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Post by RickB on Aug 14, 2019 8:12:06 GMT -5
New TV show premiering tonight (08-14-19) on the Inspiration Channel. From the Inspiration Channel website:
"Turquoise Fever - For three generations, the Otteson family has been unearthing the most sought-after turquoise in the world. Turquoise Fever follows the clan as they risk danger and hostile conditions in a struggle to find gems long buried in the Nevada desert."
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Post by fernwood on Aug 14, 2019 8:22:34 GMT -5
Thanks for the heads up. I love turquoise.
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Post by RickB on Aug 15, 2019 16:53:31 GMT -5
Liked the show, will continue to watch it. The Otteson family has 65 claims and 43 mines out there in Nevada, the main one being the Royston Mine. In this episode they were scrambling to fill a large order for a Japanese buyer/jewelry maker. The Japanese buyer was also looking to purchase some high grade "white buffalo" which they said was formed in dolomite.
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Post by drocknut on Aug 15, 2019 17:21:39 GMT -5
I watched the first episode last night. It was great. I have actually been to the Royston Mine. I went maybe 5 or 6 years ago and paid to go on the tour and was allowed to pick up turquoise from the tailing piles. It was a long drive out there but I had fun especially since one of the guys was sitting on the top of a pile and picking out pieces he thought might be good and tossing them to some of us doing the tour. I even got to see them do some blasting although it wasn't as dramatic as it looked on television. It was hot there but was a really fun trip. I wish they had shown the showroom where they sell cabs, jewelry, and of course turquoise. When I was there it was in the old vault on the ground floor of the Mizpah Hotel and they had cabbing and polishing equipment in the basement. It was cool walking into a vault to see all that turquoise. I noticed on the web that they are not longer doing the mine tour which is a shame. It was so much fun being able to see the mine and what is involved in mining turquoise. I don't know if the shop in the hotel is still open but hopefully it is.
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Aug 15, 2019 18:07:44 GMT -5
I watched the first episode last night. It was great. I have actually been to the Royston Mine. I went maybe 5 or 6 years ago and paid to go on the tour and was allowed to pick up turquoise from the tailing piles. It was a long drive out there but I had fun especially since one of the guys was sitting on the top of a pile and picking out pieces he thought might be good and tossing them to some of us doing the tour. I even got to see them do some blasting although it wasn't as dramatic as it looked on television. It was hot there but was a really fun trip. I wish they had shown the showroom where they sell cabs, jewelry, and of course turquoise. When I was there it was in the old vault on the ground floor of the Mizpah Hotel and they had cabbing and polishing equipment in the basement. It was cool walking into a vault to see all that turquoise. I noticed on the web that they are not longer doing the mine tour which is a shame. It was so much fun being able to see the mine and what is involved in mining turquoise. I don't know if the shop in the hotel is still open but hopefully it is. I went digging with them in July at their new Sierra Nevada mine with our local rock club, so I think mine tours might be back on the table. It was great fun.
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Post by roy on Aug 16, 2019 10:22:03 GMT -5
the show was great i really enjoyed seeing how it forms and of course you are not rock hunting if you dont blow something up
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Post by drocknut on Aug 17, 2019 12:46:46 GMT -5
I watched the first episode last night. It was great. I have actually been to the Royston Mine. I went maybe 5 or 6 years ago and paid to go on the tour and was allowed to pick up turquoise from the tailing piles. It was a long drive out there but I had fun especially since one of the guys was sitting on the top of a pile and picking out pieces he thought might be good and tossing them to some of us doing the tour. I even got to see them do some blasting although it wasn't as dramatic as it looked on television. It was hot there but was a really fun trip. I wish they had shown the showroom where they sell cabs, jewelry, and of course turquoise. When I was there it was in the old vault on the ground floor of the Mizpah Hotel and they had cabbing and polishing equipment in the basement. It was cool walking into a vault to see all that turquoise. I noticed on the web that they are not longer doing the mine tour which is a shame. It was so much fun being able to see the mine and what is involved in mining turquoise. I don't know if the shop in the hotel is still open but hopefully it is. I went digging with them in July at their new Sierra Nevada mine with our local rock club, so I think mine tours might be back on the table. It was great fun. That's great. I agree going on one of their tours is lots of fun.
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Post by RickB on Aug 18, 2019 19:16:05 GMT -5
Found episode one on YouTube. this episode goes away at 9AM ET on Thursday, August 29th!
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NevadaBill
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Member since January 2019
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Post by NevadaBill on Aug 20, 2019 13:44:12 GMT -5
My local rock club had a field trip at the Otteson family location only a couple of months ago. Price was 100 dollars, and there was some other material available at the site also. I was not able to go due to a prior commitment, but I understand that many returned with great material.
