Turquoise Mines
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other stones used by our artists
Ajax Turquoise
The small Ajax mine, located in south central Nevada in the
Royston area, is one of the relatively new turquoise mines. The mine yields stones
from light blue with darker blue veins to a predominate dark green with light blue
areas. This latter coloration is considered quite unusual for turquoise.
Bisbee Turquoise
The Bisbee mine, near Bisbee, Arizona, is one of the more
famous of the American mines because Bisbee turquoise was one of the first put onto the
market. The turquoise mine is part of the Bisbee copper mine, the main operation of
the site. Bisbee turquoise has developed a reputation as a hard, finely
webbed, strikingly brilliant blue stone of a high quality. The unusual matrix forms wisps
or veils throughout the stone, often called "Smoky Bisbee." The highest grade of
Bisbee is found at less then 100 feet, however, at Lavender Pit, good Bisbee was
discovered at 2,000 feet. Bisbee is one of the most expensive turquoises because of its
rarity, high density and extremely good character. Last year Phelps Dodge Mining Company
declared Bisbee depleted and buried the mine under 50 feet of dirt.
Blue Diamond Turquoise
The Blue Diamond mine, located in central Nevada, opened in
the late 1950’s and was mined up to 1980. This mine is considered a “hat
mine” of which there are very few. A hat mine is a small deposit of turquoise that,
“you can cover with your hat.” The stones that this mine produces, which are
usually large pieces in plate form, looks a great deal like Stormy Mountain turquoise
because of its black smokey matrix. This stone features dark smoky swirls with brilliant
blue windows. The characteristic black chert is ever-present. This mine is now closed and
buried under thousands of tons of rock.
Blue Gem Turquoise
The Blue Gem mine near Battle Mountain, Nevada produced a great
variety of turquoise, from intense blues to deep green combinations with a hard,
irregularly distributed matrix. While there are other mines in Nevada of the same
name, the Battle Mountain Blue Gem mine, which began production in 1934 and is now closed,
yielded the most valuable Blue Gem turquoise because of its rich color and its hardness.
It is greatly desired by collectors.
Candelaria
Turquoise
The Candelaria turquoise mine is one of the small, depleted
mines in Nevada that produced a good quality turquoise of high blue color with an
intermittent black or brown non-webbed matrix. It has a luminous radiant quality, and is
highly collectable. Candelaria also produces some stones with green tones.
Carico Lake Turquoise
Carico Lake turquoise is named after the location of its mine on
a dried up lake bed in a high, cool area of Lander County, Nevada. Its clear,
iridescent, spring green color is due to its zinc content and is highly unique and
collectible. Carico Lake turquoise is also found in a dark blue-green color with a
black, spider web matrix. The Carico Lake mine is primarily a gold producing
mine. However, from time to time, the mining company leases the turquoise producing
part of the mine to individual miners who are permitted to work that part. The
limited amount of Carico Lake turquoise and the limited amount of time allowed to mine it
combine to make Carico Lake turquoise a valuable addition to one's collection.
Cerrillos Turquoise
Cerrillos is not only an uncommon and unique form of native New
Mexican turquoise, but has a history entwined with both ancient Native peoples of the
Southwest and more recent American mining companies. Cerrillos turquoise was created
and mined under unusual circumstances. It is the only turquoise that formed at the
base of a volcano. Thus, a variety of colors developed from the minerals in the
various volcanic host stones. In fact, seventy-five colors have been identified,
from tan to khaki-green to rich, blue-green to bright and light colors. Cerrillos is
a very hard stone and so takes a brilliant polish.
