BISBEE

Bisbee turquoise it is a by-product of a large copper mine located near Bisbee, Arizona owned by Phelps Dodge Mining Company. With some of the finest turquoise coming from the section of the copper mine known as the "Lavender Pit," where for years copper miners would bring out fine turquoise in their lunch boxes. In March of 1972 a miner named Bob Matthews was given the only lease ever granted for rights to mine Bisbee turquoise. He was said to have recovered more than 2,000 pounds of good to excellent turquoise by 1974. The Bisbee is considered to be the first large open-pit copper mine in Arizona. As the pit was extended quantities of fine turquoise were recovered. The turquoise occurred in stringers up to a few inches wide along with small nugget-like masses in granite and quartzite.

Bisbee turquoise is as good as turquoise gets. It is a hard material with shades from medium to an intense blue color and enhanced by a red, brown or black, sometimes called "smoky," matrix. Green shades have also been found. Bisbee turquoise was marketed very early in the Southwest and that along with its quality help make it one of the more famous varieties of American turquoise. Sadly, Bisbee turquoise is no longer being produced. With its extreme blue color and beauty, hardness and now rarity Bisbee has become one of the most valued turquoise in the world today.

Bisbee's story is one of the great mining stories of America. On December 14, 1877 three prospectors, Hugh Jones, Joseph Halcro and Harry McCoy, after discovering a copper stained outcropping of rocks filed a claim on the first copper mine in the area. By 1879 one hundred claims were filed and a mining camp had begun informally known as Mule Gulch. The original, and largest, claim at that time was known as the Copper Queen mine. Investments were needed and its search for investors lead to Judge Dewitt Bisbee.

Thus in honor of the camp's major mine financier, Judge Bisbee, the blossoming new town was named Bisbee, With the camp's major mine now financed and the mining camp's growth into a new town, Bisbee was ready to become one of the most important mining cities in America. In 1881 Phelps, Dodge, and Co. purchased the Atlanta, next to the Copper Queen, and in August 1885 a merger had brought the two mines together. The railroad had come to Bisbee in 1889 and by the mid to late 1890's Phelps, Dodge, and Co. had now owned 90% of the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Co. and had purchased most of the other mining properties in the area. Copper was being produced in Bisbee for decades. In the early 1950's work began on Sacramento Hill, a large low-grade copper ore pile. Harrison Lavender, the manager of the Copper Queen, had determined an open pit mine would increase ore yield. On December 14, 1974, twenty years later, mining had stopped and the thousand foot deep Lavender Pit covering 300 acres had replaced the hill. The Lavender Pit had become a tourist destination with rim viewing platforms and guided tours.

Today in and around Bisbee and under the Mule Mountains are over 1500 miles of tunnels and shafts along with the now famous Lavender Pit.

BLUE GEM

The Blue Gem is a Nevada turquoise mine south of Battle Mountain in an area which produced large amounts of turquoise. Although there are a number of Nevada mines named Blue Gem this mine was in the Copper Basin area and surrounded by the Copper Canyon Mining Company in Northern Nevada. It was one of the larger producers of great turquoise and supplied material to the Southwest in nearly every shade of green and a variety of blues. The clear, intense blue color of this turquoise made it highly valued and widely used for both Zuni inlay and fine Navajo silver work. Blue Gem's hardness and fine colors makes this turquoise much sought after by both jewelers and collectors.

Mining started at the Blue Gem in 1934 and continued off and on into the 1970's. The mine, along with its open slopes, was developed in extensive underground workings with tunnels going hundreds of feet in the ground making this mine one of the deepest turquoise producing mines. Veinlets up to three-quarters of an inch thick with pyrite-bearing quartz are associated with the turquoise. "The deposit was first noted by Duke Goff in 1934. It was subsequently leased from the Copper Canyon Mining Co. by the American Gem Co. of San Gabriel, Calif., owned by Doc Wilson. The lease was allowed to lapse and work was abandoned. In 1950 the mine was leased by Lee Hand and Alvin Layton of Battle Mountain. Production of turquoise at the Blue Gem lease in the early days of its operation was enormous." (Turquoise Deposits of Nevada, Frank R, Morrissey) It had been staked also as the "Turquoise Tunnel" and the "Contention," and at one time it was on the "Pedro Lode" claim. The Blue Gem mine is no longer active.

BLUE RIDGE MINE (Orvil Jack turquoise)

The Blue Ridge mine, in Lander County, Nevada, is in the rich Bullion Mining district and consists of nine mining claims. Orvil and Bessie Jack who had just moved to Nevada from Colorado filed the claim in 1956. The first turquoise to come out of the Blue Ridge was some of the finest blue spider web found in Nevada. This material is rarely seen today.

