If you wanna go "play" in a castle, view turquoise from around the world, and learn how it's crafted.... this is the place to be! The castle alone is neat to see! Staff was friendly. You can purchase turquoise in their gift shop. Ticket were $20 each... which I think was too pricey. But, it is a beautiful place read more

Turquoise Museum - Museums Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Definitely a unique New Mexico experience. Enter through the gift shop, a less glamorous but more profitable access point than the sweeping front doors to the storied local mansion. Take the time to soak in the surroundings themselves as much as the abundance of information and examples of the Southwest's favorite stone. Some parts of the building are off-limits, but one is mostly free to roam around. There's nearly as much history about the first family of turquoise as there is about the stone itself, enough to satisfy the mildly curious and the history buff alike. A fun, if somewhat underwhelming way to experience a bit of indulgent architecture and local legend. read more

Beautiful museum with great layout, all types of turquoise, knowledgeable staff. Well worth at least two hours of your time. Even if you don't have time to visit, check out the amazing mural outside. read more

This is for the total douchebag who just approached us in the parking lot. Don't expect a warm welcome here. We just barely parked our car and were heading across the street to get coffee before going back to the turquoise museum. This idiot doesn't even give us the opportunity to do the right thing. Comes saying how this is a private parking lot and ONlY for patrons of the museum. We told him we were going to get a coffee and then we would be in the museum. As much as my wife loves turquoise at this point the attitude from little mr douche changed our mind completely. Obviously parking was at a high demand anyway, more than a dozen spaces and only 2 being used. read more

As a rockhound, I have a special appreciation for folks who really love rocks and these people are the real deal. The museum has lots of great history about a multi-generation love of turquoise. The specimens are from 40+ mines from the Southwest and abroad (Asia, Middle East, etc). Also great information for consumers about turquoise grading, jewelry, and authenticity. They offer two tours: 11am and 1pm (Mon-Sat). Reservations can be made on their website or you can call directly. The gift shop is also open before the tours to allow you to peruse a variety of turquoise (primarily from the Southwest). read more

Don't waste your time. They've taken a couple of abandoned buildings in a dumpy part of Albuquerque and misrepresented them as old buildings, when in fact they are only a few years old. As for the displays, while they are nice...clearly one can see the emphasis is on the gift shop and jacking people for $20. Won't be back. read more

terrible service, honestly a waste of money and time. staff there is atrocious, would never come back to this establishment again.

My ten year old daughter and I really enjoyed our visit to this small, but very informative and well thought out museum. Although she's young, she has a keen interest in gems, minerals, and geology. We both love turquoise. We planned to purchase a piece of turquoise jewelry on this trip. We looked into this museum prior to landing in Albuquerque. So glad we did! The displays in the museum were organized in a logical and entertaining format. The museum is small, however loaded with artifacts and numerous descriptions.one could spend hours if you wanted to thoroughly read everything in detail. We didn't have a lot of time. But we came away with so much information. Plus, we both bought lovely pieces of turquoise jewelry from their store. Jacob is a sweet young man. He is following in the footsteps of his grandfather in running the family business. More power to him! His parents should be proud of him. He did a great job. Thanks to Jacob and his mom. :) read more

When you read the reviews, it is important to understand that the museum has moved from a strip mall into a small castle in downtown ABQ and the experience is utterly changed. The house is as interesting as the turquoise -- the old chandeliers, furniture, books, etc. are in view and the setting for the turquoise display is amazingly open, easy to navigate. The turquoise is -- wonderful. We did not take the tour, but there were decent explanations of the geology, mining, etc. throughout, although some of the signs could have been printed in larger type (okay, I'm old). They did sort of jump into the world of semi-fake turquoise (stabilized, howlite, etc.) without a great deal of explanation as to how/why it all developed, but I am sure it was covered on the tour. This would be a perfect venue for an audio tour and I cannot wait until they finish the gardens. Well staffed, very enjoyable morning. We all loved it. read more