In addition to producing a distinctive stone, the Cerrillos mine
is the oldest mine of any kind in North America. Located ten miles south of Santa
Fe, it was the site of the largest prehistoric mining activity on the continent because
the huge turquoise deposit was partially exposed at the surface. Miners from the San
Marcos Pueblo, who later moved to Santo Domingo Pueblo south of Santa Fe, most heavily
worked the mine. Using only stone axes, mauls, antler picks, and chisels, Pueblo
miners removed 100,000 tons of solid rock to create a pit mine 200 feet deep. They
dug other vertical shafts into the ground to reach veins of turquoise. Miners
carried tools and leather rock buckets on their backs as they climbed in and out of the
shafts using notched logs as ladders. The turquoise obtained from this hard work
traded among early peoples from Mexico to the Midwest and from the east to west
coasts. In New Mexico, many pieces of Cerrillos turquoise for personal and trade use
have been unearthed in the prehistoric ruins of Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon. The
Pueblo peoples continued to extract turquoise from the Cerrillos mine until the 1870's
when a silver mining boom raised interest in the area. The Tiffany Company in New
York and its associates bought up the mine area and extracted $2,000,000 worth of
turquoise between 1892 and 1899.
Chinese Turquoise
There is evidence of turquoise use in China dating at least as
far back as 1700 BC as evidenced by a bronze plaque with turquoise overlay from the
Erlitou culture site in Menan Province displayed at the Academy of Social Sciences in
Beijing. Although some turquoise was mined in China in ancient times, more commonly is was
acquired in trade with Mongols, Persians, and Turks. Mostly the Chinese used turquoise for
carvings and other art. Jade has been the preferred stone for jewelry in Chinese culture.
The Tibetans, on the other hand, have preferred turquoise to any
other gemstone and virtually every Tibetan possesses some turquoise. Believed to bring
good luck, it is worn set in rings and bracelets, as beads in necklaces, and as adornment
directly on hats and other clothing. Domestic animals such as horses wear necklaces of
felt with turquoise sewn on.
Today China has mines that produce a great deal of turquoise.
Northwest of Shanghai is the Ma'ashan turquoise mine, and the Hubei Province produces
turquoise in colors reminiscent of the now closed mines in Nevada. This turquoise ranges
in color from sky blue to spring green as well. Today there are no known producing mines.
Chinese turquoise has usually been stabilized, meaning a clear
epoxy has been applied to the surface to harden the stone before setting. A side effect of
the process is that stabilized stone is less likely to absorb lotions and body oils, which
may change the color of the stone over time.
Turquoise from mines in China accounts for about 80% of the stone
on the U.S. market today, due to the scarcity of American turquoise. Only a handful of
turquoise mines in the American southwest are commercially operating.
Cripple Creek Turquoise
The Cripple Creek in Teller County, Colorado is the site
of a number of small gold mines. Cripple Creek turquoise is found primarily as a
by-product of gold mining. This area yields some greenish turquoise, and some light
to dark blue turquoise with brown matrix.
Crow Springs Turquoise
Crow Springs, also known as AnnJax or Bluebird, is located near
Tonopah, Nevada and 27 miles, as the crow flies, from the Royston turquoise mine. For 12
years, this rare stone has not been available until 3 years ago, when Dennis and Lucy
Cordova took it over and began mining it again. The Smith family previously owned the
mine. This family had been mining turquoise in Nevada since the 1870’s. In 1909,
William Petry discovered a deposit one mile southwest of the Crow Springs claim. In 1939,
Ann Cooper Hewitt, heiress to the Cooper Hewitt fortune, made from inventing the
mercury-vapor lamp and the first fluorescent lighting, filed claim to the mine and built a
home there, which she called AnnJax. She did little work on the property and then
abandoned it.
Crow Springs is known for its characteristic light green color
contrasted with a bright red matrix which is the host rock, rhyolite. Crow Springs
turquoise occurs in seams cutting the host rock at all angles. Seams, or veins, range from
paper-thin to nearly half an inch thick. The mine consists of several open pits. The
largest pit measures about 50 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 15 feet deep. Materials that
would yield gems of large size are scarce though the best stones have good color and are
very hard.
The mine includes a tunnel that digs 175 feet into the mountain;
inside of which, Dennis Cordova discovered a bountiful deposit of commercial grade gold
and silver. The current owners of Crow Springs, Dennis and Lucy Cordova are also co-owners
of the Pilot Mountain mine. They have been mining for 3 years and cutting the precious
stone for over 35 years.
