Number Eight Mine Turquoise: Golden Spiderweb Field Guide
Number Eight Mine turquoise comes from Elko County, Nevada, roughly thirty miles north of Carlin. Named for the eighth mining claim in the district — where the richest turquoise was found — the mine produced what many collectors consider the finest golden and black spiderweb matrix turquoise in the world. The mine is now a gold operation; no turquoise has been produced since 1976.
Mateo's Field Notes
The discovery story reads like the turquoise origin stories that keep repeating across the American West: an unlikely finder, a small claim, decades of quiet production before the world catches on. Per Joe Dan and Joe P. Lowry in Turquoise: The World Story of a Fascinating Gemstone: "A town barber originally discovered these deposits about thirty miles north of Carlin, Nevada, in 1925." That barber's find eventually became one of the most recognized names in American turquoise. (LOWRY ~lines 11391–11423)
The name itself came from the claim structure. "The name 'Number Eight' originated because the best turquoise was found on the eighth claim." (LOWRY ~11391–11423) By 1959, the ten claims had sold to a large metal mining outfit — the Edgar brothers were among the sellers. Dowel Ward conducted the last turquoise production in 1976; after that, the economics of the ground shifted from gemstone to gold. The mine is now a gold operation. (LOWRY ~11391–11423)
The stone that came out of those claims is described in Lowry as producing "what is considered to be some of the best golden and black spiderweb matrix turquoise in the world." (LOWRY ~11391–11393) The spiderweb or eggshell matrix — the rarest matrix classification per Lowry's grading chapter — "occur[s] when the host rock forms an evenly placed pattern within the turquoise formation." (LOWRY ~9405–9470) Number Eight's version of this pattern runs in gold and black rather than the more common brown or black, a function of the iron oxide and manganese chemistry in the Nevada host rock. It is the stone's most distinctive and most collectible attribute. In the American grading system — which prizes famous-mine origin, good blue color, and spiderweb matrix — Number Eight sits at the top of the canon. (LOWRY ~9340)
The stone was also marketed under alternate names: Royal Blue, Royal Blue No. 1, and Blue Star. Collectors should be aware of these trade aliases when reviewing provenance documentation for vintage pieces.
Collector's Handbook: How to Recognize Number Eight Turquoise
- Color tells: Blue body color — the corpus does not specify the precise hue range. The blue is secondary to the matrix as the primary identification feature.
- Matrix tells: Golden and black spiderweb — the defining signature. The gold matrix is the result of iron oxide conditions specific to this district. The pattern should read as evenly spaced, fine-lined, and organized rather than random. (LOWRY ~11391–11393, ~9405–9470)
- Natural vs. treated notes: No specific stabilization history is documented in the corpus for Number Eight. As a closed, high-value mine, natural stone commands a significant premium — verify natural status with documentation.
- Mine status: Closed to turquoise production. Last turquoise produced by Dowel Ward in 1976. The site is now a gold mine. (LOWRY ~11391–11423)
- Imitation caution: Trade aliases (Royal Blue, Royal Blue No. 1, Blue Star) complicate attribution in vintage pieces. Golden spiderweb from other Nevada districts may be sold as Number Eight — request provenance documentation that specifies the Elko County / Carlin-area origin.
References
- Lowry, Joe Dan, and Joe P. Lowry. Turquoise: The World Story of a Fascinating Gemstone. Gibbs Smith, 2010. ~lines 9340, 9405–9470, 11391–11423.
Related Entries
For spiderweb matrix context, see turquoise matrix guide. The other top-five collectible that shares closed-mine status: Bisbee field guide. The scarcest American turquoise: Lander Blue field guide. For grading context, see turquoise grading and color. For imitation and treatment risks, see Treatments and Imitations.
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