Turquoise jewelry has long been sought after by the rich and powerful, merchants, warriors, and kings. But where does it come from? Here we discover where this varied stone originates.
Today we are going to begin a two part segment that introduces and gives a little history of some of the more popular mines in Nevada as well as some more obscure ones. We will kick things off with the Cheyenne Turquoise Mine.
Cheyenne Mine: Cheyenne is a relatively old mine once called the "carrie" or "hidden treasure" mine. Originally mined for its gold and silver, Tony and Trenton Otteson staked this claim several years ago to attempt to re-open the mine and gather what was missed. Turquoise is formed here as a bi-product of the mineral seem. The beautiful colors found here cover nearly the entire spectrum in the turquoise world. Standing out from this mine is the green web and the blue web. Cheyenne turquoise rivals any top mine for color and grade in the world.
Verde Blue Mine: The Verde Blue mine is relatively unknown mine. Blue turquoise with black web is the dominant stone from this mine, and though it is very beautiful stone, the mine is almost depleted.
Apache Blue Mine: Also known as Turkey Track, Apache Blue is a very small starter mine. Though still relatively shallow, the mine is producing an absolutely beautiful blue stone with eye popping black web matrix. This high quality stone is very rare and hard to find, even in this mine, but it's what every turquoise miner is searching for.
Royston Mine: The Royston Turquoise mines are located near Tonopah, Nevada. It originally consisted of four old claims: Bunker Hill, Easter Blue, Oscar Wehrand, and Royal Blue. The colors of turquoise here range from light blue to dark emerald green and are known worldwide for their good quality. Portions of the Royston claims are owned and operated by the Otteson family. Producing a large range of colors at very affordable prices, this is where you come on a tight budget.
White Buffalo Mine: White Buffalo turquoise is an extremely rare form of calcite called "opalized calcite". As far as we know, there is no other mine in the entire world that produces it. Many imitation stones have popped up trying to copy the look, howlite, chinese imitation plastic,...etc. The majority of the pits have been played out but there is still some nice stone to be had here.
Candelaria Mine: Candelaria turquoise comes from the small Candelaria mine in Nevada. It does not produce much stone, and as such the Candelaria turquoise is rare and considered a collectible. If you like this webbed stone, buy it up immediately. Candelaria turquoise is very rare and extremely hard to come by. It is a beautiful webbed stone, with the color ranging from a light sea blue to a rich dark blue with varying colors of webbing.
How To Tell If Your Turquoise Is Real
With the depleting turquoise sources there have been many turquoise sellers that have turned to less than honest means of selling their turquoise. There are many types of stone that are sold as fake turquoise, make sure you know how to tell the fakes from the real.
Welcome Back To The Mines!
Welcome back as we discuss more of the turquoise mines owned and operated by the Otteson Family. Most of these mines are located near Tonopah Nevada.
Keep Turquoise In Top Condition
Turquoise is a fragile gem and needs to be cared for properly. This article goes into the details on how to care for your turquoise jewelry.
