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Example Pictures are
not necessarily the highest of grade, rather a good example of a common
look from a particular mine.
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Cerrillos
Cerrillos is not only an uncommon and unique form of native
New Mexican turquoise, but has a history entwined with both
ancient Native peoples of the Southwest and more recent American
mining companies. Cerrillos turquoise was created and mined
under unusual circumstances. It is the only turquoise that
formed at the base of a volcano. Thus, a variety of colors
developed from the minerals in the various volcanic host stones.
In fact, seventy-five colors have been identified, from tan
to khaki-green to rich, blue-green to bright and light colors.
Cerrillos is a very hard stone and so takes a brilliant polish.
In addition to producing a distinctive stone, the Cerrillos
mine is the oldest mine of any kind in North America. Located
ten miles south of Santa Fe, it was the site of the largest
prehistoric mining activity on the continent because the huge
turquoise deposit was partially exposed at the surface. Miners
from the San Marcos Pueblo, who later moved to Santo Domingo
Pueblo south of Santa Fe, most heavily worked the mine. Using
only stone axes, mauls, antler picks, and chisels, Pueblo
miners removed 100,000 tons of solid rock to create a pit
mine 200 feet deep. They dug other vertical shafts into the
ground to reach veins of turquoise. Miners carried tools and
leather rock buckets on their backs as they climbed in and
out of the shafts using notched logs as ladders. The turquoise
obtained from this hard work traded among early peoples from
Mexico to the Midwest and from the east to west coasts. In
New Mexico, many pieces of Cerrillos turquoise for personal
and trade use have been unearthed in the prehistoric ruins
of Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon. The Pueblo peoples continued
to extract turquoise from the Cerrillos mine until the 1870's
when a silver mining boom raised interest in the area. The
Tiffany Company in New York and its associates bought up the
mine area and extracted $2,000,000 worth of turquoise between
1892 and 1899.
Buy
Cerrillos Turquoise Jewelry
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Enchantment
The mine discovered in 1996, by a gold miner while prospecting,
is named the Lost Mine of Enchantment. It is located in a mining
district near the town of Ruidoso in the Sacramento Mountains
of southeastern New Mexico. It is the first new mine discovered
in New Mexico since the days of Coronado in the 1500's. Enchantment
turquoise is a very high quality turquoise that often shows
a deep green color with tan or golden brown matrix, but can
range to a deep, rich blue. The green is influenced by the iron
content in the stone, the blue by the copper content.
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Hachita
The Hachita turquoise mining activity dates
from pre-historic to 1905. Like Tyrone turquoise, Hachita
was also called "Azure", but also went by many other names.
It is located in New Mexico. This mine was known more for
its beautiful greens. It is very simular to Royston Turquoise.
Buy
Hachita Turquoise Jewelry
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High Lonesome
In the rugged boothills of southern New Mexico,
this very rough and beautiful place full of endless hills
of Century plants, lies the now defunct High Lonesome Turquoise
Mine. High Lonesome, the name painted on a watering tank,
is quite appropriate- the land is very high and mostly lonesome.
For over 30 years, from sun up to sun down, owner Ray and
his crew looked for the beautiful, very hard, green to powder
blue turquoise in six week stretches. The Hachita Mountains
(Little Hatchet) holds evidence of prehistoric attempts to
recover the coveted "skystone".
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Picture Coming Soon!
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Johnny Bull Mine
Located in Southeastern New Mexico in Hidalgo County, N.M.
SAN SIMON MINING DISTRICT. This mine used to produce light
blue to medium blue turquoise prodominately bearing brownish
matrix. Specimens can still be found here, maybe more with
the right papers and machinery? Calcite is also abundant in
this mine. There are five other abandon claims in this area.
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Santa Rita Turquoise Mine
A wonderful New Mexico mine. This mine is no longer in production.
Beautiful blue and green turquoise, some even has high grade
gold ore as matrix, but commonly people who own Santa Rita
turquoise do not have the gold bearing stone and rather have
stones with gold tinted pyrite which is not nearly as rare
or valuable. We have been approached many times by people
claiming to have the gold bearing turquoise... all false.
Would love to buy some, if it was real. We do have a few of
these stones,.. but not from Santa Rita.
Buy
Santa Rita Turquoise Jewelry
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Picure coming soon!
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Picture Coming Soon!
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Tyrone Turquoise Mine
Turquoise from the Tyrone mine was associated with the copper
mine operations southwest of Silver City, New Mexico. That
mine is currently owned by Phelps Dodge. However, turquoise
has not been retrieved from that mining operation since the
early 1980's when Phelps Dodge changed its method of copper
ore processing to crushing and acid wash. That method destroys
any turquoise in the copper ore.
The Tyrone turquoise in new jewelry is from private stashes.
It is medium brilliant blue in its high grade form. Tyrone
turquoise is part of the mineral band that starts east of
Silver City and curves around through Arizona and the Morenci
turquoise mine area into Mexico. Today it is valued for both
its beauty and rarity.
Buy
Tyrone Turquoise Jewelry
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Example Pictures are
not necessarily the highest of grade, rather a good example of a common
look from a particular mine.
I will continue to add to this list
and eventually attempt to have a listing of all turquoise mines that
have existed in New Mexico. I need your help! If you know of another
legitimate mining operation or old mine claim in New Mexico, contact
me at: durangodillon@gmail.com
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