In the beginning of the 1980's Orvil Jack came upon veins of what is now called Orvil Jack turquoise. Though little was sold during that period due to the beauty of his Blue Ridge nuggets and spider web turquoise.

Today, it is the beautiful green turquoise that bares Orvil Jack's name that is collected and desired by the top jewelers. Its colors range in the greens and yellows with the brightest yellows and the most electric lime green the most coveted. These colors are caused by the high zinc content of the material, which replaces other minerals. Because of this Orvil Jack is also known as "faustite." After Orvil Jack's passing in 1986 his daughter Grace Jack Wintle and her husband Jay continue to work the claims. Today with their sons Curtis and Ryan they mine Orvil Jack turquoise a few weeks each summer.

CANDELARIA

Candelaria turquoise was mined in an area not too far from Tonopah, Nevada in the Candelaria Hills. There is little reference to Candelaria turquoise in the mining literature. The turquoise in this area was usually found in thin veins and is known for its beautiful almost electric blues sometimes with a light matrix. Some of the material rivaled the bright Blue Gem turquoise that was used in inlay and Navajo jewelry. Turquoise has been produced in the Candelaria area very sporadically over the years. It was mined along with the silver and gold ore that made Candelaria mining famous at one point in Nevada's history. Mining operations were originally established in 1863 and began being worked heavily by the early 1870's. At that time Candelaria was one of the toughest camps in the West and a terrible place to live, with its high temperatures, high winds and no law enforcement.

With the areas low production of turquoise, Candelaria became known more for its fine variscite which is still available. Over the last few years Candelaria turquoise has been seen again in today's turquoise market. Along with a bright blue material a beautiful dark blue turquoise with red spider web has appeared from older collections and has now been cut and is appearing in fine jewelry. Candelaria is again having its day, with beautiful spider webbed variscite and a wonderful dark blue red webbed turquoise.

CARICO LAKE

The Carico Lake mine is in Lander County, Nevada. The name comes from its location a few miles west of the dried up Carico Lake bed. Turquoise coming from the mine ranges from light green to a medium blue with a matrix of mostly limonite. Turquoise from this district has earlier been sold as Aurora and Stone Cabin turquoise. These mines had been run by August Stenich and later by J.W. Edgar, both legends in Nevada turquoise mining. Although today the Carico Lake mine is one of the larger producing mines in Nevada, high-grade turquoise from this mine is still fairly uncommon.

Carico Lake is now famous for its bright greens known as "faustite." This material with its high zinc content is a bright apple green color sometimes with golden webbing and has been highly valued because of its beauty when set in gold. Carico Lake turquoise has also become known for its rare and beautiful "fossil" turquoise clams. Clam fossils in the dried up lakebed were dissolved away and the cavities left were filled with turquoise deposits in the shape of the clams, leaving what has been called Carico Lake "fossil" calms.

CARLIN

The Carlin or Carlin Black Matrix mine was located North of Carlin in Elko County, Nevada. The mine has not operated in a number of years and today is in a large gold producing area. The Carlin was a low production mine. In its high-grade form it is a very beautiful medium to dark blue turquoise with a hard black chert matrix.

Because of Carlin's hardness and intense blue color it was at one time highly prized by some of the finer southwestern Native American jewelers. It is rarely seen today.

CASTLE DOME (PINTO VALLEY MINE)

Castle Dome turquoise, which has also been known as Pinto Valley, is a by-product of a copper mine located five miles west of Miami, Arizona. Much of Arizona turquoise comes from the copper mining operations, which are often continuations of old turquoise mines. The Castle Dome mine was originally opened in 1943 and developed by the owners as a war project. With the end of War World II and a low demand for copper the mine closed in 1953. Later the area was re-opened as the Pinto Valley Mine. Turquoise was widespread throughout with masses over one-half inch thick with colors ranging from sky-blue to bluish-green with the blue color being predominate. Early on employees of the mine were permitted to dig the turquoise on their days off. Large quantities of the mineral were purchased by dealers in the Globe and Miami areas. Later, the turquoise concession was leased out to an individual who then marketed the material thoughout the world. This was a large producing mine though little turquoise was of the high-grade quality. Most of the grades of turquoise were sent out for treatment. In the 1970's this area was considered Arizona's second largest producer of turquoise. According to the "Turquoise Annual" volume 2." About 9,000 pounds of turquoise are collected each month by the mine's lessee, L.W. Hardy, who also leases Mineral Park Mine near Kingman."

The high-grade material that was produced consisted of a beautiful bright and sometimes deep blue turquoise.

