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Turquoise from the Golden Hills Kazakhstan deposit is hard and high-grade material. It is becoming very popular with Southwestern jewelry artists. This rare turquoise is from the Altyn-Tyube mine in Kazakhstan (or Golden Hill mine). Clear Crandallite, present during formation in the Golden Hill mine, gives this natural turquoise a unique & beautiful periwinkle blue color.Rodney Allison, well known for jewelry design, has 45 years of experience in the jewelry industry. He has been a “Personal Jeweler” not only in the Lubbock area, but also worldwide. He creates custom pieces in gold and silver, and specializes in diamonds settings and bridal pieces. Rodney states, “It has been 45 years that I’ve done silversmithing working with turquoise.” He now mixes sterling with gold and uses diamonds and ancient nummis coins with these mediums. The ancient coins range from 50 AD to 400 BC and tell us so much about the past.

Rodney was born in Grants, NM, and grew up in Roswell. At 10 years old he began tumbling rocks and assembling jewelry. In High School, he took jewelry making classes learning about wax carving, casting in sterling, stone cutting and polishing, and hand making sterling jewelry. After graduating, Rodney attended the Gemological Institute of America in CA for Gemology and Diamondology. Later he taught himself gold-work. In 1983, Rodney moved to Lubbock to attend Texas Tech University. 

Throughout Rodney’s career, he has worked with numerous Directors of Mary Kay Cosmetics, making their award winning jewelry and licensed by Mary Kay to create their corporate logo jewelry for 16 years. In 2001, he sold his jewelry store and began to do freelancing to focus on designing and making jewelry. 

Rodney says that his roots run deep in Ruidoso. His great-great grandparents traveled by covered wagon to a homestead outside of Ruidoso Downs. His parents were born in the Ruidoso area. He adds, “While I’ve lived in Texas all of my adult life, my heart always leads me back to New Mexico!”