Turquoise Mines of the Southwest: A Field-Guide Map
The turquoise in Southwestern jewelry comes from named mines scattered across the American West, and the mine a stone came from shapes its color, its matrix and its story. These are our field guides to 18 of them — grouped by state, each linking to a full guide on what that mine produced and how to recognize it.
Nevada
Blue GemBattle Mountain's Deep-Vein Mine
Carico LakeNevada's Apple-Green Faustite Mine
Crescent PeakNevada's Sky-Blue Mountain Mine
Fox MineNevada's Largest-Producing Cortez Mine
Lone MountainOne of Nevada's Best
Number EightNevada's Vanished Spiderweb Mine
Pilot MountainNevada's Active Collector Mine
Royal BlueNevada's 1,200-Pound-a-Month Mine
Roystona District, Not a Mine
Stormy MountainElko County's Black Matrix Mine
Arizona
Bisbeea Top-Five Collectible
Kingmanthe Mine Behind the Default American Blue
Morencithe Pyrite-Matrix Benchmark
Sleeping Beautythe Matrix-Free Sky Blue
New Mexico
HachitaNew Mexico's Ancient Little Hatchet Mine
Jarilla Mountainsthe Orogrande Mine and the Chaco Connection