CERRILLOS

The Cerrillos mining district has been called the earliest and the most important turquoise mining area in the country. It is located in Santa Fe County in north central New Mexico between the towns of Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

Turquoise there has been found in most every color, it is hard and can be of very good quality. Today Cerrillos turquoise is considered rare and little is seen. It can still be found in jewelry where small claim owners and rockhounds have supplied the turquoise.

Pueblo miners had worked the area for centuries before the Spanish arrived. Over two hundred dig sites have been located. The main mining areas are located about three miles apart. One area is situated on Turquoise Hill and includes the Tiffany and Castilian mines.

Both the Tiffany and the Castilian were famous for their beautiful blue turquoise. Which was said to have been "as beautiful and of as good quality as Persian turquoise." The second area, located in the Cerrillos Hills, is Mount Chalchihuitl. It was the most extensive mining area and the largest prehistoric turquoise operation known on the American continent. For the complete history on the Cerrillos's mines see, Bennett's "Turquoise and the Indian" and Pogue's "Turquoise."

CHINESE

Turquoise has been mined in China for over two thousand years, which is evident by carvings from the earliest dynasties. Turquoise was never as popular in China as Jade. But here in the United States some of the finest turquoise sold over the last 25 years has come from China. Chinese turquoise ranges in color from a full spectrum of greens and light blues to a beautiful dark blue. Much of the material has a dark brown or black matrix and may also have a beautiful spider webbing. Some of the high-grade Chinese turquoise resembles and is thought to be equal to many of the better known or classic American Southwestern mines. Today turquoise in China is produced at the Maanshan mine northwest of Shanghai and mines in the Hubei province. Two of the finest mines in the Hubei province are the Yungai, which means, "a mountain covered with cloud" and the Zhuxi "a mountain where growing plenty of bamboo". The Yungai, or Cloud Mountain has produced natural turquoise that is equal to a number of the finer Nevada mines that are now closed. Mines like the Nevada Blue, Number 8, Blue Ridge and the famous Lander Blue.

It has been said that turquoise today from China accounts for over 60% of the stones sold in the United States, due to the scarcity of American turquoise. There is an irony to the abundance of Chinese turquoise in America as most all of the China turquoise sold is stabilized with plastic or treated in some way thus making the availability of natural Chinese turquoise rare in today's market.

CRIPPLE CREEK

The Cripple Creek turquoise mine is located in Teller County, Colorado near the town of Cripple Creek. Miners searching for gold in the area discovered turquoise. Cripple Creek is a very hard material, running to over 7 on the Moh’s scale, with a color varying from blue green to a true turquoise blue color. Sometimes found with a golden limonite matrix. It is seen as vein material and in nodules. There are two mines in the area but very little high-grade turquoise is being mined today.

DAMELE

The Damele is a small mine about 30 miles northeast of Austin, Nevada. It sits adjacent to the Godber-Burnham claim. Very little Damele is being produced today and presently much is cut from older rough that can still be found from various turquoise dealers and collectors. Most of the material found today is a variscite, although some turquoise is still available. Damele is extremely hard, takes a nice polish and comes in a variety of colors from yellow, gold, greens and grays with a fine spider webbing. At its best it can be a beautiful gemstone. It is a well known mine with highly sought after cabochons and beads.

DARLING DARLENE

The Darling Darlene was a small mine in Northern Nevada which produced a beautiful turquoise. Colors from the mine ranged from green to blue green and from a light blue to a deep blue. Discovered by Joe Barredo in 1972 and named for a daughter, the mine was never more than a few man operation and production was low. In the early 1980’s the Darling Darlene was leased by Erman Blossom and a partner. Today the area is involved in gold production.

EASTER BLUE

The Easter Blue mine is located northwest of Tonopah, Nevada a few miles from the Royston district. Turquoise from this claim has also been called Blue Mountain and Blue Gem. Compared to some of the other deposits in Nevada, the Easter Blue was never considered a large producer and changed hands a number of times. The deposit was discovered in 1907 by Lew Cirac who then sold it to Lee Hand in 1915. Hand leased the Easter Blue to W.R. Gilbert who produced about 100 pounds of fine turquoise from the surface. A few owners later the mine produced 300 pound a month for nearly four years. The mine was later sold to Peter King, of Manassa, Colorado and was operated once again as the Easter Blue.

The turquoise occurs as thin veinlets though some nodules were found. The first material found was a fine blue color, later the mine produced a blue green turquoise with a light to dark brown matrix.

FOX

The Fox mine, once known as the Cortez, has been one of the largest producing mines in Nevada for almost a century. An official notice of location on the property under the name of "Fox Lode Mining Claim" was filed in 1914 by Charles Schmidtlein and Johnnie Francis. It had been mined in prehistoric times and had been known for years to the Indians of the area before the filed claim. The Fox mine is located in Lander County near Crescent Valley, Nevada. After going through numerous owners the mine was purchased in the 1940’s by Dowell Ward who continued the Fox’s development into Nevada’s most productive mine.

