Turquoise Jewelry

Hope this finds you all well and ready for the Holiday Season!!!

The next few posts I want to discuss a little bit about turquoise jewelry. This time I am going to post a few turquoise facts.

1-- Turquoise is the birthstone for the month of December ( my mother as well as two of my granddaughters are lucky enough to have this as their birthstone). It is also associated with both the fifth and the eleventh wedding anniversaries.

2-- With the dwindling global reserves of turquoise and the supply much less than the growing market demand for turquoise jewelry, prices of turquoise jewelry are expected to escalate in the coming years. Due to this economic dynamic, purchases of high-quality turquoise jewelry pieces can be viewed as an investment in an appreciating asset-much like diamonds or other valuable gems and stones.

3--In the 17th century England, gentlemen would not step out in public without wearing turquoise jewelry. The wearing of turquoise jewelry was considered to be a sign of a well dress gentleman.

4--Considering the millions of years it takes for turquoise to form, you will want to handle your investment with care. Turquoise is a naturally porous gemstone and as a result it can change color if not cared for properly. Cosmetics, perfume, high heat, oils and a lot of direct sunlight can affect the color. It's best to clean your jewelry piece then store it in an airtight bag. Since MOST turquoise is set in sterling silver this will keep the stone protected and the sterling from tarnishing. Who wants to get ready to put your piece on and have to clean it first.

5--In 1810 Napoleon Bonaparte presented his Empress Marie Louise with a wedding gift --a breathtaking crown of diamonds and turquoise. Originally the crown was made up of diamonds and emeralds, but Napoleon arranged to have all 79 emeralds removed and replaced with turquoise prior to giving the crown to Marie Louise.

6--This gemstone has been mined for thousands of years by various cultures, with evidence suggesting that the ancient Egyptians mined turquoise as far back as 6000 B.C. In modern day, turquoise is mined in a number of places including the US, Iran, China and Tibet.

7--Turquoise is formed , over a span of millions of years, by a chemical reaction that occurs when water leaks through rocks which specific minerals such as copper and aluminum. The percentages of those various minerals in the rock dictate the gemstone's shade.

These are just a few facts about this fantastic stone.

Thanks for dropping in on us.

Gayla

The cooler weather has arrived.

As the title states fall seems to have arrived. The temps are falling here and the trees are turning fast. As the weather gets cooler we start bundling up more. As you all know I'm no cold weather fan but I do have a bit of an attraction for coats and jackets. I recently worn the pistachio Christine Alexander to an evening get together --- it was a hit. It's such a unique color, this is a hard one to beat. Please take a look at it, I'm sure you will agree.

The holiday catalog is currently at the printers so we are on schedule with that. I think you'll all be pleased with the new items we have added. We have wonderful leather dusters and many new Gale Self jewelry pieces just to mention a few.

We recently attended the Indian Art show at the Cherokee Nation Casino in Tulsa, OK. This was a wonderful event, drawing some of the best artists in the nation. I was like a kid in a candy store. These shows never disappoint me. The talent is amazing.

This pretty well bring everyone up to speed. Please feel free to drop in and chat with us. We are always anxious to hear your comments.

I will try and post again soon as the catalog is at the post office.

Thanks and have a wonderful Halloween.



Gayla

End of summer update !

Well as of today summer has officially ended !! I must say I'm sorry to see it go. I truly am a warm weather person.

The good news is with fall here that means the holidays will be upon us before we know it. I LOVE Christmas ---- guess it's still the kid in me.

With the holiday shopping season upon us that means we will be busy here.
Last week we shot our holiday catalog and are working hard to get it out by the end of October.

We have so many wonderful new items for the winter season. Great new jackets, cashmere scarves and so many new pieces of jewelry. I hope you will all be as excited as I am about what we have to offer this winter.

We also will be posting our new fall/winter schedule of great places to visit. Including shopping, dining and entertainment for those interested in the Southwest.

Please feel free to send me your thoughts and any questions you might have for Mojave Moon.

Thanks,
Gayla

Asking for your help!

Well, I usually spend the time on here telling you about what is new with Mojave Moon. We have discussed a good many things anywhere from new fashions to the history of silver work, but today I want to venture down a different avenue.

On our web site we have a survey available to our customers. I'm asking anyone who visits our site to please take the few minutes to answer the 10 or so questions. This information is to help me make our site everything you want. I want it to be user friendly, as well as safe. I need to know what you like, don't like and what you'd like to see in the future. Since you are who we want to please I need to know what you think as well as what you want.

The information you give us is strictly confidential and will go no further than my desk, so please please give me just a couple of minutes out of your day!

Thanks so much and remember---- help me make Mojave Moon better for you !

Gayla

Summer Catalog

We are so happy to announce we finally have our Summer catalog in the mail !!!!

It has been a bit of an undertaking but I'm very pleased with the outcome. So many of you requested a catalog as another option to purchasing on line.

