Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Row Bangle in Sterling Silver, by Don Lucas

A sterling silver row bangle set with square cabochons of Sleeping Beauty turquoise, hallmarked Don Lucas. The mine that produced the stone closed in 2012. There is one of these.

Sleeping Beauty turquoise comes out of Globe, Arizona, and it is known for one thing above everything else: that clean, even, robin's egg blue with almost no matrix running through it. No webbing, no brown spidering, just color. It is the turquoise most people picture in their head when they hear the word. Production stopped in 2012, so every piece of true Sleeping Beauty on the market today came out of the ground before then. Nothing replaces it.

Don Lucas is a name collectors of Southwestern jewelry watch for. A row of square cabochons runs the length of the band, each one bezel set in its own frame with silver beadwork on either side. These are true cabochons with real depth, domed on top and standing proud of the silver, not thin stone set flush into a channel. The recessed silver between the stones is oxidized dark on purpose, which is what makes the blue read as bright as it does.

It wears slim. On its own it gives you one clean line of blue, and it layers easily with silver you already own.

Will it fit you

The bangle measures just over 7 1/2 inches in total, including an opening at the back of about 1 inch, which you can see in the photos. It wears well on wrists from about 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 inches. We know the smaller end firsthand: it stays put on a 6 1/2 inch wrist and slides on and off comfortably. Closer to 7 1/2 it simply sits nearer the bone. To find your number, wrap a soft tape measure or a strip of paper around your wrist where you would actually wear it.

Both ends are plain sterling with no stones, so if it ever needs adjusting, that is the bending zone, well clear of every setting. Size it once, slowly, then leave it alone. We are glad to adjust it here before it ships, just ask.

The details

• Stones: Sleeping Beauty turquoise, Globe, Arizona, square cabochons
• Setting: individual bezels with silver beadwork on either side
• Metal: Sterling silver
• Hallmark: Don Lucas
• Measures: just over 7 1/2 inches around, including the opening
• Opening: about 1 inch
• Fits: wrists from about 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 inches
• One of a kind: yes, a single piece

Care. Turquoise is porous. Take it off to wash your hands, swim, or put on lotion, wipe it with a soft cloth, and store it dry. Avoid silver dips, which can strip the oxidized background that makes the blue pop.