The Fox mine is said to have produced more turquoise than all other mines in Nevada put together. With at least 500,000 pounds mined by 1968 and for years producing more than 2,000 pounds per month. The mining operation continued to produce turquoise in quantity after 1968 and is still producing today. Fox turquoise is quite hard and runs from shades of green to an aqua blue color. It is found as both nuggets and vein material.

GODBER-BURNHAM

The Godber-Burnham mine is located northeast of Austin, Nevada on Dry Creek. In 1932 Bob Burton and Joe Potts discovered the mine and first claimed it as the "Last Chance.” Later, also being known as the "Blue Stone" and "Homesite" and at one time the "Dry Creek" due to its location along Dry Creek which runs through the Damele horse ranch and then in front of the Godber claim. The mine was later sold to Frank Burnham who it was reported took out more than $100,000 worth of turquoise. In 1934 Burnham sold the mine to Walter Godber.

The turquoise ranges from medium to dark blue sometimes with a beautiful spider webbing. It has also been know for a very dark or black mottling forming blotches and veins running through the stone. Godber-Burnham has always been considered a very high quality turquoise. Oscar Branson in his book, ”Turquoise” has called Godber "so hard and compact" and "some of the finest turquoise in Nevada."

HACHITA

Hachita turquoise is from a group of mines near Old Hachita, Grant County, New Mexico. They include the Azure, Cameo, Galilee, and Aztec claims. The name "Hachita" comes from the Spanish term for "Little Hatchet". The small town itself was located in the foothills of the Little Hatchet Mountains in the Hachita Valley of New Mexico. The turquoise deposits lie in a location known as Turquoise Mountain about 6 mile west of the town.

Mined intensely in prehistoric times, settlers first came to the area when stories told by Indians mentioned turquoise deposits found in the hills of the Little Hatchet Mountains. Prospectors began working deposits around 1880’s and not only found the turquoise, but silver, copper, and gold as well. Many of the turquoise tunnels found were so ancient and carefully refilled by the Indians that they were only found by later mining. Some were said to have become so hard that the material had to be blasted loose.

These were hard mines to work with the nearest settlement of any size a few hundred miles away and the harsh furnace like conditions of the desert. Much of the first turquoise found was a hard fine pure-blue color. Today the Hachita turquoise seen in the market place is predominantly green with a light to dark brown matrix. Sometimes forming a beautiful spider webbing.

HARCROSS

This group of mines, reportedly discovered by Otto Taubert in 1908, is located in Lyon County, Nevada. Taubert, while looking for gold, found turquoise deposits in the area. He later sold his group of claims to Walter Godber, of the famed Godber-Burnham mine. Godber had come to Nevada from Los Angeles and these were his first Nevada claims. He went on to later operate a number of turquoise properties throughout the State. After over $50,000 worth of turquoise was produced mining stopped at this group of mines as Godber’s attention and resources were required at his other mines.

F.B. Cross and J.J. Harrison later claimed the main mining area in September of 1965 as the Harcross group. The turquoise is very hard and is usually formed in veinlets. It covers a range of most all the colors from blue, bluish green, to every shade of green, mostly with a limonite matrix. The material with a greenish cast can have dendrite markings. It can be translucent and is one of the harder turquoises available.

INDIAN MOUNTAIN

On the south range of Bald Mountain in Lander County, Nevada is the Indian Mountain turquoise mine. A

Shoshone sheepherder was said to have found the mine in 1970. The Indian Mountain was owned and operated by Ed Mauzy and J.W. Edgar, both legends in Nevada turquoise mining. Mining at Indian Mountain was carried on from late May to early October with a recovery of "about three pounds" (Turquoise Annual) of good turquoise a day. During winter the mine could be covered in up to 10 feet of snow. Indian Mountain turquoise was difficult to mine, found in very compact rock. During mining season the miners lived in trailers 75 miles from electricity and the closest telephone. The vein material and small nuggets found were of a very high grade turquoise. Seen in both a green and fine blue color, sometimes combined. The spider web Indian Mountain is considered to be some of the finer turquoise available.

KING'S MANASSA

King’s Manassa turquoise mine is located east of Manassa, Colorado. It was mined for centuries by Indians and is thought to be the oldest turquoise mine in Colorado. It is the largest of many deposits in the area. I.P. King came upon the mine in 1890 while prospecting for gold. According to Bennett’s work on turquoise, "He thought the blue stain on the rocks was copper, but in 1900 it was identified as turquoise, and by 1908 ten claims were being worked nearby."