The catalog gives you a better view of the great products we carry.

We have put complete outfits together for you, it's a breeze to find entire outfits without searching all over trying to coordinate each piece.

Our extensive line of turquoise jewelry coordinates perfectly with Christine Alexander, BB Simon and Kippy. Come in and take a look.

Please go to the web site at www.mojavemoon.biz to request your copy of the Summer 2008 catalog. We would love your feedback------ we want to make it a simple safe shopping experience for you.

Thanks so much!

Gayla

Summer look of Christine Alexander

Well the summer is well under way. With 4th of July under our belt we know we are in the middle of the heat and humidity.

We, here at Mojave Moon, have so many new jackets and coordinating tanks to make you look like a million bucks this summer. We have pinks, baby blues, corals, whites, greens and a hot red !!

For those of you who are not familiar with Christine Alexander, I have been wearing this brand for over 12 years. They are made in the USA, and have a wonderful guarantee that they truly stand behind.

The best in crystals are used with high end, well constructed jackets, tees, tanks and shirts. I'm sure if you drop in to see us you'll find a PERFECT fit for your wardrobe.

I almost forgot to mention they have "to die for" flip flops! We have them in several colors--- again with that lifetime guarantee-- how can you go wrong??

Drop in to see us !! Sign up for our free catalog while you are there.

Thanks.

Gayla

The history of Silverwork

Although not an indigenous art form, silversmithing designs brought to the Southwest by Spanish and Mexican soldiers became important parts of Navajo life.

Atsidi Sani (the Old Smith), first Navajo credited with silversmithing, learned the craft from a Mexican smith as early as 1853. Soon the Navajo sought not only the caballeros bridles and iron bits, but also Spanish rosaries, necklace, crosses, beads, and bells, changing the styles into their own. Life on the reservation meant that prestige and wealth could no longer come from raiding.

A new lifestyle evolved as warriors became herders and, in their free time, silversmiths. Around 1870, Navajo smiths began hammering out U.S. and Mexican coins, then stamping and engraving the metal with designs. By the so-called Classic Period of Navajo silversmithing (1880-1900), the art was mastered and silversmiths created concha belts, bracelets, bridle decoration, and naja necklaces for their own joy and prestige.

In 1872, Lanyade, a Zuni, learned silverworking from a Navajo smith named Atsidi Chon, and soon the Zuni were taking the craft in their own direction. By 1890, Zuni silverwork consisted primarily of settings for turquoise.


In 1898, Lanyade passed the craft on to a Hopi artist, Sikyatata. Early Hopi silverwork resembled that of the Navajo. However, in 1938, Dr. Harold S. Colton and Mary Russell Colton, founders of the Museum of Northern Arizona encouraged Hopi silversmiths to apply their famous pottery, basket and kasina mask designs to silverwork. The Hopi developed a distinct style called overlay wherein two sheets of silver were layered, the top one cut with an openwork design while the lower one is blackened or etched to emphasize the design.

The wonderful bracelet is a perfect example of the overlay process.

Hope you enjoyed the short history lesson. The information is courtesy of Lois Sherr Dubin who has done year of research into North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment.

Thanks for visiting!!
Gayla

Eye on the Buckaroo Ball

I know it's been several weeks since my last post, but this time I would really like to focus on one of the events featured on our event calender, The Buckaroo Ball. This event is June 20-22nd, 2008.

This is a Party with a purpose !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Buckaroo Ball is such a worthy cause-- some little know facts are.

** It's New Mexico's largest single charity event fundraiser for children at risk.

** This year they are celebrating their 15th year.

** Have awarded more than $6.75 million for at-risk youth in Santa Fe County.

**Funded more than 80 non-profit programs including food distribution, family therapy, health care, art education, support for children with incarcerated parents, and numerous other service for at risk children.

The Buckaroo Ball Committee, Inc.. is comprised of 80 professional women volunteers on the Buckaroo Ball Committee, each donating up to 40 hours per week for up to a year. The Buckaroo Ball employees only one staff person.

170+ volunteers donate their time the weeks preceding Ball and Ball Weekend to help with dinner, silent auction and live enertainment.

Headlining the 2008 Buckaroo Ball is Grammy Award winning superstar Travis Tritt.

The Ball is held Saturday evening along with the silent auction and Casino Night.

This is such a worthy event, please visit our site for the Buckaroo Ball web site link to read more about the dedicated women that make this gala event happen.

Thanks
Gayla

Spring has arrived at Mojave Moon!!

Well spring has finally decided to make it's appearance

here in the Midwest. It has been a long harsh winter. Like everyone else I am so ready for the flowers and the warmer weather.

We here at Mojave Moon, for a limited time are making spring available to you on Levis. With only a hand full of these fantastic pieces of wearable works of art you'll have to act fast.

Each pair of vintage 501's have a wonderful embroidered floral pattern done strictly BY HAND, no machine work. This craft is very labor intensive making it a dying art.

