Sleeping beauty turquoise can be found in the southwestern part of the United States in Arizona. This highly sought after stone has made a tremendous impact on the history of turquoise over the years.
The stone got its name because the mountain where it is mined resembles a sleeping woman laying on her back with arms crossed.
Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is revered and highly sought after due to its pure sky blue color which can also be found with dark black “spider webbing” matrix. It is still being collected from the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Globe, Arizona where a small operation of workers mines, processes and ships the stones.
The famous Sleeping Beauty Turquoise was actually discovered by accident. The mine was opened to pull copper and gold and it wasn’t until relatively recently that the first turquoise stones were discovered. Even in rough form, the stones are vibrant, bright, and even bluer than the bright Southwestern sky overhead.