Since it’s rediscovery mining has been carried out by members of the King family intermittently with both blue and blue-green turquoise being found. Today King’s Manassa turquoise is seen in an attractive green color with a beautiful golden matrix.

KINGMAN

Kingman turquoise has been produced as a by-product from the copper mining in the Mineral Park Mining District located northwest of Kingman Arizona. The area lies in high-desert county at an elevation of 3,345 feet and is surrounded by three mountain ranges. The mining district around Kingman, Arizona has always been a large producer of turquoise, at one time the worlds largest. Although first mined by Indians, this area was home to the most extensive prehistoric workings found in Arizona, the modern production of turquoise dates back to the early 1880’s when James Haas rediscovered these ancient Kingman area mines.

Much of the turquoise occurred as seams masses and veins although the Kingman area was also known for its beautiful bright blue nuggets with a fine matrix. The color runs from light blue to a dark blue with a white matrix that was usually dyed black. High-grade Kingman turquoise is a medium to dark blue color and frequently flecked with pyrite and sometimes quartz. In its high-grade form it has always been considered among the top quality turquoise, although until today never rare. It was estimated by L.W. Hardy of Kingman, who held the turquoise lease at Mineral Park Mine, that 23,878 pounds of green chalk, 54,818 pounds of blue chalk, and 4,344 pound of gem grade turquoise were produced in 1973 alone.

Leonard W. Hardy became one of the most important dealers in the turquoise world. He had moved to the Globe-Miami area in 1949 and became a shovel operator for the Castle Dome mine. While at the mine he became interested in the turquoise that was found with the copper ore. He began to market the turquoise to Native American Indian jewelers and then opened a wholesale turquoise operation in the Miami area. Hardy and his wife later moved the operation to Kingman after receiving the winning bid on the removal of turquoise pockets at the Kingman, Castle Dome and Sleeping Beauty mines. Kingman became known as the turquoise capital of the world and L.W. Hardy earned the nickname of the Turquoise King. In the early 1970’s, Hardy Turquoise Company was producing over half of the world’s supply of turquoise. Hardy was active in the turquoise business until the age of 85 and passed away at 92 in August of 2003.

With so many thousands of pounds of good quality turquoise produced in the Kingman area over the last one hundred years it is hard to believe that today very little high-grade Kingman turquoise is available.

LANDER BLUE

The Lander Blue turquoise mine in Lander County, Nevada is located between Battle Mountain and Tenabo. Found in 1973 it produced some of the most beautiful spider-webbed turquoise ever discovered. Today it is considered the most valuable turquoise known. Not surprisingly as early as 1975 it had been stated that Lander Blue “has become some of the most valued turquoise today.”

Like a number of the other high-grade strikes, Lander Blue was a very rich pocket discovery, and has been referred to as a “hat mine,” a term used to described small floats of turquoise because they could be “covered with a hat.” There were no extensive zones or long veins. These pockets are not uncommon in nature and once mined out they are gone forever. Lander Blue is almost entirely spider-webbed turquoise with colors from medium to deep blue and a black contrasting matrix. Although some other grades were found only approximately 100 pounds of the beautiful spider-web turquoise was mined.

Like all classic turquoise this one comes with a classic story. RitaHapgood, a one time blackjack dealer in Battle Mountain, while walking with her two sisters found little nuggets on the ground along Indian Creek in the Crescent Valley area of Nevada. After discovering this deposit of high-grade turquoise she went on to claim the site as the Mary Louise Lode Mining Claim, the name Mary Louise belonging to her mother. The mine bordered the Lander Ranch. Later the claim was sold to Marvin Syme and Henry 'Hank' Dorian for the sum of $10,000.00. They brought in Bob Johnson, who provided equipment and began working the claim.  The three then named the company the Lander Blue Turquoise Corporation.

Marvin Syme ended up owning a number of turquoise mines in Nevada and later retired to Idaho. Hank Dorian operated the Nevada Club in Battle Mountain for a number of years until his passing and Bob and Dixie Johnson continued to sell Lander Blue turquoise until it ran out.The Lander Blue mine later became part of Dowell Ward’s large string of mines (now belonging to Mrs. Ward).

Today, because of its rarity and value, there seems to be more Lander Blue for sale than was ever mined. With very little provenance available when buying beautiful Lander Blue, this material has truly become a case of ”Buyer Beware.”

LONE MOUNTAIN

The Lone Mountain turquoise mine is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, not far from Tonopah. It has been one of the great producers of Nevada turquoise. The color ranges from a beautiful clear blue to a dark blue spider web. Lone Mountain has always been noted for holding its color. To this day jewelry can be found that was made in the 1930’s or 1940’s with Lone Mountain turquoise just as blue as when it was made.

