Been working on more of my dad’s stock of turquoise, and came across one that was almost completely covered in a pyrite matrix. (Working it turned the grind water as black as ink… and my fingers with it!) I think this might be Kingman, but would like more experienced eyes to judge.
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I can’t make these images any bigger. What you are looking for is quartz deposits, quartz you have Kingman.
(Darn) I’ve already dumped my larger image files… my camera is about full. And now I can’t get a focused image of either this cab, or the other rough that looks just like it did before working. However, both pieces didn’t really look like quartz, but both definitely have pyrites crystal/cube-forms all over the surface. Metallic, rather than the clear-ish sand grains that are on some of the other roughs I have. If it’s not Kingman, what are the other possibilities?
Persian turquoise, Mexican turquoise are both known to have pyrite, as well as Morenci turquoise. However, this turquoise definitely looks American. So either Kingman or Morenci.
The quartz you are looking for would be small whitish, glass-like chunks in the matrix.
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Okay! The quartz is in some of the other rough, just not these pieces. My dad was collecting turquoise in a period before it became really important to know the mine source, so I don’t have the full provenance for any of it. I do know that it should all be Arizona sources, and probably either bought from the Hardy Trading Company (he had an old picture calling card from their shop) or from one of the Quartzite shows.