Treasure Hunting For Turquoise
Turquoise is possibly the most valuable, non-transparent mineral used in jewelry. It has been mined since at least 6000 BC by Egyptians. Like other opaque such as coral, turquoise is commonly sold by the size in millimeters rather than by weight. Turquoise is usually found sandstone layers and can be seen as splotches or as a network of brown or black veins running through the sandstone. There are many small-scale mining operations that are worked by hand. Only one mine in Apache Canyon California operates at a commercial capacity today. With a hardness of just under 6, about the hardness of window glass, this gemstone takes a good polish. It comes in white, blue, green, brown, yellow and all of the shades in between. The value of the turquoise you will find is determined by the richness of color. Robin’s egg is usually the most valuable. The more of a green hug or lightening of color will decrease the value. Turquoise should never be soft or chalky in color. Turquoise is typically found in the arid regions of the world and some high quality gemstones have been found in the Southwest United States such as Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. More that 120 mines have produced significant quantities of gem quality turquoise in Nevada. Nevada mines are primarily worked for the gemstone as apposed to other mining areas where turquoise is usually the result of the by product of other mining activities. The geological formation of Nevada turquoise, it is hard and dense and usually does not require any treatment or enhancements to be used in jewelry. The Royston mining district located near Tonapah, Nevada conducts tours of the mining facility Wednesday through Saturday excluding holidays. For $100 per person you will get a bucket to fill up by Read More This Post ...
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