The mine was claimed by Lee Hand in 1920 first as the Blue Jay Mining Lode and later, after seeing that so many mines had been named Blue Jay, Hand changed the mine’s name to Lone Mountain. In 1927 at a depth of about 40 feet Bert Kopenhaver, who had leased the mine from Hand, found the beautiful spider web turquoise material that made Lone Mountain one of the top mines in the Southwest. Today, Lone Mountain’s beautiful blue spider web still gives Lander Blue, the most valuable turquoise in the world, a run for its money. The mine has continued to change hands over the years and even now a small amount of good material is being produced.

Another rare occurrence has been the "fossil turquoise" found in this mine. Plant fossils and sometimes seashells that have dissolved away leaving only the cavities were filled with turquoise deposits. Turquoise nuggets in moss agate have also been found.

MORENCI

Morenci turquoise was mined in Greenlee County in southeastern Arizona. Morenci is highly prized for its beautiful blue colors, which vary from a light to a very dark blue. Also for its unusual matrix of iron pyrite or "fool’s gold" that when polished often resembles silver. The turquoise was a by-product of the Morenci copper mine in Arizona. For many years heavy-equipment operators at the mine would "lunch box" the high-grade turquoise out. The March 1977 edition of the “International Turquoise Annual” states, "Many years ago, while mining for copper, workers unearthed a large zone of turquoise-bearing rock and, realizing its value, began working this zone, neglecting the copper. In order to ensure copper production continuing, the copper company that held the mine at the time took the entire turquoise deposit, which was extensive, and buried it under thousands of tons of waste rock from the pit and it is still sitting there. Uncovering it would be too massive and expensive a project." From 1956 to 1984 the turquoise rights were granted to William "Lucky" Brown who had an extensive mining career that included working the mine at Villa Grove in Colorado. The Morenci mine produced high quantities and was marketed through family operated trading posts in New Mexico and Arizona. Lucky retired in 1982 and his sons continued to mine the turquoise until the lease ended.

The Clifton-Morenci mining district lies eight miles due north of the Gila and San Francisco rivers and is near the Arizona-New Mexico border. The most reliable report states that a miner named Henry Clifton in 1864 first noted the area’s mineral resources. Within two years an Army scout, Robert Metcalf, discovered the blue and green copper stained out-cropping that he and a few associates claimed as the famous Longfellow mine, which went on to produced 20 million pounds of copper. In 1872 a Detroit mining man named William Church purchased a group of claims with his Detroit Copper Mining Company that he had organized. Church then proceeded to develop mining operations at Morenci, Arizona. Development work was no easy task. Work was all done by hand, water was scarce, transportation was slow, furnace like desert conditions and Geronimo, who was always a formidable adversary. But with all of the above problems by 1880 copper was being produced. Church eventually sold his claims to Phelps Dodge and Company.

The Morenci mine is the largest copper mine in the US and produces over 750 million pounds of copper a year. It stretches for miles across the landscape. It is thousands of feet from the top of the mountains to the dug out bottoms and shades of bluish-green from the richness of copper that first led miners to the area are still present. Though today’s southwestern copper mines produce little turquoise, with the change of mining methods to crushing and acid washing the turquoise is destroys in the copper ore.

The fact that Morenci turquoise is no longer being mined along with its beautiful blues and its silver colored matrix make Morenci very sought after in today’s turquoise market.

NEVADA BLUE

Nevada Blue belongs with the finest turquoise to come out of Nevada. Once known as the Pinto or Watts mine, the Nevada Blue is near the crest of the Shoshone Range in Lander County, Nevada. The deposit was discovered by Jim Watts in 1901 and later sold. Access to this mine is extremely difficult. In its high-grade form the colors range from a medium to a dark blue with a black or brown spider webbing.

Nevada Blue turquoise was well marketed in the 1970’s and was used by many of the Southwest’s greatest silversmiths. The April 1979 issue of ‘Arizona Highways’ magazine will attest to that fact with its pages filled with Nevada Blue turquoise in museum quality jewelry.

NUMBER EIGHT

The Number 8 turquoise mine is in the Lynn mining district in Eureka County, Nevada. The mine is considered depleted and has not produced turquoise for a number of years, although much is still available through collections and other holdings. Earl Buffington and Lawrence Springer filed the first formal claim on the property in 1929. Not long after that time the mine began going though a number of owners which included; Ted Johnson, Doc Wilson, Myron Clark, Lee Hand, the Edgar brother and Dowell Ward. All are important names in Nevada’s turquoise mining history. In 1950 the Edgars with a bulldozer began looking for copper. What they did uncover was a deposit of some of the finest spider web turquoise ever found in Nevada. The pocket produced more than 1,600 pounds of the very highest-grade turquoise, a discovery that is still being talked about today.

