Persian Turquoise: The Nishapur Mines
Part of the Turquoise Mines field guides and The Southwest Jewelry Guide.
The mines near Nishapur, in northeastern Iran, are the ones Pogue in 1915 called “the most important turquois deposits in the world.” This page is built from Joseph E. Pogue’s The Turquois, published by the National Academy of Sciences in 1915. Every statement below is quoted from it, with page numbers, so you can check each one. Anything Pogue describes as current describes 1915, not today.
Where the mines are
Writing in 1915, Pogue located them:
“The most important turquois deposits in the world are near the small village of Maden (i. e., mine), 36 miles in a northwesterly direction from Nishapur,”
— Pogue (1915), p. 34 [1]
As of 1915, Pogue reported:
“The mining and cutting give occupation to some 1,500 persons, who inhabit the Maden village and several small hamlets in the neighborhood.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 35 [1]
On how old the mines are, Pogue (1915) was cautious:
“We must come to the tenth century before we are on safe ground, so far as historical evidence is concerned.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 35 [1]
The mines by name
According to Pogue (1915, p. 37), the oldest Nishapur mine, the Abdurrezzagi, had yielded very few stones since 1880, yet its turquoise was still more esteemed than that of any other mine. [1]
Pogue (1915) on the 'Khaki' diggings in the washed-down debris below the mines:
“The finest turquoises are obtained from these mines—in fact, good ring stones are seldom produced by the rock mines.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 38 [1]
Not all Persian turquoise held its colour. Pogue (1915, p. 37) relates that a walnut-sized stone of fine color, presented to the Shah in 1881, faded and became valueless within two days. [1]
Of the newer Anjiri mines, Pogue (1915) wrote:
“Around 1880 they furnished a great quantity of fine-colored turquoises, which found a ready sale, but subsequently faded.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 38 [1]
Color and grading
Pogue (1915) on the grading of colour at the mines:
“The most valued color is deep sky-blue; the slightest imperfection, or an almost inappreciable tinge of green, decreases the value considerably. A deep indigo-blue, called “talkh,” or bitter, also lessens the value.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 38 [1]
Pogue (1915) added:
“A good stone, in short, must possess an indefinable property called the “zat,” which is something like the “water” of a diamond or the luster of a pearl; a fine-colored turquois without the “zat” is not of much worth.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 38 [1]
Mining, output and trade
Pogue (1915) on mining method:
“Work in the various mines is carried on by means of picks and crowbars and gunpowder. The last was not used prior to 1850. Formerly all work was done by picks, with better results; for, whereas the blasting accomplishes more, it also breaks the stones into small pieces.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 38 [1]
Pogue (1915) on output:
“The annual output of the mines around 1880 was $40,000, valued at the mines; in 1890 the production amounted to $115,000.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 39 [1]
And on where it went, as of 1915:
“The Persian stones reach nearly all parts of the world. They come to Europe chiefly through dealers in Moscow; and in the same way ultimately reach America.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 39 [1]
From the Library: Branson, Turquoise: The Gem of the Centuries (1975)
1975 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1975, not today.
According to Branson (1975, p. 54), Persian stones had for centuries been the world's standard of quality for turquoise. He held that equally fine turquoise was found in the United States and elsewhere, but probably not in such quantities as in Persia. [3]
Writing in 1975, Branson described the Persian ideal:
“The Persians value most a stone without matrix of a fine blue color.”
— Branson (1975), p. 54 [3]
As of 1975, Branson put the price of such stones this way:
“Stones of this quality sell for hundreds of dollars a carat.”
— Branson (1975), p. 54 [3]
According to Branson (1975, p. 54), the Persian stones he pictured were hard, natural and untreated; he bought them in Persia himself and had them made into jewelry in the Southwestern United States. [3]
Branson (1975) traced the round trip of one Persian bead strand he pictured:
“The turquoise in the beads was mined in Persia and sent to Germany, cut and drilled, and returned to Persia.”
— Branson (1975), p. 54 [3]
Branson (1975, p. 23) illustrated a gem-quality Nishapur turquoise vase, carved in the Orient and weighing about 325 grams. [3]
According to Branson (1975, p. 2), turquoise was used as lavishly in Persia as in Egypt, and Persian writings told of large vases carved from huge pieces of turquoise, one of them said to hold six gallons. [3]
According to Branson (1975, p. 3), a set of stones from the mines near Mashad in northern Persia was chosen specifically to show how widely Persian color varied. [3]
From the Library: Chambless & Ryan, Turquoise in America, Part One (2021)
2021 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2021, not today.
According to Chambless & Ryan (2021, p. 18), Persian turquoise had been the standard for hundreds of years when George F. Kunz, in the 1892 USGS Mineral Resources volume, declared Southwest turquoise equal, if not superior, to it. They call this a startling reversal of his earlier view of Southwest stone as only a curio or mineral specimen. [2]
Field Notes by Mateo James
Pogue found no firm evidence of mining at Nishapur before the tenth century, though he suspected an earlier start. Chambless & Ryan write that the mines were 'probably first mined during the eleventh century.' The two are close, but not the same. I tend to side with Chambless & Ryan.
See also Egyptian turquoise and The Written History of Turquoise.
How this page is sourced. We strive for accuracy: every factual statement above is quoted from the printed works listed below, with page numbers, and this page is continuously updated with new information as we read more of our library. See something we should correct? Contact us.
Sources
- Pogue, Joseph E. The Turquois: A Study of Its History, Mineralogy, Geology, Ethnology, Archaeology, Mythology, Folklore, and Technology. Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. XII, Part II, Third Memoir. Washington, 1915. Public domain. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions in 1915.
- Chambless, Philip, and Mike Ryan II. Turquoise in America, Part One: The Great American Turquoise Rush, 1890–1910. Revised first edition. Callais Press, 2021. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2021.
- Branson, Oscar T. Turquoise: The Gem of the Centuries. Santa Fe: Treasure Chest Publications, 1975. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1975.