If you ever buy turquoise jewelry, spending some time at this museum will can save you money for years to come. This is a multi-generation collection being shared with us in a private museum with the purpose of educating us. Don't miss it. We had our first (but not last) visit to the Turquoise Museum Friday and really enjoyed it. I knew a little bit about turquoise, and now I know a great deal more, thanks to the Museum displays and Jacob's discussion. We applied our new knowledge Saturday in Santa Fe and avoided spending $200 on jewelry worth less than $50. Besides learning how to watch out for overpriced stones, we simply enjoyed learning how turquoise forms, how varied it is, and how international the sources are. And the beauty. Such beautiful stones! More than I could take in within just one visit. Yes, we'll be back. read more

Incredible display of Turquoise as you would expect. Lots of historical information provided. Staff was extremely helpful answering lots of questions. Check out the chandelier on the second floor. Worth much more than the price of admission. read more

The turquoise museum has a new home perfectly appropriate for the quality, depth and breadth of the collection! It is worth visiting, browsing around, learning about turquoise and the history behind it. The new location is elegant and flows beautifully so that there are opportunities to absorb, admire and inquire in a relaxed environment. It's well worth visiting for anyone who had ever been curious about turqouise! read more

What a surprise. Definitely would recommend a trip to the museum if you have any interests in historic homes, antique jewelry, or museum quality gems and minerals. The staff were wonderful and an excellent compliment the museum. Look forward to coming back on my next trip. read more

One of my favorite museum trips! The displays are beautiful and offer a lovely learning experience about all things turquoise. The beautiful furniture and the historic embellishments to the home itself is also worth a trip. On the way out and during our tour we had nice conversations with the friendly, charming staff. Great experience, 5 stars, go do this! read more

This family run museum is a must see for anyone who is a fan of turquoise. Joe our tour guide was very informative and has A fantastic sense of humor, making the tour even more entertaining. I walked out of the museum much smarter than I did walking in. read more

Turquoise Museum - Museums Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Great experience. The tour was very well done via cell phone and QR codes. In addition, the proprietor provided additional interesting information. Fascinating facts about all aspects of turquoise. Highly recommend this experience. read more

A "must-visit" before you do ANY shopping for turquoise jewelry! A knowledgable and friendly husband-wife team run a turquoise museum in their jewelry/flower shop. The museum is run as a low-charge service ($3 with AAA card) to educate people on the history of turquoise and how to buy it with confidence (or at least, to buy with less ignorance). A variety of hands-on displays will shock you with how real a fake turq stone can look. The sample stones and jewelry are awesome examples; their turq vault is so legendary it's name-checked by the Smithsonian. The husband offers a free verbal ID of one item per visitor. I was scared to have him check my newly-purchased bracelet, but fortunately, it was authentic. Beautiful pieces of jewelry (authentic stones/Native American craftsmanship) are available for sale at reasonable prices; they can even create matching pieces with their vast catalog of stones. The point: just go. You'll be glad you did. read more

I am so glad I decided to attend this guided tour! Even though reviews were mixed, it is a must to be an educated consumer. Staff is professional and knowledgeable! I will be doing business with them again. I feel even more fascinated with Turqouise now that I am more educated about its history, sources and craftmenship. I recommend coming and finding out for yourself like I did. I have a feeling that you will not regret it. Two extensive resources can be purchased at the end of the tour and your book will be autographed by one of the authors. read more

Turquoise Museum - My new acquisitions from The Turqouise Museum! - Museums Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Really enjoyed it. Was super interesting and everyone was so nice. Beautiful pieces of turquoise and great information. Even the furniture was amazing. read more

What a gem of a collection, literally! Not only is this museum well-curated, it is housed in an amazing historic castle. There is no shortage of information or turquoise here! The museum has a very nice staff who are knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend visiting this space! read more

It's a jewelry store that has a handmade museum and charges $4 for the pleasure of looking at average Turquoise jewelry. Also their not friendly to photographers so don't bother. Overall avoid, not worth it unless you want to be sold something. read more

