker mark, so any additional information would be greatly appreciated. 

So, let's look at the mineral turquoise.  Turquoise is a hydrous basic phosphate of copper and aluminum.  According to http://www.nevada-outback-gems.com/, turquoise is "formed when water of the right chemistry trickles through a host stone over many, many centuries, gradually leaving behind a turquoise deposit." Turquoise comes in a variety of colors, but the turquoise stones we see in various jewelry are not all created equally. 

Types of turquoise include: natural (all natural and the most desirable!), stabilized (natural turquoise that is infused with plastic resin to make it stronger), color-treated (natural turquoise that is injected with dye to enhance its color), reconstituted (natural turquoise chips and powder that are mixed with plastic and dyes to form a compressed stone), and imitation (made of pure plastic, sometimes infused with other minerals like pyrite to look like genuine turquoise). 

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing this piece.  Questions, comments, and additional information are always appreciated.  My online shop on www.rubylane.com is coming soon.

Thank you to the following website(s) for the historical content of this blog post:

Nevada Outback Gems. Retrieved 4/14/2011 from http://nevada-outback-gems.com/turq_info_pages/Turquoise_inf_colors.htm