Description
6 5/8" Battle Mountain Turquoise Navajo cuff bracelet Richard Henry Yazzie.
Historic Battle Mtn. Blue Gem Turquoise The Blue Gem Turquoise Mine was located in the Copper Basin area southwest of Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA. Production of this turquoise mine started about 1934 and continued until the 1970's. Blue Gem Turquoise is still some of the finest turquoise ever found, and unlike most turquoise mines, (in which the majority mined is chalky and only usable if stabilized) most of the turquoise found there was of gem-quality. There is a distinctive aqua color that some people associate with Blue Gem turquoise, although it produced a great variety of colors, especially when intense blue was combined with deep green in one stone.
The mine no longer exists due to the extensive copper (and gold) mining operations of the Copper Canyon Mining Company (all of the copper was extracted by 1968). Doc Wilson, one of the previous owners of the Lone Mountain Turquoise Mine, owned the Blue Gem Turquoise Mine from 1938 - 1981 when he leased it to Lee Hand. Lee Hand owned and operated the mine until 1970 when he sold his interest to the Elquist family of Battle Mountain, Nevada.
Lee Hand knew the Patania Family in Arizona and C.G.Wallace in Zuni and regularly supplied those traders with turquoise for Navajo and Zuni carvings and jewelry. While the Blue Gem Turquoise mine was very prolific at one time, today it is considered extremely rare, valuable and collectible turquoise. Most of the "finished" Blue Gem turquoise today is in private collections and museums, rarely offered for sale.
The Blue Gem Turquoise mine was located deep underground, accessed by tunnels as deep as 800 feet. This is of interest because the Blue Gem Turquoise Mine and the Bisbee Turquoise Mine in Bisbee, Arizona are the only two Turquoise mines (that we know of) where turquoise was found that deep in the earth. One of the rarest forms to see in Blue Gem TurquoiseJewelry is the Pyrite Variety. Pyrite-bearing quartz veins are closely associated with this turquoise although pyrite in Blue Gem Turquoise is still unusual to see. Durango Silver has some examples of this pyrite material in Turquoise Jewelry. Another interesting fact about both Blue Gem Turquoise and Bisbee Turquoise being found so deep underground as that both deposits produced some of the hardest and truest blue Turquoise ever found.
All precious metals are tested and guaranteed, any Native American jewelry<br>referred to as Silver or Sterling is guaranteed to be a minimum of 90% (coin)<br>silver and possibly higher content. Anything marked is guaranteed to be what<br>it's marked, most bracelets are photographed on a 6" wrist (non hairy), rings<br>photographed on the appropriate sized finger when possible. With bracelets if<br>the measurement is not given in the description then inside circumference is<br>shown where the metal meets the number on the the cloth tape measure.