Damele Turquoise
The Damele (also known as Damali) mine is located in
east central Nevada near the Carico Lake mine. Damele turquoise is distinctive
because of the zinc content that turns the stone yellow-green and increases its
hardness. The matrix of Damele is webbed with a dark brown to black matrix.
its availability is limited because the mine is small. Due to its rare color, Damele
is a collectible turquoise.
Dry Creek Turquoise
The Dry Creek mine, which has also been known as the Godber and
Burnham mine, is located in northeast Nevada. The mine has yielded both a pale blue
and a cream white turquoise. The unusual white to light blue turquoise is very hard,
the color due to a preponderance of aluminum rather than copper in the stone's chemistry.
The matrix is typically light golden or brown-gray to gray-black. White
turquoise is beautiful alone in a piece of jewelry and is especially striking when
juxtaposed with other colors of turquoise in a single creation.
Enchantment Turquoise
The mine discovered in 1996, by a gold miner while prospecting,
is named the Lost Mine of Enchantment. It is located in a mining district near the
town of Ruidoso in the Sacramento Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. It is the
first new mine discovered in New Mexico since the days of Coronado in the 1500's.
Enchantment turquoise is a very high quality turquoise that often shows a deep green color
with tan or golden brown matrix, but can range to a deep, rich blue. The green is
influenced by the iron content in the stone, the blue by the copper content.
Fox Turquoise
The Fox Turquoise mine, located near Lander County and discovered
in the early 1900’s, was once Nevada’s largest producer of turquoise with some
half million pounds. At that time, Mr. Dowell Ward, the mine operator, amassed one of the
largest collections of turquoise rock. The mine has been closed for quite some time.
In prehistoric times, indigenous peoples mined turquoise and
found large nuggets. The different sites of Fox deposits were developed using the names of
Fox, White Horse, Green Tree, and Smith to differentiate among the colors of turquoise
produced in the area, and to create a larger perceived share of the turquoise market.
Collectively, the area produced a huge quantity of good-quality green or blue-green stone
with a distinctive matrix.
Indian Mountain Turquoise
The best known of the contemporary mines
originally discovered by a Native American. The lode was discovered in 1970 by a Shoshone
sheepherder who stumbled upon a vein of turquoise on a hillside while tending his sheep.
Eddy Mauzy and his family subsequently mined and marketed turquoise from this site to top
Southwest Indian artisans, and jewelry featuring unique turquoise Mountain was first
featured prominently in Arizona Highways magazine in the late 1970's.
Kingman Turquoise
The Kingman mine in northwestern Arizona
is one of the largest turquoise mines in the southwest. Kingman blue has become a color
standard in the industry. The mine became famous for its rounded bright blue nuggets with
black matrix. Few turquoise mines produced nuggets, especially of this high grade. Natural
Kingman is highly collectible. Some of the finest specimens of Kingman were mined in the
1960’s. This was an intense blue with a black and silver matrix. This superb grade
was found in an area called Ithaca Peak, which yielded the highest grade and hardest
Kingman turquoise (see photo). This vein has long been exhausted.
The Kingman mine re-opened in September 2004 after being
closed since the 1970’s. The new owners of the copper mine have contracted to dump
anything with turquoise veining or nuggets into trucks for Marty Colbaugh Processing.
About 95% of Kingman is stabilized which makes it very affordable. Of that stabilized
stone, 50% is then shipped to China for cutting; the other half is sold in the rough to
American artists and those in the turquoise trade. The remaining 5% of the Kingman
turquoise stays in its natural state. The Kingman mine currently yields about 1600 pounds
of rough stone per month with 2000 pounds being the highest yield yet. Therefore, Silver
Sun has a ready supply of both natural Kingman and stabilized Kingman to use for our
jewelry.
Lone Mountain Turquoise
The Lone Mountain turquoise mine is located in Esmeralda County,
Nevada. The turquoise is noted for its ability to hold its color and not fade.
Usually found in nodules, Lone Mountain turquoise ranges in color from clear blue to
spider-web. This mine has also been known as Blue Jay Mine. Because Lone
Mountain turquoise holds its beautiful blue color well, it is a valued addition to one's
jewelry collection.
