EDGAR #8 TURQUOISE Sterling Silver Navajo Necklace RARE TURQUOISE - Over 600 CARATS - FREE SHIPPING! Start Price USD 1,699.99 Current Price USD 1,699.99 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, November 24, 2008 End Time Tuesday, December 16, 2008 Location Boerne, Texas See more about 'EDGAR #8 TURQUOISE Sterling Silver Navajo Necklace' Description EDGAR #8 TURQUOISE Sterling Silver Navajo Necklace NATIVE AMERICAN HAND MADE STERLING SILVER & NATRUAL GEMSTONES CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY AND PROVENANCE INCLUDEDTHESE ARE PICTURES OF THE ACTUAL ITEM OFFERED! THESE ARE NOT, NOT, NOT "SAMPLE" PICTURES! THEY ARE THE REAL DEAL - JUST LIKE US! NAVAJO HAND MADE NECKLACESTERLING SILVER & NAURAL GEMSTONES! EXTREMELY RARE EDGAR NO. 8 MINE HAND MADE TURQUOISE NUGGET BEADS OVER 600 CARATS - SIX HUNDRED CARATS A NAVAJO STERLING SILVER NECKLACE COLLECTOR BONANZA – ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY!! 3-DIMENSIONAL #8 PETALS!! This necklace was made by SADIE DIXON, NAVAJO, who lives on the Window Rock Navajo Reservation. Sadie is a very traditional Navajo and the daughter of a Shaman. She won’t even let us take her picture, which is most uncommon any more! Sadie would not say where she got the beads, but there were enough for 3 necklaces. She kept one for herself as her nest egg, but then there were some unexpected medical bills! So this is the one that she hand picked to keep for herself! This necklace was made by special order after we located the beads in 2000. This necklace has been stored in a professional jewelry vault since the day it was strung. We had only 3 of these necklace; these is the largest and best beads. The earlier necklaces were sold at eBay. A best guess on the age of these beads is anywhere from recent (although unlikely) to ancient (also unlikely). The beads were already worked or shaped when Sadie got them, and our best-guess estimate is that they were made at least 10 to 15 years ago. This is very tedious work requiring a great deal of patience and expertise. While they may have been Navajo made, it is more likely that the Turquoise nuggets were made into beads at Santo Domingo Pueblo (New Mexico, USA) where this gemstone bead making is their tribal specialty. Edgar No. 8 Mine Turquoise is rather like an urban legend of the Native American jewelry world. You hear a lot about it, but you never, ever see it! Oh, you may see some things that are supposed to be #8, but they rarely are. There is more detailed information about this mine towards the bottom of this page. This necklace features natural Edgar #8 Mine Turquoise nuggets that have been hand-carved into teardrop or petal shapes. They are rounded on both the front and back sides to make them highly 3-dimensional and amazingly life-like. They range in size from 7/8 inch to as small and delicate as 3/8 inch long! They are all about 1/4 inch thick. Cut in half lengthwise, each of these beads would yield 2 cabochons, which is why shaped beads are so much more expensive to produce and so much more valuable than the small gems you see in pendants and rings. The color of these beads shows the full range of the very, very best gemstones ever produced by the Edgar No. 8 Mine! The base color is a soft, wispy, Robin’s egg blue. The matrix or veins are deep brown, caramel, honey and gold. They exhibit every matrix pattern including many with the fine Spiderweb pattern which is the most treasured from that mine! It’s quite amazing how much individual variation there is and how incredibly interesting the necklace is to look at just for the Turquoise alone! NECKLACE DIMENSIONSNUMBER OF STRANDS: 1 (One). TOTAL LENGTH, with extender chain: 20 inches. SHORTEST LENGTH, without extender chain: 18 inches. GEMSTONES: NATURAL VINTAGE EDGAR NO. 8 MINE TURQUOISE. NUMBER OF BEADS: 77 (Seventy-Seven)! CARAT WEIGHT: 623 Carats. ENTIRELY STERLING SILVER! NAVAJO HAND MADE. CONDITION: NEW, NEVER WORN, PERFECT, Do you hate necklace extenders? We will be happy to permanently remove or shorten this Sterling Silver chain to your exact length specifications prior to shipping, at NO charge, of course! This necklace has (by weight) 623 carats! Whew! At $29 per carat – well, you do the math; it’s scary! So our Buy It Now Price is less than $3 a carat and quite a steal! We have sold plain nugget necklaces of this same carat weight on eBay in the past, at auction, for over $1,600! Worked but carved beads like these are considerably more valuable