Great experience that I will visit again and again. The Zachery and Lowry families have created a legacy of extraordinary value, both intrinsically and educationally. So much to see, so much to learn. Then the cafe provides a blue ribbon surprise. read more

This museum is absolutely worth you time! The owner is really sweet and is more than happy to answer all of your questions. The pieces and the stories included in the collections are incredibly beautiful. read more

If you want a deep dive into turquoise, this is your place! The mansion was very cool on its own, and the exhibits were very informative. The docent was friendly and welcoming, too. There are a LOT of exhibits with a lot of text on each, so it is definitely worthwhile to check out the map first and only visit the galleries you are most interested in. I found the Science and Mining displays particularly fascinating. read more

The Turquoise Museum in their new location, The Gertrude Zachary Castle, is the best! We spent three wonderful hours looking at everything. Jacob answered all our questions making the visit fun! read more

I was only in Albuquerque for a full day and 2 nights. I saw this on the Marriott website and Yelp. I have enjoyed turquoise jewelry since I lived here for 4 months 30 years ago. However, this family owned house museum of turquoise takes turquoise to a whole other level. All the turquoise pieces were stunning and well displayed. The museum part where the information displays are scattered in and among the displays are informative without being overwhelming. There was also furniture, mirrors, and chandeliers remaining from the founder generation and their travels around the world and statuary around the outside areas. There was a very nice cafe with all homemade light lunch/ brunch items. The oatmeal carmelitas with oatmeal bar, chocolate and caramel was excellent and worth the calories. The cafe serves local teas from the NM Tea Co...Very good especially on a blustery day like it was the day we visited. The one slightly negative comment and reason for 4 stars is they didn't offer a docent tour to make it all come alive or have audio headsets which would have done the same thing. And parts of the house had old items piled in corners and open to view (not part of the displays but waiting to be discarded it seemed.) However I recommend a stop here if you like turquoise and are in the Albuquerque area for a day or two. read more

You are NOT going to see turquoise like this anywhere else in the world. Informative, with turquoise jewelry shop on premises. I found the information about "imitation turquoise" fascinating. Apparently, you can buy an imitation stone while it is described as "real turquoise" and it is not illegal to sell it as such because "real" is something that exists and you can touch and "turquoise" is a blue stone that has certain characteristics that make it look and feel like "turquoise". That's it, so selling "real" fake "turquoise" is perfectly legal. Visits are offered as guided tours only, available at specific times throughout the week. This may seem limiting but booking the tour online takes no time at all, and you get confirmation email with all the details. The tour takes about 1.5h, I wish I could stay longer because I like to read every bit of information in every display case and 1.5h is simply not enough time. read more

If you're a nerd like me then you'll enjoy yourself here. The story of this place alone was enough to make me love it. Don't let the exterior fool you this place is awesome! The tour guide is extremely knowledgeable and quite funny. In the 45 minutes I was there I learned a lot! To sum it up, go here and enjoy yourself. It's well worth your time. read more

I am so glad I found out about this museum! If you love turquoise, this is the place to learn about the mineral itself. You will see so many examples of turquoise from mines in the United States as well as from other parts of the world. It will educate you on what to look for when buying turquoise jewelry. There's nothing wrong with buying "imitation" turquoise but if you want the natural stone, you want to avoid being scammed. The museum is well laid out and all exhibits have descriptive information so you won't be left guessing. There is a good sized gift shop with a variety of pieces and stones. If they are offering a short class on Turquoise 101, do participate. It is worth the time. They even have a parking lot which is very helpful. Hope you take the time to visit! read more

This museum is literally a hidden gem. Go here BEFORE you buy any jewelry. Tours are only given at 11 and 1, so show up then. Hubby and I showed up, accidentally, at 1, and had a private tour with Jacob. He was personable, funny, and extremely informative. The family has been in the turquoise business for generations, so they know their stuff. My skeptical husband was very happy I insisted on going. So glad we found this, because we came away with stories and knowledge. Thanks, Jacob! read more

