The Stagecoach provides the following information on stones that we carry in our shop. Since we specialize in turquoise, we will list that information first, followed alphabetically by other gemstones and shells that we carry.

Turquoise
On a trip to Egypt a few years ago, we got to view firsthand some of the exquisite gold work the ancient Egyptians did with turquoise. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is home to some of the most beautiful examples of ancient turquoise in the world, including the funeral mask of the boy king Tutankhamen. It fact, the oldest known example of jewelry was a carved turquoise bracelet found on a mummified arm of an Egyptian Queen some 70 centuries ago. For literally thousands of years the Pharaohs would send expeditions to the Sinai Desert to mine the turquoise.

Persian turquoise has been mined since at least 2100 B.C. when first recorded, and surely much earlier than that. The ancient Persians used it lavishly back then and indeed some of the best turquoise ever produced has come from Persia. In fact, the name turquoise is derived from the word “Turkish”, which was the source of ancient Persian turquoise. Much of our older Native American jewelry is set in Persian turquoise. While some fantastic Persian turquoise is still mined it is very hard to get, as the Iranian government doesn’t want it let out of their country.

China and Tibet also can trace their use of turquoise back to ancient times. Turquoise has been a beloved stone in these areas since early times and was made into beads and traded far into Mongolia. Today, China has a very large amount of turquoise in various mines and they are shipping a lot of stones and beads to the United States. Asians regard turquoise as a powerful stone that guards against evil and brings prosperity to the wearer. While traveling in Southeast Asia in the 1970’s I saw many large carvings made from very large pieces of turquoise. We would view some of these beautiful pieces in the plush shops of Singapore before hopping on a rickshaw that would take us to the colorful late night entertainment at the notorious Bugis St.

Of course, our own southwest United States has been a source of turquoise for the Native Americans since before the time of Christ. The turquoise on your finger may have come from a mine in the southwest that was also being worked 2000 years ago. I first became aware of turquoise as young kid in the 1950’s as my parents and grandparents started their first souvenir shop, the Wigwam, in Atlanta Nebraska. When my wife and I first got involved in the Stagecoach in the 1970’s we would take our yearly pilgrimage to New Mexico and Arizona to seek out this beautiful stone.

Turquoise can also be found in other various countries including Australia, Chile, Peru, Turkestan and Afghanistan. Listed below will be some of the stones from the turquoise mines that you might find in our jewelry.

Ajax
The Ajax mine is located in Nevada near the area of the Royston mines. Stones vary from light blue with darker blue veins to a predominate dark green and light blue areas.

Bisbee
Good Bisbee turquoise has a deep intense blue with a dark black smokey type matrix. Bisbee is one of the more famous mines and the stones are very collectable and highly prized. It is a byproduct of a copper mine with most of the turquoise coming from an area known as the “Lavender Pit.” Bisbee mine was the first commercial mine to market turquoise. Because of its beautiful color and rarity it is one of the more expensive stones and will continue to be so as the mine is depleted and now buried.

Blue Gem
The Blue Gem Mine first produced turquoise about 1934 but is now closed. Near Battle Mountain, Nevada it has produced some very fine turquoise and is much sought after. Some of the best Blue Gem produces a very deep blue to deep green combinations in the same stone, which is its distinguishing feature. Also called Battle Mountain turquoise.

Boulder
Boulder turquoise has a ribbon of turquoise that flows through the host stone like a river flows through the desert. This unusual stone is very popular at the moment and we normally carry a good supply of it.

Candelaria
A nice quality turquoise, very blue color with splotches of black and brown. Since it is a very small depleted Nevada mine, little turquoise has been found, the rarity has driven up the prices on these stones.

Carico Lake
Located in Lander County, Nevada, this turquoise is noted for its light apple green coloring although it can run to very blue/green turquoise also. The best of this turquoise has a very distinctive color and is very collectable and very rare. It has high zinc content, which causes this unusual green coloration. The Sunwest Silver Company now owns the mine.