than adhesive back cabochons! So this necklace is a true bargain for the first one who clicks! Usually, this shape of stone packed side by side, will not lay with every other petal falling up and down, neither do they all lay down, all the time! Just like petals falling in the breeze, these Turquoise petals have a life all their own and move constantly. Remarkably it seems to have a life all its own and will definitely put a spark in your life too! This exquisite necklace is strung on silk which is traditional for gemstone bead necklaces. Silk has a very high tensile strength for best weight bearing capacity, which is why parachutes are made from silk. Silk will not chafe the inside of Turquoise beads over time, and thus you needn’t worry about your rare beads being broken or fractured. The necklace is terminated with a Sterling Silver "hook and eye" closure, which is very traditional in Navajo jewelry. In the old days, all they had to use were the hooks and eyes designed for closing garments and already in their sewing basket! The extender chain that allows you to adjust the length is Sterling Silver. EDGAR NO. 8 MINE TURQUOISEThe Number 8 Turquoise mine was also known as the J. W. Edgar Mine. It was located in Eureka County, north of Carlin, Nevada. It was discovered in 1925 but mining operations did not commence until 1929. The mine was still open in 1975, but it is now closed. The mine produced some of the largest nuggets of turquoise ever discovered, but that was long, long ago! In the early days of the #8 mine the matrix was mostly black and a little finer. Later in the mine production it began to produce green/gold and brown matrix to maroon matrix (veins), which is very pretty and considered by many collectors to be classic. The colors grade from very light blue to very dark blue, some with interesting hints of green. Almost all the turquoise produced has Spiderweb veins. This mine has not been in production for over 25 years, and all that is really available is from old collections that come up for sale from time to time. A recent internet search produced to previously owned bracelets with 3 stones each for $495 each; 1 bracelet with 5 gems for $699; and another with slightly larger stones for $939! We also found about 6 unset cabochons in the 1 inch square range at $350 EACH, or about $29.00 per carat! Yes, this magnificent Turquoise is extremely rare and valuable! Certificate of Authenticity and Provenance: This museum quality artwork is entirely new and will receive the utmost care in shipping to you and will arrive cleaned, polished, and well packed in layers of bubble wrap and crisp white tissue paper. It will be accompanied my official Certificate Authenticity and simple care and cleaning suggestions. Your unique Certificate of Authenticity will document the Native American artist by name and tribal affiliation and gemstone materials used (including only Sterling Silver), to establish and help you maintain accurate records of provenance.Text & Pictures are copyright by howlingdogtrader, all rights reserved.RETURN POLICY: NO QUESTIONS ASKED! ANY REASON! Return within 7 days of receipt, 100% refund of purchase price (not shipping) if paid with Paypal. If not paid with Paypal, restocking fee of 6% because eBay will not refund their final value fees. (Sorry - ebay rules, not ours!) Must be returned in same condition as sent. Cost of return shipping and insurance is responsibility of purchaser. Click Images to Enlarge After purchase, you will receive an email offering a variety of payment options. You can make payment immediately via Paypal. The email will also offer you to pay by mail using either personal check, money order, or certified bank funds. Payments made by check will be held for 7 business days to allow for clearance of funds. The email will also provide you with a phone number for direct credit and debit card payment, as well as a secure server for card processing. Please respond to email with payment or intentions within 3 days (via internet). Receipt of payment in full expected within 7 days. INTERNATIONAL: Global Priority shipping requires your PHONE NUMBER added to paypal information! Combined Shipping: Multiple purchase can be combined within a 14 day (2 week) period for one flat-rate, shipping charge. We will insure fully at no additional charge to you. Affordable Auction Management and Image Hosting Solutions @ inkFrog view my other auctions below:   visit my entire auction showcase Place a Bid!