Manassa
(King's Mine) Turquoise
Manassa turquoise is mined at Manassa in south central Colorado,
but began its mining days with Ancient Pueblo peoples. The Manassa mine is also known as
the King’s Manassa. The name comes from I.P. King, the gold miner who rediscovered
this vein of turquoise and whose descendants still mine the site. It is known for its
blue-green to green color with a golden or brown, non-webbed matrix. The golden matrix
comes from the host rock, rhyolite. The Manassa mine is still in production, and owned by
the King family, thus the alternate name sometimes used for this turquoise. This stone is
easier to obtain than some other turquoises.
Morenci Turquoise
Morenci Turquoise is mined in southeastern Arizona.
It is high to light blue in color. Morenci has an unusual matrix of irregular
black pyrite that, when polished, often looks like silver. Morenci turquoise is well
known because it was one of the first American turquoises to come on the market. It
is very difficult to obtain now because the mine is depleted. It is a collectible
turquoise.
Nacozari Turquoise
Nacozari turquoise is from Sonora, Mexico.
The mine is located south of the Bisbee mine in the same mountain range. Nacozari
turquoise is bright blue with very little matrix. Some stones show some white matrix
due to the stone's aluminum content.
Number Eight Turquoise
The No. 8 turquoise mine in Carlin, Nevada was first
mined in 1929 until its depletion. In its prime, No. 8 produced some of the largest
nuggets of turquoise found. A spider web matrix of colors ranging from golden brown
to black set off the unique bright powder blue background of the stone. No. 8
turquoise is a very valuable acquisition.The Number 8 turquoise mine in Carlin, Nevada was
first mined in 1929. In its prime, Number 8 produced some of the largest nuggets of
turquoise ever found. A spider web matrix of colors ranging from golden brown to black set
off the unique bright powder blue background.
Of the ten claims in a 20-acre area, the Number 8 claimed by the
Blue Star Company in Lander County is considered the finest example of the gold-webbed
turquoise. The mine was depleted in 1961. Approximately 5,000 pounds were mined between
1929-1933. In 1950 a nodule weighing 150 pounds was found. It is now at the Covered Wagon
in Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico. The host rock is naturally altered quartz monzonite
shale and thinly beaded black chert.
Orvil Jack Turquoise
Orvil Jack discovered and developed the mine in northern Nevada
that bears his name. The area where the mine is located is called the Blue Ridge in
Crescent Valley. The rare yellow-green color of the turquoise comes from the zinc
content. Mr. Jack is now deceased, but his daughter continues to manage the
mine. Only a small amount is now being produced, and the turquoise is considered
very collectible due to its rare color and scarcity.
Paiute Turquoise
The Paiute turquoise mine shares a mountain with the Godber and Burnham
mines in central Nevada. While claims at the Paiute site date back to 1974, the Paiute
mine has been actively productive since 1992. It produces limited quantities of high-grade
spider web turquoise. It has a wide graduation of blue tone, from light to dark, with web
matrix in colors of black, orange, brown and red. It is a hard turquoise and is very
collectible.
Persian Turquoise
Persian turquoise comes from a number of mines in modern
day Iran. The stones from all mines show a great color variation. Many
mines were worked around Nishapur, 225 miles east of the southern end of the Caspian Sea,
close to old caravan routes. Firm evidence exists that these mines were heavily
worked beginning in the 10th century, but there is also evidence that some of the mines
near the surface may have been exploited as early as 2100 BC.
The Persians divided turquoise into three classes. Fine
ring stones were called Anqushtari. Stones of intermediate quality were called
Barkhaneh. Stones that were pale, greenish, or with spots from matrix were called
Arabi. Traditionally, brilliant blue stones with no matrix were preferred in the
Middle East. Today, Persian turquoise in a variety of shades and matrixes can be
found in jewelry and appreciated for its classic beauty.
Pilot Mountain Turquoise
The Pilot
Mountain mine is located in western Nevada, east of the small town of Mina. As with most
turquoise mines, this mine opened as a copper claim. Pilot Mountain turquoise was first
mined around 1930 as a tunnel mine. Then it became an open pit mine when heavy equipment
was available around 1970. The current owners of the claim have been mining the turquoise
since 1989. While Pilot Mountain is considered an active mine, it is a very small
operation. The miners go to the mine twice per year, bringing out only about 150 to 200
lbs. of rough stone each time. One of the current owners says one of the interesting parts
of mining is “not knowing what you are going to hit next.”
