In the 1960’s, there were two peaks about miles apart located near the Kingman mountain, which yielded fine turquoise: Ithaca Peak (see Kingman) and Turquoise Mountain Peak. Then in the 1970’s this mine closed.
Turquoise Mountain turquoise from the 1970’s is light-to-high blue with both webbed and non-webbed matrix. “Birdseye” describes stones from this mine that show areas of light blue circled with darker blue matrix, resembling the eye of a bird. Even though this peak is part of the Kingman Mine, it is considered a “classic” mine in its own right because the turquoise is so different in appearance. This stone exhibits a beautiful range of color from pale blue to lime green in one piece that makes it a sought-after turquoise.
Today, the Kingman Mine is operating again, specifically within the Turquoise Mountain peak. The Turquoise Mountain turquoise that is being excavated from this site looks significantly different from the 1970’s stones, being lighter blue to green in color, with primarily non-webbed matrix. Turquoise Mountain remains highly collectible and is easily distinguished from other stones coming from the Kingman mine.