Cerrillos
Just south of Santa Fe, New Mexico lie the Cerrillos turquoise mines. This is the only variety of turquoise that is found at the base of a volcano. There is a vast array of colors, about 75 total, found in the mine. Historically, this is the oldest and one of most important mines in America as the Indians mined it extensively 300 years before the Spanish settled Santa Fe. The stones were then used for traded in Mexico and the Midwest. Cerrillos was purchased by the Tiffany company of New York in the late 1800’s and much turquoise was removed at that time. There are at least 200 sites on the base that have been mined. The most famous of these sites are the Tiffany, Blue Bell, and Castilian.

Chinese
Over 80% of the turquoise on the market today is Chinese. The stones are mined and imported from China more and more often as there become fewer mines available in the United States. Chinese turquoise mines are located in the Hubei Province and north of Shanghai at the Ma’ashen turquoise mines. The stones usually have a clear epoxy on the surface. This process makes the stone harder and protects it from oils that may change the color. The stones color ranges from sky blue to spring green.

Damele.
In central Nevada near the Carico Lake lies the small Damele mine. The mine is extremely small and this decreases the amount of this collectable turquoise. The stone is special because it is one of the only types that have zinc. The zinc acts to turn the stone to a yellow green and make it much harder and is webbed with dark bro;wn to black matrix.

Dry Creek
This very light blue to cream colored turquoise is extremely rare. The matrix is typically light golden or brown-grey to grey-brown. There is only one known vein of it. The vein was discovered in 1993 in Battle Mountain, Nevada. The color comes from aluminum and does not contain any hard metals, yet it is still a very hard stone.

Enchantment
This mine was discovered in 1958 near Ruidosa, New Mexico, making it a relatively new turquoise. It is typically a deep green. The color changes depending on the iron content for the green and the blue for the copper content.

Fox
The Fox mine in Nevada is one of the top producing mines. The mines have produced at least half a million pounds of turquoise. The mine holds many different colors and has a very distinct matrix. It is also known as the Cortez mine and White Horse mine.

Kingman
Most of the turquoise in the Kingman area comes from a large open pit copper mine. This turquoise has been mined for a few hundred years by the Indians of the area. The mine was closed in the 1970’s but was recently opened by the Colbough family in 2004 and is producing turquoise again. The best pieces of Kingman has been very much the standard in turquoise and is noted for its blue stones with black webbing. Years ago the Stagecoach sold a lot of Kingman turquoise and hope to sell much more now that production has increased again.

Indian Mountain
This turquoise was actually discovered by a Shoshone Indian while tending his sheep in 1970 and became very popular shortly after. Indian Mountain turquoise is located in Lander County, Nevada.

Lander
The Lander Blue Turquoise mine in Nevada produced some of the rarest and most valuable spider web turquoise to date. Some estimate that it is worth $500 a carat.

Lone Mountain
This mine is in Nevada and is a clear blue to spider web color

Manassa Turquoise
This beautiful green stone comes from Manassa, Colorado. It is also known as King’s Manassa Turquoise. It has a very golden matrix. Though it is known for its green color the mine has also produced many different shades of green.

Morenci
Morenci turquoise stands out because of its “fool’s gold” matrix. If the stone is polished right the matrix can appear to be made of silver. The stone is a light blue color that is mined out of Arizona. The mine has been depleted and the turquoise is becoming increasingly rare to collectors.

Number 8
Out of Calin, Nevada, this turquoise mine has become depleted and the stones are becoming extremely rare and valuable. It is known for its black, reddish, golden matrix with a powder blue background. It began being mined in 1928.

Natural #8 turquoise

Orvil Jack
This mine was discovered by Orvil Jack in northern Nevada. It contains zinc, which gives it a rare yellow-green. It is considered to be very collectable due to its rare color and the small amount being produced.