The color of Number 8 varies from light blue, blue with shades of green to beautiful dark blue. It is found with a black, golden, red or brown matrix. With the black and red spider webbing being the most valued. Besides its beautiful turquoise, Number 8 has also been known for the large nuggets the mine produced. One nodule of high-grade turquoise that was sold to C.G. Wallace weighed more than nine pounds. Another uncovered was one of the largest turquoise nodules ever found. On June 23, 1954, T.G. Edgar, J.M. Edgar and Marvin Symes discovered a specimen that weighed 150 pounds. It was of good color and hardness and classified as gem quality.

Today Number 8 turquoise is one of the most valuable stones that can be collected and one of the most beautiful that can be used in jewelry. High-grade Number 8 turquoise is by far some of the finest turquoise to ever have come out of Nevada.

PERSIAN

Little needs to be said about Persian turquoise, as it was long considered the finest turquoise in the world. It has always been the gold standard of quality. The beautiful blue color of Persian and its rarity in today’s market makes this wonderful turquoise highly valued. Mines in the northern areas of Iran have been producing turquoise for many centuries. For over 800 years Persia (Iran) produced the bulk of the world’s turquoise using the simplest of hand tools made from stone then later with picks and crowbars. The oldest continuously operated mines known were operated in the Ali-Mursa-Kuh Mountains near Nishapur, Khorasan, Iran. They were known to have operated at least since 1000 AD and it is possible since 2100 BC.

The rich blue color of the turquoise has always been prized and produces superb cabs in its flawless form. Many feel that when Persian turquoise is found in its matrix form with the fine colors of the limonite that it is just as beautiful.

PILOT MOUNTAIN

Pilot Mountain turquoise is made up of a group of mines at the southern end of the Pilot Mountains in Mineral County, Nevada a short distance outside of Tonopah. The two most well known mines being the Moqui-Aztec or S. Simmons and the Montezuma or Troy Springs mine. The Montezuma is still being worked two or three times a year and produces a hard thin veined turquoise with colors ranging from a bright blue to dark blue, along with a dark blue with a greenish cast. Light to dark brown limonite mottled patterns are associated with this material. William Miller of Tonopah discovered the Montezuma in 1905.

RED MOUNTAIN

The Red Mountain turquoise mine produces a very fine turquoise. Known for both the high quantity of small high-grade nuggets that it produced and the beautiful dark blue spider web of its best grades. Red Mountains top material is a hard compact spider web and is equal to any of the classic turquoise mines such as Number Eight, Lone Mountain or Nevada Blue. Besides a dark blue color with a dark matrix the mine produces colors in the blue green range with a stunning gold or rust-colored spider web.

Located in Northern Nevada the mine was owned for many years by Austin Turner. Turner did little mining. Much of the turquoise had been mined before Turner had taken over the claim. From 1982 to 1985 Erman Blossom and his partner leased the mine and removed a fair amount of turquoise. Turner sold the mine in 2003 and today the present owner works the mine a few times a year where turquoise is still being found in the mine’s old dump.

ROYSTON

The Royston district is one of the better known turquoise producing areas in Nevada. Royston turquoise comes from a group of mines about 24 miles northwest of Tonopah. Although the district is made up of a number of small mines the three more important mines are the Royal Blue, the Bunker Hill, and the Oscar Wehrend. Royston turquoise can be unbelievably beautiful. High-grade Royston is a very hard material. Colors range from a light blue, intense blue or a dark sky blue. Also included are a number of shades of green and many times with green and blue together in one stone. The matrix includes different shades of brown. The best Royston is equal to that found in any American mine.

The Royal Blue mine constituted the main workings in the area. The blue colors from this mine were beautiful and equal to any and the matrix was especially fine. 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. The Bunker Hill mine was discovered in 1927 by Roy Palfreyman and Bert Kopenhaver. The Oscar Wehrend mine was discovered in 1909, production from this mine was low and not of the quality of the other two. Today the Royston district is still producing turquoise of high quality, but in limited amounts.

SLEEPING BEAUTY

The Sleeping Beauty turquoise mine is located in Globe, Arizona. It derives its name from the Sleeping Beauty Mountain in the area and at one time was part of the Copper Cities copper operation. The mine produces a uniform light to medium blue turquoise. Because of its uniformity it has been a favorite of the Zuni Pueblo. Silversmiths there often use it in inlay, petit point and needlepoint, and matched jewelry sets.

The Sleeping Beauty mine has been one of the larger producers of turquoise in the country, although today less good turquoise is being produced than in the passed.

