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Navajo Kingman Indian Handmade Sterling Silver Turquoise Bolo Ties

The Kingman Turquoise Mine is one of America's most historic and productive turquoise mines. It was first found around 1000 years ago by primitive Indians. Kingman Turquoise is noted for its stunning sky blue hue and a wide range of blue Turquoise varieties. The Turquoise Mountain side of the Kingman Turquoise mine also produces green turquoise. For almost as long as the American Turquoise Jewelry business has been, Kingman Turquoise has been the largest source of turquoise to the Southwestern Turquoise Jewelry industry. In truth, the Kingman Turquoise mine was part of a Turquoise boom circa 1000 AD, when the Mayan society was heavily reliant on turquoise for self-adornment and ceremonial purposes. Today, as in the past, blue Turquoise from Kingman, Arizona reigns supreme, despite the fact that the mine produces all hues of Turquoise, and green Turquoise is fast catching up to blue Turquoise in popularity.

The Mineral Park Mine (Kingman Turquoise Mine) lies 14 miles northwest of Kingman, Arizona, in the Acerbate Mountains. The Aztec Turquoise Co, The Los Angeles Gem Co, Arizona Turquoise Co, Southwest Turquoise Co, Mineral Park Turquoise Co, and currently the Colbaugh Processing Inc. have all mined it professionally from the late 1880s to the early 1900s.

With a stunning Kingman Turquoise cabochon, Chuck Colbaugh represented Arizona in a Smithsonian Institution gemstone exhibition competition for the State of Arizona. In the early 1970s, Chuck and his wife Edith gave thirty Turquoise sculptures carved from Kingman Turquoise to the Mojave Museum of History and Art in Kingman, which are still on exhibit today. Since the early 1960s, Chuck Colbaugh has owned the Turquoise Mining contract for Ithaca Peak and Turquoise Mountain, and the concession is currently maintained by Marty and son Josh Colbaugh. Today, Kingman Turquoise may be found in American Turquoise Jewelry as well as international Turquoise Jewelry.

What is special about Kingman turquoise?

The Kingman Turquoise Mine is one of the country's oldest and most productive turquoise mines. It was first found around 1000 years ago by primitive Indians. Kingman Turquoise is noted for its stunning sky blue hue and a wide range of blue Turquoise varieties.

Is Kingman turquoise valuable?

The high-grade natural is very uncommon, accounting for less than 1% of the mine's current output. This makes natural high-grade Kingman Turquoise very precious, particularly when cut into high-grade Kingman Spiderweb Turquoise cabochons like the ones seen to the left.