Royston Turquoise Gemstones

The Royston Turquoise Mine is located within the Royston District located approximately 20 miles northeast of Tonepah, Nevada. Active mining of Turquoise began in the Royston District about 1904 and shortly after three claims were filed; Royal Blue, Oscar Wehrend and Bunker Hill. In later years came the Easter Blue and then the current mining region, "The Royston Mine" when Lynn Otteson came to Tonopah in 1958. Royston Turquoise was originally a tunnel mine, it is now an open pit. The Royston Turquoise Mine is no longer mined on a large scale and the Turquoise is becoming very scarce. It is still owned by the Otteson's who give mining tours twice a week from Spring through Fall, you can find out more information by going to the Royston Mine Tour page at RoystonTurquoise.com.

Below is four photos of ultra grade Royston Turquoise Gemstone Cabochons, this grade of Royston Turquoise is very hard to find! If you are interested in stones of this quality, Durango Silver Company will have some of this grade of Royston Turquoise available this summer season (2014). To get on our mailing list, contact Dillon Hartman @ 970 375-2401 M-F 11-5 Mountain time. This will be a rare opportunity to obtain some of the most important and beautiful Turquoise on earth! The stones below are from our personal collection over the last 25 years.

The photo above and to the left are three fabulous high-grade Royston Turquoise Gemstone Cabochons. Notice the top stone and the stone on the left are what we call two tone, the Royston Mine produces this spectacular coloration and can easily be detected by the Emerald greens running along with medium to light powder blues. Both of these stones also have two-tone matrix which makes these cabochons very striking. In the same photo is a beautiful high-grade Royston Turquoise Gemstone in graduated green coloration, it has gorgeous golden brown spiderweb matrix that is very desirable by collectors.

In the photo to the right are seven unique Royston Turquoise Gemstones that are nearly impossible to find. From military green to two-tone aqua to lime green - these stones are magnificent to the eye of an American Turquoise collector.

Turquoise is a sedimentary formation that is formed when moisture (rain or snow) filters down through mineral rich soil on the upper crust of the earth. This soil must contain the precise amounts of copper, aluminize sulfites and iron to create the combined liquid that siphon's down into voids below the surface of the earth. Royston Turquoise was formed millions of years ago in the fractured crevices of the Ryolite rock below the surface of the earth and over time it hardened to about a 5 on the Moh's scale. Most often, the thin voids or crevices produces the richest colorations and once in a great while one will find thicker veins of high-grade.

The Turquoise Miner most often finds Royston Turquoise in what looks like veins in the host rock (Ryolite), which has to be skillfully removed by many techniques. Miners Picks to heavy equipment and even dynamite are use to extract large rock with Turquoise veins. Once the bulk rock is extracted, Turquoise gemstone cutters saw the veins out of larger rocks called "saw rock" to refine the Turquoise into cutable slabs. There is quite a process to cut Royston Turquoise into gemstones such as the ones you see on this page.

The Royston Hills produce a wide spectrum of color variations - above and to the left are four Royston cabochons in a blue range of color. Notice the golden brown Ryolite matrix, which is the same as you see in the green tone stones found in another location. In the top left corner you see that true blue Turquoise comes out of this mine and then as you look to the lower stones you see Ryolite spiderweb matrix in the blue Turquoise cabochons as well as the green. The aqua to green Turquoise from the Royston Mine is generally harder, however Easter Blue Turquoise,which is located in the Royston Hills, has very hard blue Turquoise that is also found in thin vein.

The photo to the left displays the gorgeous aqua blue colorations that the Royston Turquoise Mine produces. This material is some of the hardest Turquoise that comes out of the Royston Mine and therefore takes a exceptional polish. The two-tone variations in this material are awesome and when it is set into Turquoise Jewelry it is spectacular!

As you can see in the photos above, Royston Turquoise is one of the most dynamic types of Turquoise in the world. It has the full color spectrum that is produced by this mineral - Turquoise. If you appreciate antique and vintage Turquoise Jewelry, you can follow the variations of Turquoise that has come from this area of Nevada back through the years - Over 75% of the Turquoise that was set in Fred Harvey Company Jewelry came from the Royston District and a large percentage of Native American Turquoise Jewelry since the early 1900's also has Turquoise from this area.

