Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Lone Mountain Spiderweb Turquoise

Some of the most sought after Turquoise in the world by gem collectors is natural Lone Mountain Turquoise from Nevada, especially the spiderweb variety.

Historical Lone Mountain Turquoise Information

The Lone Mountain turquoise mine is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, not far from Tonopah. It has been one of the great producers of Nevada Turquoise. The color ranges from a beautiful clear blue to a dark blue spider web Turquoise. Lone Mountain has always been noted for holding its color. To this day jewelry can be found that was made in the 1930’s or 1940’s with Lone Mountain Spiderweb Turquoise just as blue as when it was made.
To the left is a handmade Sterling Silver ring that features some of the newer natural Lone Mountain Turquoise that has come out within the last 5-10 years. This piece of Turquoise has water web matrix and beautiful pastel blue color to it.

The mine was claimed by Lee Hand and named Blue Jay Mining Lode. Later, after seeing that so many mines had been named Blue Jay, Hand changed the mine’s name to Lone Mountain. In 1927 at a depth of about 40 feet Bert Kopenhaver, who had leased the mine from Hand, found the beautiful Spider Web Turquoise material that made Lone Mountain one of the top mines in the Southwest. Today, Lone Mountain’s beautiful blue spider web still gives Lander Blue, the most valuable Turquoise in the world, a run for its money. The mine has continued to change hands over the years and even now a small amount of good material is being produced.
The mine has many rare occurrence such as the "fossil turquoise" finds in this mine. Plant fossils and sometimes seashells that have dissolved away leaving only the cavities were filled with Turquoise deposits which are usually Lone Mountain Spiderweb Turquoise. My favorite are the reeds that have been fossilized and make natural beads that already have wholes in them. Turquoise nuggets in moss agate have also been found.