Pendant by Sam Patania
I made this pendant earlier this year with the #8 Spider Web which I have written about before. It was the last lot of turquoise my grandfather bought before he died in 1964. Much of this lot of turquoise is cut in triangle shapes which is due to the way this turquoise grows. These pieces are not calibrated ( think I can say with some certainty that no natural #8 was cut calibrated) but they are not free form either. In any case the geometric shapes have always intrigued me. I set the stones in 18K gold and put it on an 18K commercial chain.
The #8 mine is no longer producing and hasn’t in many years. The description of Spider Web is in reference to the matrix which the turquoise formed around when it was forming in the ground. When the turquoise is mined the blue comes out with the mother rock and when it is cut the mother rock appears as the different colors in the stones. Each mine produces a range of colors and hues of the blue as well as matrix color. Many turquoises are identified by their matrix. Typical of #8 is the gold colored matrix. The term Spider Web has been used to describe many different turquoises but is most known for the turquoise which came out of the #8 mine. This mine was in Nevada.
A great reference book for turquoise is ” Turquoise Unearthed, An Illustrated Guide” by Joe Dan Lowry and Joe P. Lowry, from Rio Nuevo Books. Both Mark Bahti’s shop, www.bahti.com as well as the Arizona Inn (520) 325-1541carry the book. The front and back cover of the book has photographs which I took of my grandfather’s work. Both covers show #8 Spiderweb turquoise.
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