TURQUOISE ~ THE JEWEL OF THE SOUTHWEST

ABOUT TURQUOISE
Turquoise prices are rising faster than diamond prices! WHY you might ask...There are reasons for that. First, mines are being closed because they are either empty or being mined for copper or gold. It is expensive to mine for turquoise so in some cases the financial yield for mining metals have trumped mining for turquoise. The turquoise is a by product of copper in some of the mines. The Sleeping Beauty mine has been closed for a couple of years now (not because it is out of turquoise but to preserve what is there).

The Hubei mine is closed in China and the remaining turquoise there has been deemed a national treasure so is not being exported.

Many mines are producing such small amounts of turquoise the prices are skyrocketing. Also, many mines are being purchased by one or 2 individuals that will play a big roll in the price of turquoise ~ Ergo the DeBeers of turquoise.

Many thought turquoise would always be available and now realize that mines are depleted and much has been destroyed over the years. Small cabochons of Lander Blue turquoise can bring thousands of dollars. There is an international interest in this beautiful jewel of the Southwest so the rules of supply & demand apply. On this page I hope to bring you a little information about this wonderful thing we call turquoise.

Healing Properties of Turquoise
Turquoise is a mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminum.

It is the December birthstone.

Turquoise is associated with protection, positive thinking, strength, love, sensitivity, friendship, balance in life, peace, serenity, & wisdom.

Turquoise is a purification stone. It dispels negative energy and can be worn to protect against outside influences or pollutants in the atmosphere. Turquoise balances and aligns all the chakras, stabilizing mood swings & instilling inner calm. It is excellent for depression and exhaustion. Turquoise promotes self-realization and assists creative problem solving. It is a symbol of friendship & stimulates romantic love.

Turquoise may also aid in the absorption of nutrients, enhance the immune system, stimulate the regeneration of tissue, & heal the whole body. It contains anti-inflammatory & detoxifying effects, plus alleviating cramps & pain. It may also aid in improving eye health. It may also neutralize over-acidity which helps rheumatism, gout, stomach problems, & viral infections.



NEVADA MINES

Apache Turquoise Variquoise
Nevada Mine located between Austin & Crescent Valley in the Central part of the state. A small woman owned mine producing beautiful stones for years. Although Apache has been known as turquoise for quite a few years it should really be called variscite or variquoise. The material produced is hard, of a green color and known for it's beautiful webbing.

CANDELARIA
Nevada Mine located between Austin & Crescent Valley in the Central part of the state. Candelaria turquoise (and variscite mined in the same area is collectible now because of the scarcity of the stone due to the large ore company's infrequent leases to miners as well as the logistics of the mines with most coveted turquoise. The Candelaria mine(s) are claims located in the large Candelaria Open Pit Copper, Silver, and Gold Mine. The turquoise is a good quality stone of high blue color with an intermittent black or brown, non-webbed matrix. The high-grade Candelaria is a translucent dark blue with a reddish brown spider web matrix hard stone. Candelaria also produces some of the Nevada's best most attractive Varascite with a wide spectrum of colors. This is a very hard stone, high silica content.

TORTOISE
Nevada Mine in the Midwestern portion of the state in higher elevations close to the Candelaria Mine. This turquoise has the appearance in some cases of a tortoise shell; ergo the name tortoise turquoise. Tortoise Turquoise is mint to emerald green and goes all the way to a caramel color which is actually becomes Variscite. Some of the turquoise has black manganese spider webbing creating beautiful patterns in this material.

CARICO LAKE
Nevada Mine located near Crescent Valley just south near the central portion of the state. First Carico Lake turquoise discoveries were made in the Shoeshone Range on the west side of Carico Lake Valley in 1909. Since 1970, the Carico Lake (named after the location of its mines on a dried up lake bed in a high, cool area of Lander County, Nevada)the area has become the most important turquoise mining district in Nevada. There are actually a number of important turquoise mines located in the Carico Lake turquoise mining district, including the Red Mountain, Blue Elephant, Nevada Blue (Pinto/Watts), Aurora and Northern Lights mines. The mine primarily produces a light blue color Turquoise that ocassionally has a light brown spiderweb matrix. The Carico Lake mine also produces Turquoise with black matrix, as well. The mine is most famous for its Lime Green Faustite, aka Lime Turquoise. Its clear, iridescent, spring green color is attributed to its zinc content making it unique & collectible. Carico Lake turquoise is also found in a dark blue-green color with a black or brown, spider web matrix.