Persian Turquoise
Persian Turquoise is found in many mines in modern Iran. All of the stones from this area are of many different colors. They traditionally divided into 3 categories: Anqushtari, fine ring stones, Barkhaneh, intermediate stones, and Arabi, low quality. Persian Turquoise has set the standard for high quality turquoise. There are large amounts found in the Iran area.

Pilot Mountain
Pilot Mountain Turquoise is a very hard stone found in northern Nevada. This stone is recognizable for its deep blue-green colors and its dark brown, black or reddish matrix. Pilot Mountain turquoise is a hard stone that takes a good polish. It is currently worked by only one family.

Royston
There are 3 mines that produce Royston. They are the Bunker Hill, Oscar Wehrend, and Royal Blue. These mines are known for the beautiful colors of deep green and deep blue. It has a very dark and heavy brown matrix.

Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping beauty is a very light blue color with little or no matrix. It is usually found in granite and is very easy to cut because it has no matrix. Silversmiths in the southwest commonly use it in inlay jewelry especially the Zuni Indians who also incorporate it into their petit point and needle point jewelry. It is located near Globe Arizona and is one of the largest mines in America and is generally affordable.

Sunnyside
Sunnyside turquoise has a very unusual and distinctive coloring to it. It ranges from dark blue to greenish with matrix that is golden brown to black. It is a very hard turquoise in its best grades and is fairly hard to find as the mine was mostly played out in the 1970’s. The Sunnyside mine is located in northern Nevada near the town of Tuscaroa in the Tuscaroa mountain range.

Turquoise Mountain
It is also sometimes called “Bird’s Eye” turquoise because there are sometimes areas of light blue surrounded by areas of dark blue that resemble a “Birds Eye”. The matrix can be webbed or not webbed. The mine was closed in the 1980’s and is now a collectable.

Tyrone Turquoise
This turquoise has an interesting history. It was mined along side copper until a new method for copper mining began being used that destroys the turquoise with acid. It has become rare and collectable. It is a medium blue in its highest quality pieces. It is located near Silver City, New Mexico.

NON-Turquoise

Amber
Amber is the fossilized resin of ancient trees which forms through a natural polymerization of the original organic compounds. Most of the world's amber is in the range of 30-90 million years old. Amber may contain insects or even frogs and lizards, moss, pine needles and other substances that were trapped millions of years ago while the resins were still wet. More often than not it contains air bubbles giving it a cloudy appearance. The Baltic areas around the coasts of Poland and Russia have the most famous deposits of Amber. It has hundreds of uses, but it makes especially gorgeous jewelry.

Amethyst
A beautiful purple quartz stone that is usually faceted but sometimes used in cabochons and beads. Amethyst is found in alluvial deposits or in geodes. The electric purple of this stone mystifies scientists to this day. The ancient Greeks believed that if you drank from a goblet made of amethyst it would counteract the inebriating effects of wine. Amethyst is believed to have powerful emotional and physical healing and will bring a calming effect to its wearer. If you heat amethyst the purple turns into a yellow-orange color—and now it is citrine. Every year while attending the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show we are amazed at the massive size and beauty of the Amethyst quartz crystals that are brought in from Brazil. Hear at the Stagecoach you will find most of our Amethyst in our Black Hills Gold and our very unique Native American jewelry from the Les Baker shop.

Bamboo Coral
Grown in the sea, this brown or beige type of coral resembles bamboo stalks. This coral is often dyed red or other colors to resemble the more expensive coral found in reefs. It is found in the South Pacific.

Black Onyx
This stone is usually referred to an agate dyed uniformly black. Although dyed, it is an acceptable treatment so much so that most jewelers aren’t aware that Black Onyx is dyed. Onyx with bands of brown and white strips is called sardonyx. It was used to ward off evil by the ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.

Blue Topaz & Mystic Fire
Topaz is a transparent stone usually golden yellow but also occurring as pink, red, blue, green, and colorless. It is also the 4th Anniversary stone. At the Stagecoach we mostly carry Blue Topaz, usually Swiss Blue, and a variety called Mystic Fire. Blue Topaz is irridated and Mystic Fire is a heat treated variety that has a blue green combination in its coloring.

