Treasure Hunting For Turquoise
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009Turquoise is possibly the most valuable, non-transparent mineral used in jewelry. It has been mined since at least 6000 BC by Egyptians. Like other opaque such as coral, turquoise is commonly sold by the size in millimeters rather than by weight.
Turquoise is usually found sandstone layers and can be seen as splotches or as a network of brown or black veins running through the sandstone. There are many small-scale mining operations that are worked by hand. Only one mine in Apache Canyon California operates at a commercial capacity today. (more…)