Green Carico Lake & sterling silver native american artist signed feather earrings | Arizona


ROYSTON
Nevada Mine located North West of Tonopah in the Southwestern part of the state owned by the Otteson family. They have staked & work a number of claims around Royston area. Royston is a mining district in Nevada with of a number of turquoise mines, including a number of small prospects. Turquoise was mined here by the Native Americans, but the first discoveries by local prospectors were made around 1902. The properties that make up the Royal Blue mine have produced more than 5 million dollars worth of turquoise, and together with the adjoining properties, this district has probably produced more than 100 tons in total gem production, making it Nevada's third most productive turquoise mine. Royston turquoise is known for its wide pallet of beautiful colors ranging from deep green to rich, light blues set off by a heavy brown matrix. Much of the material is hard and takes a fine polish. Royston is also known for stones which combine both blue and green in the same piece, with one color fading into the other. Aqua blue material with a slight green cast is also quite common. Royston mines are mined sporadically making the high grade turquoise expensive & collectible.



GRASSHOPPER
Nevada Mine located South of Tonopah in the Southern part of the state. Gorgeous green turquoise that has the feel of Carico Lake but different. This mine has a small yield of turquoise to date and was not actively mined for 30 to 40 years. The activity on it has been for approximately 7 years with nearly 20,000 carats coming out of it. The color of turquoise is primarily green however blue is being found too.

ROYAL BLUE
Nevada Mine located near Tonopah in the Southwestern part of the state. Is found in the Royston district and considered one of the primary mines in this area. The blue color turquoise from this mine is beautiful and equal to any with matrix was especially fine matrix. In 1968 high-grade cut stones retailed at $1.00 a carat, which in today market would be the equivalent to over $20.00 a carat. The mine was discovered in 1902 by two miners named Workman and Davis. They later sold the mine for $3000. Over the years as with other mines the Royal Blue changed hands numerous times.

LONE Mountain
Nevada Mine located near Tonopah in the Southwestern part of the state. The Lone Mountain turquoise mine is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Because Lone Mountain turquoise holds its beautiful blue color well, it is a great addition to one's jewelry collection. Usually found in nodules, Lone Mountain turquoise ranges in color from clear blue to spider-web. The Lone Mountain turquoise mined today is generally a grayish blue. The rich blue is rare now so fetches more money when sold. Once in a while the miners will find a rare fossil that has been replaced with Lone Mountain Turquoise.

CROW SPRINGS
Nevada Mine located near Tonopah in the Southwestern part of the state.

EASTER BLUE
Nevada Mine located near Tonopah in the Southwestern part of the state.

BLUE MOON
Nevada Mine located near Tonopah in the Southwestern part of the state. The Blue Moon turquoise mine is in the highly productive turquoise mining area northwest of Tonopah, Nevada. It has long been owned and operated by individuals who only worked the claim intermittently and on a very small scale. It is now under new ownership which will produce larger quantities of this unique, attractive, and high quality turquoise for the first time. Blue Moon ranges in color from white to light blue & often matrixed with small to large chunks of black chert & occasionally with small patches of tan limonite. Some spectacular and unique black spider-webbed material is occasionally found with thick, black spiderweb lines as opposed to the fine chert spider-webbing found in other mines. Also rare and interesting are the occasional white or very pale blue stones with dark blue irregular stain lines reminiscent of some of the material from Turquoise Mountain. Blue Moon is a high quality hard stone. The mine Produces a light to medium Blue Turquoise, and the high-grade is a darker blue. In the past turquoise from the Blue Moon mine has been rare and hard to come by. The Blue Moon mine is located in Esmerelda County, Nevada. For the last few years the Blue Dream Mining Company has been working this old mine. The turquoise produced has the most Beautiful High Grade and Gem grade Black Spider-Webbed patterned, Dark Blue turquoise that has been seen in a very long time. The Blue Moon mine is producing a light to medium blue turquoise also with a nice spider webbing, has a black chert, with brown as a host rock. The Beautiful high grades and gem grades are to die for. The Blue Moon turquoise mine is now owned and operated by the Blue Dream Mining Co., aka the Ottesons. The Blue Moon turquoise mine is owned by Dean and Donna Otteson Of Tonopah, Nevada. The Ottesons own several turquoise mines including the Blue Moon turquoise mine, the Royston turquoise mine, the White Buffalo turquoise mine and many more. The Ottesons have been mining turquoise in Nevada for several generations and are considered to be some of the last real turquoise miners in America. Also, with experience in doing Lapidary work myself, this is a hard turquoise that averages between a 5 - 6 on the Mohs scale.

