Turquoise mining in Nevada and mine claim chat.

[@ChrisRalph]

Interesting. I have a claim there - one of the old workings you saw. This year the big patented mine changed hands and it was sold by the Ottesons and bought by a geologist named Chris Rose. He should be up there sometime later this year. He sells rough at Tucson. Not too far from where you went in the adit and dug the chalk there is some nice, hard and well colored turquoise. I have a few questions. You put up the sign, were you working for the Bureau of mines back then? Did you know Doug Driesner before he passed? I am also a fellow UNR grad - but it was the Mackey School of Mines back when I got my Mining Engineering degree. Hang in there with your efforts to get a foothold on KZbin. It takes time and perseverance, but otherwise you have what it takes. I've had some success with my channel. Maybe someday we could do a collab.

[@shawnpetersen6418]

I’m from Ely Nevada, I’ve lived exploring the old mines and ghost towns my whole life. I have gotten into super smithing and want to find my own turquoise to make jewelry with, my grandfather used to do this but he has passed so I can’t ask for advice! Thanks for sharing

[@shawnpetersen6418]

I’ve found so many cool things, my favorite part about growing up there. Such a treasure

[@ElleyKnowsRocks]

That is really special that your grandfather used to do that. I’m sorry he passed. That’s awesome that you do smithing. I hope you continue to find rocks and minerals and make cool things.

[@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059]

My great grandad worked on the old railroads in southern NV, he, my grandad and my father all rockhounded in southern NV, no clue where this area is though. Thanks.

[@Kingsturquoise]

Hi message me on turquoise cabochons I can help

[@nevadaminer5977]

@@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059 Tonopah, NV

[@dan-xj2wo]

Cool video Elley, thanks for info.👍👍

[@richardainsworth7052]

Thank you for sharing! 👍👍

[@jeskahaley9616]

You’re so knowledgeable! Thank you!

[@allensherrill850]

Wow. Look at the purple glass! Wow look at my red blood from the cut I just got

[@GDSavingThePast]

Fun adventure Elley. Thanks for sharing it. GD

[@kimwarren9169]

Where is this? By goldfield? My husband loves going to old mines around here and getting rusty cans and nails and just finds it exciting to explore old buildings. It would make his day to go exploring a new place

[@ElleyKnowsRocks]

Yes that’s awesome, it’s close to that area. But it’s at the top of a hill :) and it’s for sale

[@steveshepherd4291]

Fun, there is some really good rock up there

[@leonorajohnson4244]

I liked and subscribe and hit the Bell also where do you usually find rocks and are they close to Miami or Orlando or something like that

[@Gemexi]

Thanks for sharing this information with us.

[@jeskahaley9616]

I’m a silversmith! I really wanna get my own rough stoneage!! I really really wanna keep learning to cab! Is Nevada or Arizona better for self seeking some turquoise? In your opinion?

[@g-dcomplex1609]

good question jeska, both states offer spectacular turquoise prospecting, but i feel you would have better success in nevada, i have found some nice turquoise specimens laying right on the ground around the hills outside tonopah nevada, that were obviously far from their original deposit, most prospectors would travel uphill, up the dry washes to search for the source, just like prospecting for silver and gold, there are good locations in mineral county and grass valley nevada, lander county is another turquoise candyland, i suggest that you learn how to find out if a claim or prospect is stakeable land, meaning the mineral rights can be yours by staking, and filing on it, and to avoid claim jumping or prospecting over someone else's claim, there are some very informative books on turquoise prospects, mining districts where turquoise is found, some turquoise may be pretty, but its unstable, some turquoise is fair looking, but totally stable, try and find the best looking and most stable turquoise you can as a beginner. good luck

[@tinkerbell5256]

Interesting and helpful information!

[@judy_mireles]

What does stabilizing the turquoise mean?

[@turkey0165]

Bought metal detectors 25 years ago and never used him oh how I’d love to metal detect around those sites and desert! By the way a great video would love to find Turquoise also!

