Kingman – Arizona
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 wan 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.  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 stone, 50% i9s them 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 bout 1600 pounds of rough stone per month with 2000 pounds being the highest yield yet. 

Carico Lake  -  Nevada
Carico Lake turquoise is known for its clear, iridescent, spring green color which is due to its zinc and copper content.  Carico Lake stones can also display a dark blue-green color with a black spider web matrix.  Recent finds are producing many new blue tones with an even black matrix.  The colors and scarcity of Carico Lake turquoise make it a valuable addition to nay collection.  The Carico Lake mine also hosts another stone, faustite, which features a bright lime green color due to its higher zinc content.
 
The Carico Lake mine is named for its home on a dried up lake bed in high, cool Lander County, Nevada.  Some turquoise, businesses marketed this stone under various names including Stone Canyon and Aurora turquoise, although this is rarely seen today.  Due to its remote location and harsh conditions in the winter, there is a limited amount of time allowed to mine this rare turquoise.  These factors add to the investment value of Carico Lake turquoise.
 
Gus Stenich was one of the earliest owners of this mine.  Due to losing much of his turquoise to forgers and thieves, Gus became suspicious of all activity that he saw around the mine.  Just prior to his death, Gus made out a will hastily written on a bread wrapper.  In this will, he left the entire mine to his best friend J.W. Edgar.

Persian – Persia (modern-day Iran)
Persian turquoise came 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 B.C.
 
The stones that are valued the most in Persia are the stones that completely lack matrix of any kind and that have a bright blue color.  The oldest known piece of jewelry, a turquoise bracelet made with Persian turquoise, was found on the mummified wrist of ancient Egyptian Queen Nor.

Orvil Jack – Nevada
The only known one-armed miner in the United States discovered and developed the Northern Nevada deposit that bears his name.  Orvil Jack turquoise has a characteristic yellowish green hue that is attributed to its high zinc content.  Mr. Jack passed on in 1986 and is survived by his widow and his daughter.  Grace Wintle, Orvil’s daughter, now owns the claim and manages the mine.  Although Orvil Jack started working the mine in the 1950’s, the turquoise itself did not become popular until the 1980’s.  The deposit was last worked in the early 1990’s and only a small amount is now being processed.  Orvil Jack turquoise is considered very collectible due to its scarcity and rare color.

Dry Creek – Nevada
The Dry Creek Mine is located in northeast Nevada, near Austin, and can be referred to as Godber or Burnham turquoise.  In the early days of this mine it was also called Valley Blue.  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 is due to a preponderance of aluminum rather than the copper in the stone’s chemistry.  The matrix is typically light golden or brown-gray to gray-black.  The host rock is light brownish gray to grayish black shale with maroon webbing.

Bisbee - Arizona
This brilliant deep blue turquoise is one of the most expensive and rare.  Bisbee has reputation as a hard, finely webbed, strikingly brilliant blue stone of high quality.  Bisbee matrix is brown to an unusual deep reddish brown which makes the stone easy to identify.  The unusual matrix forms wisps or veils throughout the stone which is often called smoky Bisbee.  This turquoise is also unique in that it can be found as deep as 900 feet underground, while most turquoise is found at less than 100 feet.
 
Bisbee is one of the more famous and one of the oldest known American mines.  Bisbee’s main operation was the Lavender Bisbee Copper mine.  The Bisbee turquoise mine has been closed since the 1960’s.  In 2004 the Phelps Dodge Mining Company no longer allowed anyone near the hazardous old mine and buried the turquoise pit under 100 feet of dirt.  There will be no more Bisbee mined.  Any Bisbee on the market today was officially mined prior to 1970.

Lone Mountain  - Nevada
The Lone Mountain Mine turquoise is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada.  The turquoise is noted for its ability to hold color and not fade which adds to its natural beauty.  Usually found as 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 any jewelry collection.

King’s Manassa – Colorado
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.

Turquoise Mountain – Arizona
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.  In the 1980’s this mine closed. 
 
Turquoise Mountain is light to high blue with webbed and non-webbed matrix.  “Birdseye” describes stones from this mine that show area 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.

Sleeping Beauty – Arizona
The Sleeping Beauty mine is seven miles outside of Globe, Arizona.  Its turquoise is noted for its solid, light blue color with no matrix.  The host rock is usually granite.  Sleeping Beauty turquoise is the favorite of the Zuni Pueblo silversmiths for use in Petit point, needlepoint and inlay jewelry.  This mine is one of the largest in North America. 
 
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 county and Europe.  Now, most of the turquoise that comes out of that mine comes from the tons of tailing piles that accumulated all these years.

Royston – Nevada
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.

Pilot Mountain – Nevada
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, and then 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 only twice per year, bringing out only about 150 to 200 pounds of rough stone each time.  One of the current owners says one of the interesting parts of mining “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 the thin seams is high grade with better, deeper blue-green colors.  The owner added that most of the Pilot Mountain turquoise is what is called “grass roots”, meaning the best deposits are found within ten feet of the surface.

Number 8 – Nevada
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 of matrix colors ranging from golden brown to black, set off the unique bright powder blue background.  The most valuable pieces have the powder blue coloration with a tan spider webbed matrix. 
 
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 from 1929-1933.  In 1950 a nodule weighing 150 pounds was found.  The nugget resided at the Covered Wagon Shop in Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico.  When the owners sold the shop in 1999, they donated this nugget to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History where it has been ever since.  The host rock is naturally altered quartz monzonite shale and thinly beaded black chert.

Morenci – Arizona
The Morenci turquoise mine produced a turquoise that is light to bright blue in hue.  This stone has an unusual matrix of irregular black pyrite that, when polished, often resembles silver.  One of the first American turquoises to come to the market, Morenci is highly valued and difficult to obtain.
 
The Morenci mine is in southeastern Arizona and is now closed and buried under tons of rock.  The land was leeched with chemical that would destroy any trace of turquoise, which means that there is never a chance to this mine.  The former miners of Morenci still have quite a stash of rough stone, enough to release a small amount every year to keep it available.

Fox – Nevada
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 a million pounds.  At that time, Mr. Dowell Ward, the mine operator, amassed one of the largest collections of turquoise rock.  The mine is still one of Nevada’s most productive mines. 
 
In pre-historic 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.

Damele – Nevada
The Damele mine is found near the Carico Lake mine in central Nevada.  Damele turquoise is a distinctive yellow-green, takes on high luster and has a good hardness due to its zinc content.  A dark brown to black matrix webs the stone.  Its availability is limited because the mine is small and its rare color makes Damele a collector quality turquoise.