I like that everything is covered in a factual but understandable way. I was surprised by the 'crystalized' exhibit. I've Never ever seen that before, even in a picture! I learnt alot from this. Thank-you.
We have a video scheduled about claims called High Graders, Claim Jumpers and Other Varmints, where I will talk a bit about the laws regarding making a claim on public land. It can be a challenge and requires doing your homework. In Turquoise in America Part Three: The Stories of Turquoise 1990-2020 we will hear from several turquoise miners about the difficulties of operating a turquoise mine. That will be published by the end of the year.
I live about 4 miles from WVA but here in Virginia... My rock was found right on the border, could have been hauled from Virginia... nothing of value but really exciting to see
I DUB YOU THE PROFESSOR/ MASTER OF TURQUOISE. You have an extremely vast and valuable knowledge of Turquoise Sir. We have also been watching Me. John Hartman on RUclips, His Tutorials Are outstanding.
Oh my, i found a rock in West Virginia, granite but has little blue, green crystal on it.... never thought it might be turquoise... still not sure but that's a big resemblance to the rock you showed
Maybe something involving the cleavage and manner in which turquoise can be damaged while processing it. I’m having trouble studying my rocks and where exactly I should make my cuts to get the most yield from every stone.
@@staceybrown686 In September we will feature a three part series on turquoise cutting where I will demonstrate how to determine the (hopefully) best cut to make. Thanks for your support. Hope you enjoy the books.
recently i think i may have found an example of fossilized turquoise. the sample was found in Pennsylvania. is there a way to send a photograph to you for examination.
Hi Mike. Love your videos. Just started cutting stones and your information has been a tremendous help. Are you familiar with a Navajo jeweler named Stanley Parker?
Good video Mike. This gives people a bit of an idea of these formations. Do you by chance have pictures of turquoise still in the ground and the geological structures it is contained in?
I don’t. Since I don’t mine I have not paid much attention to formation. Best I have is the Lander Blue visit video where Lee Louden describes reading the rock. Once at Godber Burnham I saw some blue and asked Bruce Woods if it was turquoise. He replied, “ That is leverite.. Leave it right there.”
@@turquoiseinamerica3164 fair enough. Like you said, probably not a lot of documentation as far as pictures are concerned. I’ll keep a mental note of that.
@@turquoiseinamerica3164 an idea for you. Reach out to your turquoise miner contacts and ask them what elevation their Nevada turquoise deposits sit at.
@@nevadaminer5977 Generally the mines in the south are found between 5-6 thousand feet. In the north there are some mountain claims as high as 8 thousand. The highest turquoise mine is at Leadville CO at about 10 thousand.
@@turquoiseinamerica3164 cool. I was thinking about the general elevations of the mines old and new. Might be some sort of ancient geological/hydrological relationship.
So could you just take raw copper, scuff it up with sand paper, and soak it in oxygen rich water? Then, pour it into a clay mold packed into a form that can be set into a high-pressure stainless steel tank to sit under pressure conditions similar to the pressure under ground at the depths its typically found? Would that produce turquoise? I suppose the time element is a consideration, but perhaps there's a method to speed up the process? Some kind of synergist or catalyst, or combination of both that could be added to haste the process? (Im not a geologist).
thanks, Mike. As always very interesting and informative! I have some turquoise beads that a local rock shop told me are from China. How can I determine the origin of turquoise? The beads are in two strings. One is 16 inches long with 9mm beads. The other is about 15 inches with beads about 2.5 cm. I was told by the rock shop that my beads are worth about $1 a gram. But, doing more reading, they may be worth $1 a karat. How can I determine more closely the potential value? Thanks for your excellent tutorials!
Turquoise id is difficult unless you know the provenance of the turquoise. Sometimes the look may help indicate origin. The price means the turquoise is stabilized since natural stone is more expensive than twenty cents a carat. There are also grades of quality with stabilized so these beads may be $1 a carat.
@@turquoiseinamerica3164 Thanks for the quick response. LOL! I just went batty for a moment trying to find my box of turquoise! My main concern is to get the best, accurate price. The turquoise I described was found in a jar of 'gems' from a thrift store. I was so very glad to find your videos. They are filling in the gaps of my reading and studies. Thanks again.
@@turquoiseinamerica3164 By the way, I live in Taos, NM. I'm currently residing next to the Taos Land Grant. It is a semi wildlife and land preserve (they run cows on it at times). Anyways, the other day I found what appears to be turquoise when out walking around the land grant. I found a chunk of white clay with just a small sky blue inclusion. When I broke down the clay.... It may be something else because this area is not known for turquoise. I was actually hoping to find common opal. My question to you is, do you know if any turquoise has ever been found in this area? The geology around here is very mixed. I even found some fossilized seaweed! Thanks.
One more comment...my rock was a hauled rock for roadside drainage...if you can answer the 6 sided question I'd be most appreciative 😮 if not that's ok too
I’m a geologist, and I think you did a great job discussing the geology of turquoise! I’d give you another A! 👍🏻
Thank you. Dr. Droste would be pleased with his student.
I like that everything is covered in a factual but understandable way. I was surprised by the 'crystalized' exhibit. I've Never ever seen that before, even in a picture! I learnt alot from this. Thank-you.
So glad you are enjoying. Few have seen turquoise crystals. Hope you like the books as well. turquoiseinamerica.com
Thanks Mike for alittle more geology! My claim has a unconforming challenge and has its prospecting frustrations in chasing the blue!
We have a video scheduled about claims called High Graders, Claim Jumpers and Other Varmints, where I will talk a bit about the laws regarding making a claim on public land. It can be a challenge and requires doing your homework. In Turquoise in America Part Three: The Stories of Turquoise 1990-2020 we will hear from several turquoise miners about the difficulties of operating a turquoise mine. That will be published by the end of the year.