I believe that the club will have another opportunity to make a field trip there later in the year. I will do a write up if that happens.
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callmerob
starting to spend too much on rocks
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Member since September 2019
Posts: 131
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Post by callmerob on Sept 15, 2019 11:50:08 GMT -5
Another fan of the Ottesons here. Went on a paid tour/fee dig about five years ago. Going to Royston mine, but the group was so large that they split up. We and two other couples were sent to the Blue Moon mine, and we scored!
Contracted a bad case of Turquoise Fever.
Sorry no photos. Still trying to work out posting photos here. My avatar is from that trip.
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NRG
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Post by NRG on Sept 15, 2019 23:05:41 GMT -5
Another fan of the Ottesons here. Went on a paid tour/fee dig about five years ago. Going to Royston mine, but the group was so large that they split up. We and two other couples were sent to the Blue Moon mine, and we scored! Contracted a bad case of Turquoise Fever. Sorry no photos. Still trying to work out posting photos here. My avatar is from that trip. Do they still sell calcite as "white turquoise"?
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callmerob
starting to spend too much on rocks
I really like a dirt road
Member since September 2019
Posts: 131
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Post by callmerob on Sept 21, 2019 20:34:10 GMT -5
Do they still sell calcite as "white turquoise"? Sorry for the late response - just noticed your comment. Rookie here, and no mineralogist, but isn't turquoise a type of calcite with copper in the chemistry? And the white color, no copper, but lots of aluminum? I've even got a small piece with both types in the same rock, which seems kinda cool to me. It's easy to get confused by all the various names for what seems to me to be different forms of the same stuff. That's why I like the cumulative knowledge here. Trying to learn the subtleties. I've found very low-grade turquoise and white "turquoise" - essentially chalk, but think the word "turquoise" applies to the blue/greenish color and not to the white stuff. So "white turquoise" is a misnomer, yes? I've also seen Chinese howlite dyed blue and called turquoise, and howlite with pretty light-gray spider-veins called "white buffalo", but I believe the Ottesons own the original great-grandpa's White Buffalo name and mining claim. It's gemmy high-grade suitable for jewelry, with very black inclusions of chert or dolomite I think, and very distinct from howlite with light-gray veins. And I think they are careful to call it White Buffalo to distinguish it from the generic and misleading catch-all term "white turquoise". But basically it's all a calcite, isn't it? Had the privilege to prospect with some of the Ottesons looking at a deposit of white calcite(?), but it was frothy from gases, and chalky. Nowhere near gem quality. They said it was junk. But maybe they'll find some high-grade nearby and can call it White Buffalo Mine #2. Sorry if my understanding lacks sophistication, or if I got anything wrong above.
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NRG
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Post by NRG on Sept 22, 2019 11:36:34 GMT -5
callmerobNo, turquoise is Copper Phosphate and may contain Iron or aluminum and this explains the range of colors. True turquoise is not calcite and further it's not even chemically related to calcite. Turquoise can never be white as the necessary metals don't allow for this color. The Ottesons used to call their "white buffalo turquoise" an albino form like a mutation is possible in rocks. A friend of mine tested their "white Buffalo" turquoise and it's common calcite/aragonite. Definitely not a copper ore and definitely not turquoise by any stretch of the imagination. I find these marketing tactics unethical at best. Selling a common stone as something it's not is snake oil sales. If they were honest about the content of the stone and marketed it successfully, I would be saying completely different things. I would be in awe of this. It's the dishonesty and carefully worded essays about how "scientists are baffled".... and more. No, they aren't.