Citrine
Citrine gets its name from the French citron or “lemon” thus its yellow color. This yellow quartz is rarely found naturally and is usually made by heating amethyst to around 1000 degrees F although it can sometimes change color as low as 250 degrees F.Citrine has been called the “Merchant’s Stone” –said to bring prosperity when placed in a shop’s cash drawer, and it is also said to protect you from snake bites, evil thoughts and skin problems. It is also said to help alleviate depression, stimulate momory and enhance the wearers creativity.

Coral
Coral is the skeletal remains of marine animals that live in colonies that form branches as they grow and is not a stone in the usual sense. Coral has a distinctive wood grained or striped pattern. Red coral from the Mediterranean is the most valuable and often found in Native American jewelry. It fact the Indians of the southwest used it so often in their jewelry it was sometimes known as “Red Turquoise”. Coral does come in a variety of colors beside red. You can find black, pink, white, blue and golden colored Coral. Coral is said to provide protection, calm emotions and restore harmony. Sponge coral, when polished, has pores that resemble a sponge. As Coral becomes rarer the price as gone up accordingly and you will find more dyed coral especially in beads. Coral is a soft material and should be treated gently. It will not tolerate harsh cleansers, abrasion or heat.

Diamonds
Every girl loves a good diamond! These are the hardest natural substance know to man and people cannot get enough of them. There are many different levels of quality to consider when purchasing a diamond. Most of the diamonds we carry are set into black hills gold and are generally smaller and less than one carat.

Denim Lapis
This is a variety of Lapis Lazuli that has a much paler or “denim” color. Greater calcite content gives denim Lapis its distinctive color. It generates mental clarity and emotional wellbeing.

Drusy
This stone is what one finds when cracking open a geode. The term “Druzy” is the tiny crystal which is formed within another stone in large numbers. It is also found coated in titanium which gives it a strong metallic look that shifts from hot purple to deep blue and even green.

Garnet
Red garnets have long been associated with blood for obvious reasons although it does come in other colors such as orange and green. In 1892 soldiers in Kashmir fought the British with bullets made from garnet in the belief that they would more likely find there target. It is the birthstone for January. At the Stagecoach, most of our garnets fall into two kinds, pyrope-a deep red color and rhodolite-a purple red variety.

Gaspeite
This bright green stone ranges from a light green to a candy apple green. It was discovered in Quebec, Canada on the Gaspe’ Peninsula, from which its name comes. It can be found in other locations such as Australia and Tasmania. It is found around nickel sulfide deposits.

Jade
The term jade refers to two separate minerals, nephrite and jadeite. Jade comes in various colors, most commonly thought of as green. Most of the jade we have at the Stagecoach is Black Jade. Black Jade is used in Navajo inlay work in conjunction with other hard stones such as tiger eye and picture jasper that will polish up better together. Jade is so tough that historically it has been used in tools such as hammers, fish hooks and axes.

Jet
Jet is a black rock that is lightweight, strong and is hard enough to take on a good polish. It has been used for centuries for jewelry because of these good qualities and you will find it in the Stagecoach’s fine Navajo and Zuni inlay work. Jet was popular for mourning jewelry in the 19th century for its somber dark color and was fabricated into rosaries for monks. At the Stagecoach we get our Jet mainly from mines in Pennsylvania.

Lapis Lazuli
Lapis is a very deep blue and opaque stone and is one of the oldest gemstones. Lapis Lazuli is made up of several different minerals, including lazurite, sodalite, hauyne, calcite, and pyrite. Sometimes you will see gold sparkles in the stone that are actually the inclusions of Pyrite, often called Fools Gold. When we were in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo we saw many wonderful examples of ancient Lapis including pieces in the mask of Tutankhamen. The finest of all lapis comes from Afghanistan. Lapis is said to overcome depression, insomnia and vertigo.