Sleeping Beauty has never been considered a hard turquoise and it has never been talked about in that same sense as many of the classic Nevada mines. But its beautiful clear blue colors mirror the blues of the sky and makes Sleeping Beauty, in every sense of the word, a true "Skystone."

STORMY MOUNTAIN

Stormy Mountain Mine in Elko County, Nevada produced an extremely high quality turquoise. Found in the early 1970’s when a new road to an old copper mine was being bulldozed. For the most part the turquoise is a very hard, medium to dark blue material flecked with black chert. In the best grades the veins can run up to one inch thick. Turquoise from this mine is rarely seen today.

TIBETAN

The turquoise that comes out of Tibetan today is usually antique material and is of a medium to dark green nature, do to the natural oils from being worn overtime. It usually has a strong black matrix. Fine blue material has been available, though rare in today’s market. The Tibetans considered turquoise to be a powerful stone and many wear it for the good fortune in brings. The Tibetan people have worn turquoise in every form. There has been little information concerning the mining of turquoise in Tibet. Both Pogue and Branson in their books on turquoise list four areas were turquoise has been found. Because of Tibetan turquoise’s antique nature and strong color the cabochons and beads of this material make fine jewelry especially when set in gold.

TURQUOISE MOUNTAIN

Although located in the Mineral Park Mining District outside of Kingman, Arizona, the Turquoise Mountain mine has been considered a separate classic mine because of the difference in it’s appearance from other Kingman area turquoise. Turquoise Mountain turquoise has also been known as Old Man Turquoise. It has its own unique blue and blue-green color and many times has been found with a golden or beautiful rust colored spider webbing.

TYRONE

Tyrone turquoise encompassed a group of mines in the Burro Mountains near the town of Silver City, New Mexico and is associated with the Tyrone Copper mine. It has been said that more high-grade turquoise was produced in this area than any single deposit on record. Turquoise mining in the Burro Mountains had been carried out in prehistoric times and then later by the Spanish. Artifacts, stone tools along with fragments of turquoise and hammers of the local granite were common at the sites. An early mining engineer named Zalenski had noted that after visiting the mines in 1907 there were still traces of fire used to break up the rocks and that one forty-foot shaft still remained though most of the work in the area had been done in open trenches. Kunz, in his work mentions an old Indian burial ground in the area, in which turquoise was found in some form in every grave. Ancient operations helped to determine the locations of some of the more modern claims.

According to Pogue, John Coleman who was locally known as "Turquois John" is credited with the first modern discovery of turquoise in the area. He is said to have discovered some old workings while on a hunting trip in 1875. W.J. Foley and Nicholas Ransome have also been associated with the discovery. The story goes that Foley, of Silver City, was informed by Indian traders that turquoise was present near the town and that ancient workings were known in the mountains. A search by Foley is said to have resulted in the finding of these ancient excavations in the Burro Mountains.

The largest mine in the area was the Azure mine. It was located 10 miles southwest of Silver City and was opened in 1891. It became not only the most famous turquoise mine in the area but the country. Pogue states in his 1915 classic work on turquoise that "It has been operated in modern times more extensively than any other turquois mine in this country, and its stones are the equal of the Persian gems.” In 1893 the famous “Elizabeth Pocket” was entered, which produced more high-grade turquoise than any single deposit on record.” The Elizabeth Pocket was 100 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 40 to 50 feet high. It was thought to be the riches vein of turquoise ever discovered. The cut cabochons were marketed throughout the country with ads appearing in Harper’s and McClure’s magazines. Each gem was engraved with a circle on the back with the ad stating, "None genuine without the ring O on the reverse side.”

Azure turquoise, because of its hardness, was guaranteed not to change color.

The material that is available today is usually from older collections. In its high-grade form Tyrone turquoise is a hard, translucent, brilliant or deep blue and today valued highly for it beauty and rarity.

The richness of turquoise found over the centuries in Southwest New Mexico leads one to believe or hope that even today there may be a number of deposits still waiting to be found and claimed in the beautiful but rugged Burro Mountains.

VILLA GROVE

The Villa Grove mine, once known as Hall mine, is northwest of the town of Villa Grove in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. Villa Grove was one of the Colorado mines that showed signs of ancient Indian workings. It was rediscovered sometime in the 1890’s and mined for copper with major turquoise operations beginning in the early 1900’s. A bright blue turquoise was mined both clear and also with a fine spider web which sometimes resembled the finest Lone Mountain turquoise from Nevada. In fact the Villa Grove mine was owned in 1965 by Menalis Winfield, who had also owned the Lone Mountain mine in Nevada. Although very rare, turquoise from this area can still appear in today’s market.