Important Early Hopi Sterling Silver & Old Cerrillos Turquoise Ringsz9

  

An incredible vintage hopi silver ring. The rectangular Cerrillos turquoise stone is surrounded with silver dots as it sets neatly upon its square frame of silver swirls and beads! The center stone measures around 23mm x 15mm The ring face measures around 1¼ x15mm The ring size is around 9 Sturdy 16.4 grams. Cir Mid Century no marks but tested as sterling silver Cerillos Turquoise.

Considered to be the earliest mining district in the country, the Cerrillos mine is just south of Santa Fe in northern New Mexico. Cerrillos Turquoise is considered to be rare today, can be found in almost every color due, and can be a good high-grade stone.

Pueblo Indians worked the mine for centuries before the Spanish arrived. Over two hundred dig sites have been located. One area is located on Turquoise Hill and includes the Tiffany and Castilian mines. The second area is Mount Chalchihuitl.

Cerrillos was the most extensively mined of the prehistoric sites, and is the largest prehistoric mine known in North America.