Where are ya? Would love to see your turquoise
I live about 4 miles from WVA but here in Virginia... My rock was found right on the border, could have been hauled from Virginia... nothing of value but really exciting to see
I DUB YOU THE PROFESSOR/ MASTER OF TURQUOISE. You have an extremely vast and valuable knowledge of Turquoise Sir. We have also been watching Me. John Hartman on RUclips, His Tutorials Are outstanding.
Thank you. I have enjoyed learning from John who tells his story in Turquoise in America Part Two 1910-1990 available at turquoiseinamerica.com
Excellent ✌️✌️
Thank you
Oh my, i found a rock in West Virginia, granite but has little blue, green crystal on it.... never thought it might be turquoise... still not sure but that's a big resemblance to the rock you showed
Fantastic stuffs Sir. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are welcome. Be sure to subscribe.
That was an excellent summary of turquoise formation@! Thank you Mike.
Glad to hear that. Geology is not my strong suit but I am running out of topics. Two more coming later in July.
Maybe something involving the cleavage and manner in which turquoise can be damaged while processing it. I’m having trouble studying my rocks and where exactly I should make my cuts to get the most yield from every stone.
@@staceybrown686 In September we will feature a three part series on turquoise cutting where I will demonstrate how to determine the (hopefully) best cut to make. Thanks for your support. Hope you enjoy the books.
Geology rocks!
recently i think i may have found an example of fossilized turquoise. the sample was found in Pennsylvania. is there a way to send a photograph to you for examination.
Hi Mike. Love your videos. Just started cutting stones and your information has been a tremendous help. Are you familiar with a Navajo jeweler named Stanley Parker?
No I am not. We will be featuring a three part series on turquoise cutting in September. Hope you enjoy the books.
Good video Mike. This gives people a bit of an idea of these formations. Do you by chance have pictures of turquoise still in the ground and the geological structures it is contained in?
I don’t. Since I don’t mine I have not paid much attention to formation. Best I have is the Lander Blue visit video where Lee Louden describes reading the rock. Once at Godber Burnham I saw some blue and asked Bruce Woods if it was turquoise. He replied, “ That is leverite.. Leave it right there.”
@@turquoiseinamerica3164 fair enough. Like you said, probably not a lot of documentation as far as pictures are concerned. I’ll keep a mental note of that.
@@turquoiseinamerica3164 an idea for you. Reach out to your turquoise miner contacts and ask them what elevation their Nevada turquoise deposits sit at.
@@nevadaminer5977 Generally the mines in the south are found between 5-6 thousand feet. In the north there are some mountain claims as high as 8 thousand. The highest turquoise mine is at Leadville CO at about 10 thousand.
@@turquoiseinamerica3164 cool. I was thinking about the general elevations of the mines old and new. Might be some sort of ancient geological/hydrological relationship.
So could you just take raw copper, scuff it up with sand paper, and soak it in oxygen rich water? Then, pour it into a clay mold packed into a form that can be set into a high-pressure stainless steel tank to sit under pressure conditions similar to the pressure under ground at the depths its typically found? Would that produce turquoise? I suppose the time element is a consideration, but perhaps there's a method to speed up the process? Some kind of synergist or catalyst, or combination of both that could be added to haste the process? (Im not a geologist).
No
thanks, Mike. As always very interesting and informative! I have some turquoise beads that a local rock shop told me are from China. How can I determine the origin of turquoise? The beads are in two strings. One is 16 inches long with 9mm beads. The other is about 15 inches with beads about 2.5 cm. I was told by the rock shop that my beads are worth about $1 a gram. But, doing more reading, they may be worth $1 a karat. How can I determine more closely the potential value? Thanks for your excellent tutorials!
Turquoise id is difficult unless you know the provenance of the turquoise. Sometimes the look may help indicate origin. The price means the turquoise is stabilized since natural stone is more expensive than twenty cents a carat. There are also grades of quality with stabilized so these beads may be $1 a carat.
@@turquoiseinamerica3164 Thanks for the quick response. LOL! I just went batty for a moment trying to find my box of turquoise!
My main concern is to get the best, accurate price. The turquoise I described was found in a jar of 'gems' from a thrift store.
I was so very glad to find your videos. They are filling in the gaps of my reading and studies. Thanks again.
@@turquoiseinamerica3164 By the way, I live in Taos, NM. I'm currently residing next to the Taos Land Grant. It is a semi wildlife and land preserve (they run cows on it at times).
Anyways, the other day I found what appears to be turquoise when out walking around the land grant. I found a chunk of white clay with just a small sky blue inclusion. When I broke down the clay.... It may be something else because this area is not known for turquoise. I was actually hoping to find common opal.
My question to you is, do you know if any turquoise has ever been found in this area? The geology around here is very mixed. I even found some fossilized seaweed! Thanks.
Ok there you said it silica in host rock but didnt name host rock but thnx fer the info its all great EB
I am not a geologist so am not able to easily identify host rock. From my understanding hardness in turquoise comes from silica.
One more comment...my rock was a hauled rock for roadside drainage...if you can answer the 6 sided question I'd be most appreciative 😮 if not that's ok too
Hello could you guide me to someone that can value turquoise? I have recently discovered a large amount, can I email you?
info@turquoiseinamerica.com
Those turquoise crystals, are they six sided? I see little six-sided crystal on my rock... blue green... kinda sets in a puddle of blue green
I don’t know. My geology knowledge is limited. Better at the history.
thanks much
You're welcome