Every pair of jeans is unique, signed and dated by the artist. They are made to last, no skimpy work here, they are machine washable and hang dry.

I have several pairs, they are dynamite looking. My husband's favorite pair are the blue roses. Match these with a Kippy or BB Simon belt for a real show stopper.

We only have a limited number and can not get any more so when they're gone they 're gone. Be sure to visit us and grab you a pair while they last.

A new recipe for Easter

This time I wanted to do something just a bit different. We won't discuss jewelry, clothes or stones this time.

With Easter upon us I thought I would share a wonderful Native American recipe for Lamb, complements of Burning Tree Native Grill.

I have fixed this on more than one occasion with rave reviews. So give it a try and enjoy.

Burning Tree Roast Leg of Lamb

1pc. leg of lamb (6 lbs.)
salt and pepper to taste
2-4 cloves of garlic
1 can of beef consume
1 soup can of water
2 T. vinegar
1 pc. onion, sliced
basting sauce
1 cup catchup
1 cup burgundy wine
1 cup wild berry jelly: see note

Rub leg of lamb with salt, pepper and crushed garlic. You may substitute powdered garlic if you wish. Add consume, water, vinegar and onion slices to roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer to thickest part of lamb.
Put lamb in preheated 450 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Baste with sauce and reduce heat to 350 degrees, continue roasting and basting until thermometer registers 145 to 150 degrees for medium rare, 160 to 170 for well done. Serve on warmed platter with watercress. Drippings may be reduced if necessary and passed in a gravy boat.

Chefs note: huckleberry, service berry or current jelly or jam can be used.
Serves 8-10.

Let me know if you enjoy the recipe !!
Happy Easter.
Gayla

What are you getting for Valentine's Day?

We here at Mojave Moon are ready to help you give just the right gift for Valentine's Day !! We have a variety of hearts for the love of your life.

The piece pictured here is a wonderful inlaid piece made of mother of pearl and turquoise, with delicate silver work.

We have a variety to choose from and will be happy to answer any questions you might have, just e-mail us or give us a call.

With February 14th right around the corner we are here to help ! Ladies fill out those wish lists and give them to the guys. It will make life much easier for all concerned. You will get exactly what you want and he'll be a hero with the perfect gift this year.

Valentine's Day has been celebrated for over 1,000 years. The combination of love, romance and affection has made Valentine's Day one of the most -proposed-on days of the year.

In Germany they LOVE flowers (as do I) and on Valentine's Day this is especially true. Large bouquets of gorgeous wildflowers would be chosen for that someone special. The flowers were less about the cost and more about choosing the favorites of the true love-to show you were paying attention to her specific affections.

Seems no matter how many mile are spanned all of us have the same desires. To feel special.

I hope we can help you in this endeavor. Please visit us or give us a call--- we would love to help you make this a very special holiday for that very special LOVE !!

Happy New Year

I do hope you all had a wonderful holiday. It was very special here.

In one of the previous posts someone ask about the stone Lapis. I thought I might discuss it a bit this time and give you all just a little general information on this fantastic gemstone.

The set we are featuring to the left is a beautiful piece of deep blue lapis along with green turquoise set on crisp white pearls, done by Silver Creations. Guess this is their version of "surf and turf".

Lapis as we all refer to it is actually Lapis lazuli. The more you see it you think that it might have come straight out of the Arabian Nights. It's a deep blue with golden inclusion of pyrite which shimmer like the night sky.

Lapis lazuli is regarded by many people as the stone of friendship and truth.

It is an opaque rock that mainly consists of diopside and lazurite. It came into being millions of years ago during the metamorphosis of lime to marble.

Lapis is between a 5 and a 6 on the Mohs (hardness) scale. When polishing this stone the cutter must handle it gently and not subject it to much pressure. There is no need for the wearer to worry; a lapis lazuil that has grown matt from being been worn too much can easily be re-polished at any time to recapture the high gloss.

The best raw Lapis stones still come from the steep Hindu Kush in the north-east Afghanistan. The lumps of blue rock, taken from the mountains by blasting, are brought down into the valley in the summer months by mules. You will also find deposits in Russia, the Chilean Andes, Italy, Mongolia and the USA. Really good qualities are still rare all over. That is why the prices of jewelry with lapis lazuli can vary widely. The prices vary depending on the beauty and color of the stone. The most expensive are the deep blues, with crystals of pyrite that shimmer. Then the stones with a rough grain will be lower in price.

Lapis has weathered the changes in the fashion world thru the years. It is very versatile and loved by both men and women alike.

I own several Lapis pieces, all of which happen to be the deep blue color, but I have a daughter in law who happens to be fair complected that prefers the lighter color commonly know as denim lapis. No matter what your preference, you should make this stone a staple in your jewelry box.

Visit our site to see the lapis pieces we have available ranging from the larger piece featured here to the small more petite pendents.