Help me sell a literal ton of turqouise.

March 15, 2024 9:50 AM

I have inherited what I estimate to be literally one ton of turquoise and other semiprecious stones in Tucson, AZ. I have reason to believe that there could be a significant (six figure) amount of value in this collection. Do you know of a reputable local place I can sell this to?

I know something about turquoise but little about other stones. Googling, I see a number of "WE BUY TURQUOISE!!!!!" type places in Tucson, Arizona but it's hard to tell who to trust, even with the precaution of taking multiple offers.

Can you recommend anyone specific and/or do you have general advice about unloading large amounts of rocks?

posted by cmoj to Grab Bag (7 answers total)

Look up wholesalers in Quartzite Az. Home of the Rock & Gem show. There are like 4-5 on the main strip.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:13 AM on March 15 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Personally, I would start with the Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development- https://navajoeconomy.org/ to ask for their suggestions. I don’t know the provenance of your windfall, but I know that a lot of semi-precious rocks in that area have been taken from indigenous national lands without proper authorization or permission. It might be a way to get a fair price while ensuring you are not perpetuating sketchy acquisition practices.
posted by Silvery Fish at 10:22 AM on March 15 [27 favorites]

Best answer: MeMailing you a name to start with. He's honest, but not one of the huge big time turquoise dealers (he does sell some). He may be able to hook you up with the most honest of the dealers. Often folks in your situation get fleeced because they don't know what the stash is worth.
posted by bluesky78987 at 11:37 AM on March 15 [1 favorite]

bluesky, is this guy specific to turquoise or minerals in general? I’m in Tucson and we inherited a rockhound’s collection. Lots and lots of different stuff.
posted by azpenguin at 9:37 AM on March 16

All sorts of rocks. Maybe not mineral specimens (pretty crystals in boxes). But all kinds of rough stones, slabs, and probably cabs. Will send you his info.
posted by bluesky78987 at 1:44 PM on March 16

Best answer: I’m not sure how far away this place is from Tucson, but they’ve done tons of auctions selling turquoise jewelry and other southwestern goods. I don’t know if they ever purchase/sell raw stones but they may be able to point you in the right direction or have dealers they work with?

Bradford’s Auction Gallery
posted by a.steele at 9:42 AM on March 17 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you everyone, I posted this as a shot in the dark, not expecting such helpful advice.

a lot of semi-precious rocks in that area have been taken from indigenous national lands without proper authorization or permission

If I know the person I inherited these from, most of this was likely bought from Quartzite, the Tucson Gem show, or directly from people on the rez. I don't know if there's any way to authenticate any of that or if those are even "best practices" but if the Navajo Nation can guide me, I will follow.
posted by cmoj at 5:36 PM on March 18 [1 favorite]