Larimar
This beautiful light blue is mined from a square kilometer mine on an island in the Caribbean. It is one of the newest and rarest gemstones in the world. It is mined by hand by inhabitants of the island. When looking at the stone it is almost like looking at the clear blue Caribbean Sea. No two stones look the same.

Malachite
A beautiful banded, rich green mineral that was popular with the Greeks and Romans often worn as amulets to ward off evil spirits. The Russian czars used the stone extensively. While found world wide, Malachite is most prevalent in Zaire. It is said to help with the immune system and also with swollen joints, asthma and arthritis.

Mother of Pearl
This is a very recognizable shell because it is so common. It is the hard layer on many shells of pearl oysters and mussels. It can come in many shades of iridescent white, pink, yellow, gray and even black. It is found in a wide range of sizes and besides jewelry you will find Mother of Pearl inlayed in wood items such as guitars.

Opal
Opal is a very special stone to those who are born in October, celebrating a 14th anniversary and any stone collector. Opal is the national stone of Australia. The color can range from white to a very rare black and is often referred to as “nature’s fireworks.” There are many factors that contribute to the value of the stone. Some of those include pattern, brilliance, and if there are any faults. Opals are a somewhat fragile stone that you must take some care with. There is now a synthetic opal that is very attractive and much more durable that genuine opal. At the Stagecoach you will find both genuine and synthetic opal in our Black Hills Gold and Native American jewelry.

Pearl
Pearls are formed in saltwater and freshwater clams. The largest source of pearls Lake Biwa in Japan in the many pearl farms located there. Cultured pearls are made inside a mollusk when humans place a bead or tissue in the animal and is allowed to collect nacreous secretions for about four years. Blister pearls grow attached to the shell of the animal, rather than its tissue. Pearls symbolize love and purity. Pearls need extra care and should not be subjected to abrasive materials.

Peridot
It is a transparent gem that occurs as a pale to deep yellow-green it is the birthstone for August. It is also called chrysolite and is said to alleviate depression and anger and symbolizes prosperity.

Ruby
These are very rare to find in nature, and when flawless they are more valuable than a diamond of equal weight. The color can be a light pink to a blood red. They are mined in Africa and Asia. Rubies are said to prevent loss of blood and strength the heart. At the Stagecoach, rubies are found usually in our Black Hills Gold.

Rhodochrosite
Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate that comes in various shades of pink and red and is finely banded with lacey white stripes. The ancient Incas mined the stone in far away Argentina and is also know as “Inca Rose”. Today, the largest supplies come from the United States with the best specimens coming from Colorado.

Sapphire
Sapphires are a form of corundum that can be found as blue, yellow, pink, brown, black, lilac, and green although it is more popularly thought of as being blue. It can be both transparent and opaque. Some of the Black Hills Gold at the Stagecoach will have beautiful blue Sapphires in them.

Spiny Oyster Shell
We carry quite a few pieces of Spiny Oyster in our stock. The color can range from red, orange, and purple to white and even yellow. It is found in the Sea of Cortez, Baja California, Mexico. The Native Americans popularized this shell when they started to import it in 1976. It is the shell of the spondylus which means “spines on its back” which is very descriptive of this colorful but very spiny shell.

Sugilite
This opaque purple stone is found in very deep mines, as deep as 2 miles, in South Africa as the byproduct of manganese ore. We have many pieces of jewelry in which sugilite are paired with Rhodochrosite for a very beautiful color combination. David Roselas supplies us with a great deal of sugilite in his wonderful inlay work at his Supersmith shop. It may also be sold as Royal Azel and Royal Lavulite.

Tiger Eye
Tiger’s eye is black; with iron oxide staining that gives yellow and golden brown stripes that shimmers as the stone is rotated.. It is a variety of Chatoyant Quartz that has inclusions that give the illusion of tiger stripes. The most important source of tiger’s eye is South Africa.