This is now my favorite place to visit and take our out of town guests. The mansion is a gem tucked away in the heart of Albuquerque and is the perfect setting for the family's extensive turquoise collection. I would highly recommend attending the lecture which was informative, funny and thought provoking The Lowery's who own the museum are very warm and personable. They have a lovely gift shop with prices to fit every budget. read more

Very informative and impressive tour. Easy to book online. Staff was welcoming and knowledgeable, admits his jokes are bad, so it's all good. read more

Very fun and informative! Gorgeous collection of turquoise! You'll never see a collection like this anywhere in the world. Definitely worth the trip! read more

The museum was so educational and full of An abundance of beautiful items. TheCastle was an unexpected find in Albuquerque. When you walk into the foyer the chandelier blows your mind, absolutely stunning. The turquoise jewelry is like nothing I have seen before. The collections of jewelry, rare stones, chandeliers and the information is amazing. Very impressive. The cafe has delicious food. The chicken salad on a croissant with a side of avocado salad was so fresh and delicious. The sweets, and we had a couple of those, are beautiful and so yummy. Everyone visiting or living in the area needs to visit both the museum and then the cafe if the haven't already. What a double find! read more

SO ... recently our group of 3 chicks and a logical dude visited the Turquoise Museum. The host/owner Joe Dan Lowry and his lovely wife were SO informative about the beautiful turquoise gem stone ... which by the way is NOT found in Brazil. We were concerned about identifying "genuine" turquoise but soon discovered that the key word to listen for is "NATURAL", but most importantly, if you like it, but it!! We felt very prepared for our final exam in Sante Fe. read more

If you really want to learn about turquoise, this is the place to go! Fabulous small museum. Jacob led an excellent tour. Their were only 4 of us but we had enough questions for a large group. His knowledge and enthusiasm were exceptional. The strip mall store was a surprising place to find beautiful pieces of jewelry for sale and in depth history and information. I strongly recommend you take this tour before you make any turquoise purchases. read more

Was given a great tour. Very knowledgeable. I'll never look at an other piece of turquoise the same way again. Loved learning the family's history. Thank you for our private tour! read more

My wife and I visited this great rock shop and museum while I was in Albuquerque for a jewelry making class. There are three different sections in the building .... the retail store which sells finished jewelry and rough stone, the museum which has very interesting displays and gets quite technical if you are a rockhound type (I am) and the lapidary shop which can be viewed through a class wall in the museum. This is an old family business and our tour guide was one of the sons, he was very knowledgeable and intent on making sure everybody learned as much as they possibly could about turquoise. I bought a pair of finished earrings from the shop for my wife and some rough stone to make a matching pendant, the turquoise was a rare type from a mine in Nevada, lovely. Make sure you make reservations for the tour, it is surprisingly popular. read more

this review is long overdue. too long overdue. i'm such a a procrastinator. well, i forget to review the things that are so worth reviewing and this museum is something of a treasure. i LOVE turquoise jewelry, so naturally when i had visited NM, i had to come here. and you MUST purchase your turquoise from the place of origin, otherwise it's not all that original, unless you purchase from an antique shop...and the previous owner purchased from the turquoise museum ;) j/k. luckily i live in a part of california where i have several historical downtown locations at my disposal, and when i go into an antique shop, or gem show, i always head straight for turquoise. this museum was amazing in that it not only shows you real turquoise and teaches you about the origins, but they also educate on how to spot fakes. fake gems - and it's a lesson for all that love to frequent gem shows. i had NO idea that there were gem phonies out there!! crazy. well, besides diamonds and the whole cz thing, but who would have thought that people wanted to imitate turquoise stones? 0_o read more

At $3 this museum is priced right. A dollar more and it wouldn't be worth it. This is a very small, very casual, homemade museum located in a small strip mall next to a Walgreens. I give it four stars for the number of different types of turquoise on display. It is interesting and informative. read more