KINGMAN TURQUOISE JEWELRY, KINGMAN TURQUOISE MINE
History
The stones for Kingman jewelry were first mined by the Navajos dating back to 600 AD. On the Northwestern border of Arizona, the Kingman Turquoise Mine is an enormous open pit that has turned out a great quantity of the finest quality turquoise available. This mine, defined by its turquoise nuggets, displays the hue of an energized blue in contrast with its black matrix. While still an electric blue, the high-grade Kingman turquoise shows a gorgeous silver matrix instead of the average black. These stones are often set apart by their eye-catching color range from a dark sea blue to an electrifying white blue. These stones also possess natural cracks, displaying their true silver or black matrix mentioned above, making for beautiful Kingman jewelry.
The Mine
The Kingman Turquoise Mine in Arizona has produced the largest quantity of turquoise stones in recorded history. The sheer amount and quality of Kingman jewelry's blue coloration have made its stones one of the most fashionable styles of jewelry worn in America. The mine was first discovered by James Haas in the late 1800s. However, the mine was relatively unheard of until Leonard W. Hardy launched a successful marketing campaign from 1950 to the 1970.
The Stone Today
Despite Hardy's continued attempts, the mine officially shut down during the 1970s. Later, there was a period of revival and eventually reopened in 2004. The Kingman mine also provided a large amount of turquoise to the Native American jewelry market throughout the twentieth century. Sometimes referred to as a high blue, Kingman jewelry is a magnificent contributor to modern fashion and an expression of humanity's connection to nature.