[@danilodedonatis7513]

Really Interesting video. But I have a question..I live in the UK and I would like to come and visit Nevada and Arizona because I am a lover of turquoise and I am a Silversmith. I would like to know if I can do as you did or also in other places in Nevada and Arizona and bring me something in the Uk ?? obviously not large quantities. At the airport I have to register something, is it legal as it is stones and in free areas? Some info about it. Thanks in advance

[@danilodedonatis7513]

@Nicolas Eckerson So I can not go to one place and collect the stones (not many) and take with me to the UK without having to declare anything? Thanks in advance for ur time and advice. 🙏🏽

[@danilodedonatis7513]

@Nicolas Eckerson I live in the UK and I don't know how it works in the USA. And if you can recommend places to go in Arizona and Nevada thanks 🙏🏽💙

[@mojo.adventures]

To make a long and technical answer short, YES, you can do as she did and go poke around on public (BLM) lands looking for whatever you like. The key is YOU have to make sure where you are collecting isn't claimed and/or the type of claim it is under if so. Other than that, any of the vast public lands in Nevada are for the use of the people and you are welcome to wander it to your hearts content. No taxes/duty etc on your finds, just mail them home in a box at USPS before you leave. I will offer a piece of advice from another turquoise miner here though: all the good pockets in Nevada are already under claim and have been for quite a while. That's not to say you can't find turquoise in the washes and hillsides on BLM land near these claimed areas, or chalky more fragile deposits in old expired claims like she did, but if you actually came all this way I would suggest just going to the Otteson Bros dig. You are guaranteed to find nice pieces of turquoise and don't have to spend days hiking around the desert to maybe not come up with anything at all. I say this as someone who rock hounds constantly for every type of mineral this state offers, and spends weeks or months scouting remote locations and old mines before trying to get to them, yet often still fails. Do not underestimate the remoteness and ruggedness of the desert here! I hope this helps a bit =] We were just up there digging Royston Blue from the Otteson claims earlier this year and had a blast. Got some nice blue+green nuggets we're going to learn to cab. You can get an idea of what the terrain looks like out there if you check out our video from that trip - "Central Nevada ADVENTURE TIME" kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJTdeIqYqr-tY5Y

[@wbwright79]

@@mojo.adventuresgreat advice to contact Otteson in Nevada to purchase a daily dig at one of their Royston claims (the Variscite claims are nice too!). If you have a lapidary grinding machine of your own, then you can process your finds, otherwise the Ottesons even offer that service too. love your video. Goldfield is a living gem!

[@Alixxusa]

*Native American Jeweler starts breathing heavily*

[@mrkobewolf2400]

Dang that's a good one for me as a Navajo jeweler

[@susie5710]

So cool, but please put some safety glasses on when hammering a chisel!

[@earlgordon7682]

Enjoyed

[@denyspoyner8815]

Nevada has got to be the abandoned mine capital of the World 🌎 , not to mention it has Area 51 /S-4 👽

[@denimlabels7315]

Awesome!

[@sergeantcraphead]

Can I buy some turquoise?

[@cmennare]

How do you stabilize turquoise?

[@ElleyKnowsRocks]

You can stabilize turquoise at home by using acetone and two-part epoxy

[@kellyanderson5142]

@@ElleyKnowsRocks do you know of a video that explains how to stabilize turquoise?

[@LeoTumamait]

buy a cactus juice kit, and use cactus juice. it's the cheapest way to get your foot in the door to stabilizing rocks and woods. especially if you plan on doing pounds at a time. you can find all the information from their website just by searching for that product. you can also use opticon but that is really expensive for bigger amounts. if you plan on doing a tiny amount that is the cheaper way to go as you don't have to buy equipment. all you would need is a jar. both of these methods are for 'chalky' or gem grade material to solidify them to take a polish. hope this helps.

[@ElleyKnowsRocks]

@@kellyanderson5142 I could make another set of videos that show stabilizing turquoise.

[@allensherrill850]

Stability is easy. Put your rocks on a flat level table, and leave them the f.., alone 😂

[@felipecortez1470]

Where is this?

[@jeytex3161]

Any reason why you didn’t collect on the site?

[@nevadaminer5977]

Patented ground = private property.

[@chrispeterson1423]

What about atizono turquoise?

[@DonActon]

I live in Nevada many years and just would like to comment on this video , this gal tells people basically they can take claimed minerals if they want , that is total bull shit and she know it and that is why she claimed she didn't remove any material . the gal avoids saying which mine this is so people could look it up on blm mine claims and see if the claim is active or abandoned. the gal removing the turqouise from the mine is high grading or stealing from a claim and she can be prosecuted . I am sure the claim owner has legal rights to sue the shit out of this person thanks to YOU tube .

[@wbwright79]

if the claim is active, then 100% agree. not great advice to give folks the impression they can go anywhere without research, and pull valuable minerals. and it is done far too often, imo. always contact the claim owner, and obtain written permission to obtain minerals from the claim. always!