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callmerob
starting to spend too much on rocks
I really like a dirt road
Member since September 2019
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Post by callmerob on Sept 22, 2019 17:58:33 GMT -5
Thank you, NRG, for the chemistry lesson. I appreciate it. Your point is taken, and I’ve got a lot to learn. I agree that white turquoise is a misleading contradiction in terms - kind of an oxymoron. The difference in basic chemistry between copper phosphate and calcium carbonate seals it though - definitely not turquoise. Your comment sent me on a hunt to Wiki, mindat, and geology.coms, and more technical information than I can understand, but it was very helpful. Durango Silversmiths also had something to say about it, though I’ll note that they are in the business, and marketing a product. Let’s see if I can make a link… White Turquoise Facts - Durango Silver Company Oops. link Oops. Dang it. I'll try to fix this. Going back to read the Help page. Be back later. www.durangosilver.com/white-turquoise.htmlWoohoo! From the link… “As soon as they Mined and cut the White Buffalo Turquoise, they took it to the market and it was a hit, people absolutely loved it. As usual, the testing of the material did not come back for months and White Buffalo had become so popular by that time that it's name, White Buffalo Turquoise had become the name of this material and it was set in stone! So today, we must call it White Turquoise or White Buffalo Turquoise in order for consumers to know what we are talking about.” Also, from Native American Jewelry Tips… White Turquoise Demystified | Native American Jewelry Tips
nativeamericanjewelrytips.wordpress.com/2017/11/15/white-turquoise-demystified/Woohoo again! “WHITE BUFFALO (called “albino turquoise” by some and erroneously “white turquoise” by others) is only found in one location in the world. Tonopah Nevada. The mine is owned by Dean, Lynn and Danny Otteson who have been mining high quality turquoise in Nevada and Colorado for over 60 years. The trade name “White Buffalo” is used to identify the stone from the Tonopah, Nevada mine owned by the Otteson family. The white stone is surrounded by black and brown flint-like chert (an opaque variety of quartz) which creates beautiful patterns, and sometimes in rare pieces, a spider-web matrix. The stone appears in veins, is as hard as turquoise (Mohs hardness scale of 5.5 to 7.5) and cuts and polishes like turquoise. In the Native American jewelry business, this stone is generally referred to as “White Buffalo”. From Silver State Turquoise: (Turquoise Fever) “White Buffalo is mined predominantly by the Ottesons! We have several claims we work that all produce a similar look. Although often called “White Turquoise”, White Buffalo is not Turquoise at all. In fact, its a long way from it. The main mineral is Calcite. But depending on the crystaline structure of the Calcite, it morphs into minerals called Dolomite or Aragonite. With a high silica content, this stuff cuts incredible cabs.” “. That last bit from Silver State Turquoise …”We have several claims…”, sounds like it was spoken by an Otteson, and that they are aware of the distinction. Though I would hesitate to impugn their ethics or honesty, your point about the chemistry is absolutely well taken. Since most who buy jewelry are lay people, perhaps this is a case of the Marketing Dept riding that pony hard before the Chemistry Dept got saddled up. That would explain the cloud of dust. Thank you for educating me.
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callmerob
starting to spend too much on rocks
I really like a dirt road
Member since September 2019
Posts: 131
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Post by callmerob on Sept 23, 2019 0:48:29 GMT -5
And since it’s “pics or it didn’t happen”, I’ll offer a few. Sorry about slightly blurry - camera autofocus on the glass display case, not the object. From the vault in the lobby of the Mizpah Hotel, Tonopah… Jewelry on a piece of rough. Pretty stuff. From the calcite prospect mentioned in my previous comment… We all fanned out along an exposed seam and started digging. Sorted it on Danny’s tailgate. Only a few went in the bucket. The rest were pitched overboard as junk. I asked for some of the junk and they said, “Sure, take some”. So picked up a dozen or so small pieces. These show the frothy / gassy / chalky nature of the rock. Tried to rinse the dirt off, but it didn’t help much. Plus a bought Howlite sphere to show the light gray veins vs black chert inclusions. This is the best specimen. Fingernail won’t scratch it, but that’s not saying much. Pretty though. This one has me confused now. I think it’s BlueMoon because of the dark host rock. Looks like turquoise and calcite in the same rock. Secondary water intrusion? Any thoughts appreciated. I named that little rock above “Blue Ice” because if you’ve ever seen glacier parts floating in the ocean… Oh, and calcite effuses with household vinegar? Does turquoise do the same? Can I test calcite and turquoise with vinegar without hurting it?
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NRG
fully equipped rock polisher
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Post by NRG on Sept 24, 2019 11:58:56 GMT -5
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callmerob
starting to spend too much on rocks
I really like a dirt road
Member since September 2019
Posts: 131
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Post by callmerob on Sept 24, 2019 13:19:42 GMT -5
Thank you! The test kit is for swimming pool water, sensitive in the low parts per billion range, so maybe grind a BB-sized rock into powder, add distilled water, and see what happens...
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Post by 1dave on Dec 3, 2019 14:16:41 GMT -5
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Post by Rockoonz on Aug 24, 2021 20:35:32 GMT -5
When mohs and I stopped for pizza in Tonopah our server was a member of the Otteson clan. I'll be driving that way again in a few weeks, maybe I can pony up and get my 2 hours in their tailings pile, meet a TV star. It has the flavor of the staged reality TV crisis and conflict drama, but the mining and discovery is still fun. I have Prime as part of my cell service, watched the first 2 episodes so far. I am entertained.
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Post by mohs on Aug 24, 2021 20:58:20 GMT -5
Rocking on Lee !! If the car was bit sturdier I’d meet ya up there Nevada calls me I believe this is Goldfield cloudninary is down forst time anybody else having problems> it'll come back Pizza in Tonopah just down that road Spaghetti hard to find
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