1/2 Pound NATURAL Pilot Mountain Turquoise Rough Nug (02/09/2011)...

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1/2 Pound NATURAL Pilot Mountain Turquoise Rough Nugget

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1/2 Pound NATURAL Pilot Mountain Turquoise Rough Nugget

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Sold Date: 02/09/2011
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Natural History

You are looking at 1/2 pound of Natural Rough Pilot Mountain Turquoise. This turquoise comes out of Nevada, USA. This material will be good for cabs, inlay, beads, or tumble to a shine. The total weight of the lot is 1/2 pound. The sizes vary with the penny shown at 19mm. The stones shown in the photo is the ones that you will receive. The pictures were taken with the turquoise wet. Thanks for looking and take a look at my other items . I do combine shipping for no extra charge. I also ship any order or invoice over $100 for FREE in the USA. Be sure to add me to your favorites list !

The Pilot Mountain mine is located in western Nevada, east of the small town of Mina. As with most turquoise mines, this mine opened as a copper claim. Pilot Mountain turquoise was first mined around 1930 as a tunnel mine. Then it became an open pit mine when heavy equipment was available around 1970. The current owners of the claim have been mining the turquoise since 1989. While Pilot Mountain is considered an active mine, it is a very small operation. The miners go to the mine twice per year, bringing out only about 150 to 200 lbs. of rough stone each time. One of the current owners says one of the interesting parts of mining is “not knowing what you are going to hit next.”
Pilot Mountain turquoise forms in thin seams, with some nugget formations. According to the current owner, the turquoise that has formed in thin seams is high grade with better, deeper blue-green colors. Most Pilot Mountain turquoise is called “grass roots,” meaning the best deposits are found within ten feet of the surface.Pilot Mountain turquoise is highly admired for its deep blue-green color variations. This stone also has very interesting matrix patterns, which range from red to brown to black, most notably a rich tobacco brown. Some of the matrix in high grade Pilot Mountain is beautiful spider web. Pilot Mountain turquoise is a hard stone that takes a good polish. Because of this hardness, this stone does not change colors with prolonged exposure to skin oils, etc. All of these characteristics make Pilot Mountain turquoise very collectible.