PILOT MOUNTAIN
Nevada Mine located near Tonopah in the Southwestern part of the state. Originally discovered in 1908, and worked as the Montezuma or Troy Springs mine, it was heavily worked by bulldozer in the 1970s, by a series of small open pits & was very productive at that time. The Pilot Mountain is one of Nevada's more productive turquoise mines located in Mineral County in Nevada east of the town of Mina. It now produces on a small scale - the work being accomplished by one family. The stone is highly admired for its deep blue-green colors. In addition, it can show light blue to dark green colors on the same stone. This graduation in color is unusual and makes the turquoise very collectible. The matrix is black to golden brown. Pilot Mountain turquoise is a hard stone and takes a good polish.


BLUE DIAMOND
Nevada Mine located just North of Tonopah in the Southwestern part of the state.

McGINNIS
Nevada Mine located North of Tonopah & South of Crescent Valley in the central part of the state.

INDIAN MOUNTAIN
Nevada Mine located West of Austin in the central portion of the state.

STENNICH
Nevada Mine located West of Crescent Valley in the central portion of the state.

ORVILLE JACK
Nevada Mine located West of Crescent Valley & Austin in the central portion of the state.

BLUE RIDGE
Nevada Mine located West of Crescent Valley & Austin in the central portion of the state.

BADGER
Nevada Mine located West of Crescent Valley in the North Central portion of the state.

VALLEY BLUE
Nevada Mine located West of Crescent Valley in the North Central portion of the state.

RED WIDOW
Nevada Mine located West of Crescent Valley in the North Central portion of the state.

DARLING DARLENE
Nevada Mine located North West of Crescent Valley in the North Central portion of the state.

BLUE GEM
Nevada Mine located North of Crescent Valley in the North Central portion of the state.

LANDER BLUE
Nevada Mine located North of Crescent Valley in the North Central portion of the state.

New LANDER
Nevada Mine located North of Crescent Valley in the North Central portion of the state. The New Lander turquoise is very beautiful! Most of This material looks like Lander Blue only it is green, orange, and yellow, mostly green. It apears to be varasite or chalcociderite rather then turquoise but is marketed as turquoise, it has the beautiful clarity and depth of varascite It is being mine across the valley from the Old Lander Blue Mine.

New Lander turquoise & sterling silver cluster ring | Native American | Arizona Schaef Designs artist signed New Lander Turquoise & Sterling silver dangles french wire earrings |  | Arizona


Number 8
Nevada Mine located North of Crescent Valley in the North Eastern portion of the state.

PIXIE
Nevada Mine located North of Crescent Valley in the North Eastern portion of the state.

STORMY MOUNTAIN
Nevada Mine located North of Crescent Valley in the North Eastern portion of the state.

FOX
Nevada Mine located North of Crescent Valley in the North Eastern portion of the state.

RED MOUNTAIN
Nevada Mine located North East of Crescent Valley.

GODBER
Nevada Mine located just West of Austin.

DAMELE
Nevada Mine located South West of Crescent Valley.

DRY CREEK
Nevada Mine located just South of Austin.



ARIZONA MINES

KINGMAN
Arizona Mine

CASTLEDOME
Arizona Mine

SLEEPING BEAUTY
Arizona Mine

BISBEE
Arizona Mine

MORENCI
Arizona Mine



NEW MEXICO MINES

HACHITA
New Mexico mine

TYRONE
New Mexico mine

SANTA RITA
New Mexico mine

CERRILLOS
New Mexico mine



COLORADO MINES

CRIPPLE CREEK
Colorado Mine

VILLA GROVE
Colorado Mine

LEADVILLE
Colorado Mine

KING'S MANASSA
Colorado Mine



OTHER AREAS FOR TURQUOISE MINES

CAMPITOS
Mexico

CAMPO FRIO
Mexico

CHINESE
China

HUBEI
China

PERSIAN
Nevada Mine located West of Crescent Valley in the North Central portion of the state.

CARLIN BLACK MATRIX
Nevada Mine located North of Crescent Valley in the North Central portion of the state.



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