Quality Royston Turquoise Gemstone Images

Above and to the left are four wonderful green tone Royston Turquoise gemstones. Each of these beautiful Turquoise cabochons have their own unique character - the bottom two stones have gorgeous coloration with beautiful golden brown matrix in a very attractive pattern. The upper stones are fairly clear of matrix but have color variations that are very pheasant and attractive and will be spectacular in Jewelry.

The three Turquoise Gemstones in the photo to the above right are beautiful - the large rectangular gemstone to the bottom left has a very special multicolor range with golden spiderweb matrix, also in variation running through the luscious sea of greens. Next to this Turquoise cabochon is a marvelous powder blue Royston Turquoise Spiderweb Cabochon with at touch of green, an amazing cabochon. The Royston Gemstone to the upper right is a beautiful colored Royston Cabochon that is luscious with golden flecks of matrix.

Above and to the left is a spectacular square shaped Royston Turquoise Gemstone that is what we consider a picture stone. I see a tortoise and then I see Islands in a beautiful ocean. This stone will make a wonderful piece of Royston Turquoise Jewelry.

And what type of Royston Turquoise Jewelry would this fine gemstone on the right make? A Royston Turquoise Ring? A Royston Turquoise Necklace or a Royston Turquoise Bracelet? Any of the above would be breath taking as it too is a picture stone.

Above and to the left is a beautiful Turquoise Gemstone from the Royston Turquoise Mine. Again I see this as a picture stone - can you see the dark brown man or ? This stone also displays an awesome array of matrix from water web to golden matrix to dark brown matrix - it is fantastic.

Above and to the right are three unique examples of Royston Turquoise. The top right is a caramel wrapped in spiderweb Turquoise and ready to eat - it is luscious! The golden matrix in the triangular stone of the left is striking in the sea of blue and emerald green and the large oval gemstone has so much character you can gaze at it for hours. When it is set into a piece of Jewelry, eyes will migrate to this stone as it is enchanting.

Above and to the left are two large oval gemstones from the Royston Mine. Both of these two stones are a beautiful powder blue with golden brown colored matrix. The stone on the left is a good example of blue Royston Spiderweb Turquoise and the stone on the right has bold picture stone type matrix. Both of these two Royston Turquoise Gemstones are sold as a pair.

Above and to the right is a photo with three beautiful Royston Turquoise Gemstone Cabochons. They all have fabulous coloration with golden brown matrix, The two upper stones have spiderwebbing along with freeform matrix and the bottom oval has freeform golden matrix.

Green Royston Turquoise Cabochons

Above and to the left is a collection of three beautiful Royston Turquoise Gemstones, two that have deep golden brown matrix in seas of green. The gemstone on the bottom right is two-tone with emerald green flowing into aqua blue, the oval stone to the bottom left is a rich aqua Turquoise color with water marking (deeper green) and dark golden brown islands of matrix - a gorgeous stone. The upper stone of this collection is a Turquoise picture stone in rich deep Royston Turquoise colorations.

Above and to the right is a collection of four Royston Turquoise Stones in the military green coloration. Each of these stones has its own character from white matrix to golden brown matrix in a sea of military green. The Royston mining district has produce much of the Nevada Green Turquoise that has made this color of Turquoise synonomous with Nevada Turquoise. Military green Royston Turquoise is favored by many - visit this Royston Turquoise Collection on its presentation page. Durango Silver Company has a wide variety of Green Royston Turquoise Cabochons as well as many others available at our online store - Visit our Turquoise Cabochons page.

High Grade Royston Turquoise Cabochons Available | Browse Our Royston Turquoise Jewelry

Durango Silver Company has been buying, cutting and selling high grade Turquoise for over forty years. We always have a good selection of Royston Turquoise Gemstones as well as 
many others available in our online store, we invite you to come and check it out! You may want to take a look at our Royston Turquoise Jewelry if you are more into finished pieces.