Nacozari Turquoise: Los Pilares Mine, Mexico
Nacozari Turquoise — A Stone Study
← Part of the T.Skies Turquoise Stone Study: turquoise mines
Nacozari turquoise, photographed in the T.Skies studio. Bright sky-blue to robin's-egg blue cabochons, from clean stones with white speckling to pieces with dark patches and dense brassy metallic flecks. Tap any stone to see it up close.
Five bright blue Nacozari teardrop cabochons with dark matrix patches and fine white mottling
Five blue Nacozari teardrop cabochons densely flecked with brassy metallic matrix and dark patches
Three bright sky-blue Nacozari oval cabochons with white speckles and small dark matrix spots
Four robin's-egg blue Nacozari freeform cabochons with white mottling and small tan matrix spots
Three pale sky-blue Nacozari oval cabochons with white swirls and dark metallic matrix patches
Nacozari turquoise, photographed in the T.Skies studio. Shown for reference. © Turquoise Skies Inc.
Part of the Turquoise Mines field guides and The Southwest Jewelry Guide.
Nacozari turquoise comes from the Pilares mine, also called Los Pilares, an open-pit copper mine near the town of Nacozari in northern Mexico. The turquoise is a by-product of the copper, and the mine is known for unusually large formations. Many Mexican miners rate it the best turquoise their country produces.[1]
Key points
- Nacozari turquoise comes from the Los Pilares (Pilares) open-pit copper mine, near Nacozari, Mexico.[1]
- It is a copper by-product, produced by the thousands of pounds.[1]
- Formations of four to twenty pounds come out consistently, in various grades.[1]
- Early Nacozari was stabilized, with epoxy first and then acrylic.[2] Some Nacozari matrix has been dyed.[1]
- Mexican turquoise can closely match Arizona stone, and it has long been sold under American names.[1]
At a glance
| Mine | Pilares / Los Pilares ("Nacozari") |
|---|---|
| Where | Near Nacozari, northern Mexico |
| How it's mined | Open-pit copper mine; turquoise is a by-product |
| Known for | Formations of 4–20 lb, produced consistently |
| Treatment on record | Stabilized (epoxy, later acrylic); some matrix dyed |
A copper mine first
Some of the world's best-known turquoise mines are famous for tonnage, not romance. Lowry puts the Pilares mine in that company, beside Kingman and Sleeping Beauty in Arizona: open-pit copper mines that have turned up thousands of pounds of turquoise while the real business was copper.[1] The stone at a mine like this isn't the reason the pit exists. It is what gets saved on the way.
Big stone
What sets Los Pilares apart is size.
"In several Chinese mines and the Los Pilares Mine near Nacozari, Mexico, turquoise formations weighing four to twenty pounds are consistently produced in various grades."
— Lowry (2010), p. 140 [1]
"Various grades" matters as much as the weight. A large formation is not a promise of a fine stone, only of a lot of it.
How it's treated
Ryan and Chambless record that Otis Flowers handled the early years of Nacozari stabilizing, first with epoxy and then, from about the mid-1970s, with acrylic, which the speaker called far superior.[2] Lowry adds that small amounts of Nacozari matrix have been dyed. Dyeing the matrix doesn't change the color of the turquoise itself, and he notes that most American dealers accept the practice.[1]
So when you hold a piece of Nacozari, ask two separate questions: is the stone stabilized, and is the matrix dyed? For what our treatment labels mean, see What Do These Confusing Turquoise Terms Mean?
Its reputation, and where it gets stated
"Many Mexican miners consider the Nacozari Mine in northern Mexico the best turquoise in all of Mexico."
— Lowry (2010), p. 77 [1]
Later in the same book, Lowry says Mexican miners hold Nacozari to be the best turquoise in the world.[1] It's one author reporting one group's opinion, at two different strengths. We give both and settle neither.
Why the name gets lost
Lowry writes that, for about a hundred years, many tons of Mexican turquoise were imported into the United States and sold as American, with little or no credit to where it came from. He adds that several Mexican mines can produce stone that is almost a perfect match for Kingman, Sleeping Beauty and Morenci.[1] Those are statements about Mexican turquoise in general, not about Nacozari by name. They are the reason a Mexican stone's mine name is worth asking for.
What the record doesn't hold
Our books don't describe Nacozari's color or matrix, its hardness, who owns the mine or when turquoise was first recovered there. They don't say whether turquoise is still coming out. Only two of our books name the mine, and almost every fact on this page rests on Lowry alone.
Field Notes by Mateo James
Everything our books say about Nacozari comes back to one thing: it is a copper pit that happens to give up turquoise in big pieces. Weight, "various grades", stabilizing plants, dyed matrix. That is the record of a working stone, not a museum one. The miners' praise is real, but it comes to us second-hand, and Lowry's two pages don't even agree on how far it reaches. The stone itself is the better witness: the gallery above shows what our own pieces look like.
FAQ
Where does Nacozari turquoise come from?
From the Pilares mine, also called Los Pilares, an open-pit copper mine near Nacozari in northern Mexico. The turquoise is a by-product of the copper mining.
Why are Nacozari stones often so large?
Los Pilares consistently produces turquoise formations weighing four to twenty pounds, in various grades.
Is Nacozari turquoise stabilized?
It has been. Early Nacozari was stabilized with epoxy and later with acrylic, and some Nacozari matrix has been dyed. Check each listing for its treatment.
Is Nacozari the best Mexican turquoise?
Many Mexican miners say so. That's their opinion as one author reports it, not a grading standard.
Browse our turquoise jewelry →
How this page is sourced. Printed works are cited by page and describe conditions as of their dates. If you know better, contact us.
Sources
- Lowry, Joe Dan, and Joe P. Lowry. Turquoise: The World Story of a Fascinating Gemstone. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith, 2010, pp. 77, 134, 140, 169, 230, 232. Statements describe conditions as of 2010.
- Ryan, Mike, II, and Philip Chambless. Turquoise in America, Part Two: 1910–1990. Callais Press, 2020, pp. 175–176.