[@dmaciel2830]

😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱❤️

[@lewisbarney5327]

If you use a bigger hammer you might not hit your hand as much as the chisel

[@michaelkeele8077]

Could I like pay you to send me a nice piece of turquoise, I don’t trust most on the market knowing that most of it is fake. Reason I ask is its my birthstone and really would love a nice piece of turquoise, especially raw.

[@ElleyKnowsRocks]

Hey, I will actually be back in the states in September. I currently can’t ship anything. But I will have some of the real Turquoise on my website when I get back :)

[@jesperborg3749]

You shoulde have invited #LapidaryDave

[@naitodamai8545]

may i have a small piece🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@Daruma_Studio]

Didnt see the swastika at 0:40? lol

[@LeoTumamait]

i like how you said that you 'found' the place again. this is one of the most famous turquoise mines in the world and you either get invited to or your trespassing and claim jumping. it has been there for over 100 years, it's not that surprising that it held up for 8 more years. lol. that is 1 of 4 old patented claims, the old patents are like private property. that is why there are buildings in the ground, newer claims and newer patents you cannot build into the ground only on top of the land like trailers and such. your giving people false information on claims. that is why claims are there, to protect the minerals to the ones who claimed it. people can be prosecuted and even shot for jumping claims especially in nevada. that is the truth. go walk onto a lode gold mine claim and try and pick up specimens from it and see what happens to that theory of "the mine owners are wrong about the mineral rights, and anyone can walk through and collect because it's public land". when it is claimed you have an easement right to pass through but you do not have mineral rights especially in old patents like the one that you are in. you will get shot at if you went into the candelaria mine and or any other gold or silver mine. turquoise miners are just more lenient, well not all of them there are plenty of stories of gunfights over turquoise in nevada. get your facts straight before misleading people. highgrade american turquoise is 5-10/gram, people will defend that tooth and nail and have legal backing to do so. other than that, good video. very informative.

[@ElleyKnowsRocks]

Thank you for watching the video. Old mines like this, as well as a lot of the mines I’m on have been reclaimed by the government, or the dues of the claim have not been paid. Making any claim rights whatsoever forfeit. Old buildings are there because yes 100 years ago they could do nearly anything they want to on their claims or patented claims, now either BLM or forest service doesn’t allow for those types of buildings, unless you personally own the land and then have a claim on the land for mining purposes, you’re pretty much be living in a tent or trailer. There are so many other things that are wrong with your statement and I’m not going to address… I’ve been doing this for a little bit, and if all you wanna do is stop by and run down what I’m doing, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t comment at all. Thanks and have a great day.

[@nevadaminer5977]

Chill out swaxstone.

[@DonActon]

right on Swaxstone. the gal said she didn't remove any material (bs I bet) and if it was an abandened claim or not fees paid on it you can. so from what she said and did was telling me she didn't research to see if it was a active claim but tells other pick up stuff if they want but she didn't . Folks do your research don't let this gal get you sued .

[@BrianJonah88]

claims get dropped constantly, sometimes on purpose, sometimes unintentionally and sometimes by sheer accident. Even the feds themselves famously "forgot" to renew some unbelievably famous and formerly protected withdrawl areas in 2020. Stuff happens. If you're so jealous of this gals prospecting activity perhaps you should be out there with your pick and a rifle. I am personally aware of a very rich and significant copper gold deposit which was never developed because it wasn't located until the 1970's. If you were to ask anyone in the area if it was legal to mine there 99% of them would tell you no way, that the land is closed and protected. In the 90's the tree-hugging white house admin at the time was sympathetic to requests to protect the area for birds and fish and the holder of all the unpatented claims (lode and placer) was paid about half a million dollars (by USFS) to quit claim. It was in big papers and magazines. But ha ha ha - guess what? the USFS can't buy their own land and not allow the public to exercise their legal rights ESPECIALLY when there is a known mineral deposit, assays on record, ore grades, and the corners are surveyed and ready to go. Why go on about this? I'm trying to demonstrate that I or anyone who did their homework is allowed to go dig, prospect, rockhound - or claim and do the hard work of getting a Plan of Operations approved in this extremely famous location - yet everyone who does not have the facts would warn you that you're doing something illegal. Who, when first learning the details of the federal mining acts and laws, isn't in total disbelief? You mean I just go stack some rock carins and for a few hundred dollars I get to mine on Federal land? Yup - its a crazy world