Pilot Mountain turquoise forms in thin seams, with some nugget
formations. According to the current owner, the turquoise that has formed in thin seams is
high grade with better, deeper blue-green colors. Most Pilot Mountain turquoise is called
“grass roots,” meaning the best deposits are found within ten feet of the
surface.Pilot Mountain turquoise is highly admired for its deep blue-green color
variations. This stone also has very interesting matrix patterns, which range from red to
brown to black, most notably a rich tobacco brown. Some
of the matrix in high grade Pilot Mountain is beautiful spider web. Pilot Mountain
turquoise is a hard stone that takes a good polish. Because of this hardness, this stone
does not change colors with prolonged exposure to skin oils, etc. All of these
characteristics make Pilot Mountain turquoise very collectible.
Royston Turquoise
Royston is a turquoise mine located within the Royston District in
the southwestern part of Nevada. The Royston
District consists of several mines including Royston, Royal Blue, Oscar Wehrend and Bunker
Hill. The mines in this district were
discovered as early as 1902; in fact, Royston is the oldest patented mine in Nevada. While
Royston is considered an active mine, it is a very small operation. The miners go to the
mine only twice per year. Royston was
originally a tunnel mine, but is now an open pit mine.
Royston is a good producer of high quality stones. According to one of the current
miners, Royston turquoise is known as “grass roots” which means the best
deposits are found within ten feet of the surface. Royston turquoise is known for
its beautiful deep green to rich light blue colors. These unique color ranges are what
make this stone so special. Royston stones are often two-tone, displaying both dark
and light green and sometimes blue. Royston has a heavy matrix ranging from dark brown to
gold in color. This matrix makes for beautiful combinations with the color variations of
the stone. Royston turquoise is considered very collectible as well as a
historically important investment.
Sleeping Beauty Turquoise
The
Sleeping Beauty mine is seven miles outside of Globe,
Monty Nichols, owner and miner of the Sleeping Beauty mine, says
that the mine is producing about 1600 pounds a month. Of that, only 4% is natural.
Most of the turquoise from the mine, 80-90%, is altered in some way. Most of that
percentage is enhanced, which is more expensive than stabilization, and sold to large
distributors in this country and
Stormy Mountain Turquoise
This mine, along with the Blue Diamond mine, is distinctive for
producing hard, dark blue turquoise that includes a blotchy, black chert matrix that
resembles storm clouds, hence the name Stormy Mountain. The mine is not presently active.
Turquoise Mountain Turquoise and
"Birdseye" Turquoise
In the 1960’s, there were two peaks about ¼ miles
apart located near the Kingman mountain, which yielded fine turquoise: Ithaca Peak (see
Kingman) and Turquoise Mountain Peak. Then in the 1980’s this mine closed.
Turquoise Mountain is light to high blue with both webbed and
non-webbed matrix. “Birdseye” describes stones from this mine that show areas of
light blue circled with darker blue matrix, resembling the eye of a bird. Even though this
peak is part of the Kingman Mountain, it is considered a “classic” mine in its
own right because the turquoise is so different in appearance. This stone exhibits a
beautiful range of color from pale blue to lime green in one piece that makes it a
sought-after turquoise.
Tyrone Turquoise
Turquoise from the Tyrone mine was associated with the
copper mine operations southwest of Silver City, New Mexico. That mine is currently
owned by Phelps Dodge. However, turquoise has not been retrieved from that mining
operation since the early 1980's when Phelps Dodge changed its method of copper ore
processing to crushing and acid wash. That method destroys any turquoise in the
copper ore.
The Tyrone turquoise in new jewelry is from private stashes.
It is medium brilliant blue in its high grade form. Tyrone turquoise is part
of the mineral band that starts east of Silver City and curves around through Arizona and
the Morenci turquoise mine area into Mexico. Today it is valued for both its beauty
and rarity.
Silver Sun 656 Canyon Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 800/562-2036
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