Turquoise Mines Of Nevada
Turquoise is a blue green gemstone that is primarily composed to copper and aluminum compounds bound together within a silica matrix. It is generally found in areas of low rainfall and high temperatures, and where the bedrocks are rich in copper and aluminum. Today, the United States of America is the largest producer of turquoise in the world. Turquoise is mainly found within the four Western states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada. Of these four states, Nevada currently produces the largest amount of turquoise. This article explores turquoise mining in the State of Nevada.
The Royston area is the largest turquoise mining district in the State of Nevada, and has several mines that produce high quality specimens. The Ajax mine is a relatively new facility that is famous for light blue stones with dark blue veins dark green stones with light blue veins. The Blue Gem mine near Battle Mountain produced rich blue and green color specimens, many of which have been characterized as gem-quality stones. Production at this mine started in the early 1930s and is now closed. The Blue Moon mine in Esmeralda County was closed in the 1970s. Specimens from this mine are collector's items today because of the sky blue colored stones with intense black veining. The Candelaria mine is a small source today, but is known for its high quality specimens. The Carico Lake mine gets its name from the fact that it is located in an ancient lakebed. The mine primarily produces gold, but a small segment of the mine also produces a clear, iridescent, spring-green color variety of turquoise. This color is due to the zinc content of the stone. The Damali mine is located in close proximity to the Carico Lake mine, but the zinc here changes the color of the stone to yellow and khaki, as opposed to green.
The rare Sacred Buffalo turquoise is found at the Dry Creek mine. The stone here is hard and lacks a specific color because of the absence of heavy metals as secondary minerals in the stone. The Lone Mountain mine in Esmeralda County has produced some of the most valuable turquoise to date. Production today is quite low, although the clear blue specimens with fine dark spider veining are much sought after as collectibles. The Pilot Mountain mine in Esmeralda County is a family-owned operation and is well known for specimens that have intense blue green colors with black or red matrix.
The Orvil Jack mine in Northern Nevada gets its name from the person who developed this mine in the Blue Ridge area of Crescent Valley. Specimens from this mine have a rare yellow-green color due to the presence of zinc within the matrix. Most of the turquoise here has been depleted and production today is extremely low. The Red Mountain mine in Lander County has the reputation of producing some of the best turquoise specimens ever found in the Southwest. The high quality stone from this mine is usually quite expensive and best suited for fine gold and silver jewelry. The Story Mountain mine in Elko County is no longer operational. This mine produced hard specimens of turquoise that were deep blue in color with a dark blotchy matrix.
The Royston area is the largest turquoise mining district in the State of Nevada, and has several mines that produce high quality specimens. The Ajax mine is a relatively new facility that is famous for light blue stones with dark blue veins dark green stones with light blue veins. The Blue Gem mine near Battle Mountain produced rich blue and green color specimens, many of which have been characterized as gem-quality stones. Production at this mine started in the early 1930s and is now closed. The Blue Moon mine in Esmeralda County was closed in the 1970s. Specimens from this mine are collector's items today because of the sky blue colored stones with intense black veining. The Candelaria mine is a small source today, but is known for its high quality specimens. The Carico Lake mine gets its name from the fact that it is located in an ancient lakebed. The mine primarily produces gold, but a small segment of the mine also produces a clear, iridescent, spring-green color variety of turquoise. This color is due to the zinc content of the stone. The Damali mine is located in close proximity to the Carico Lake mine, but the zinc here changes the color of the stone to yellow and khaki, as opposed to green.
The rare Sacred Buffalo turquoise is found at the Dry Creek mine. The stone here is hard and lacks a specific color because of the absence of heavy metals as secondary minerals in the stone. The Lone Mountain mine in Esmeralda County has produced some of the most valuable turquoise to date. Production today is quite low, although the clear blue specimens with fine dark spider veining are much sought after as collectibles. The Pilot Mountain mine in Esmeralda County is a family-owned operation and is well known for specimens that have intense blue green colors with black or red matrix.
The Orvil Jack mine in Northern Nevada gets its name from the person who developed this mine in the Blue Ridge area of Crescent Valley. Specimens from this mine have a rare yellow-green color due to the presence of zinc within the matrix. Most of the turquoise here has been depleted and production today is extremely low. The Red Mountain mine in Lander County has the reputation of producing some of the best turquoise specimens ever found in the Southwest. The high quality stone from this mine is usually quite expensive and best suited for fine gold and silver jewelry. The Story Mountain mine in Elko County is no longer operational. This mine produced hard specimens of turquoise that were deep blue in color with a dark blotchy matrix.
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