Black or smoke from another mine

Black turquoise or Variquoise from other mines
The Damele mine in northern Nevada also produces a little smoke or black material. It does not reach the pure black as the Black stallion does but it does smoke out or some stones have a mixture of the dark and the blueish or green colors. Damele smoked material is much different and has many darker colors and a lot of the brown and grayish white shades. Damele for the most part forms in nodules and I have not seen any true vein material although it probably does. I have a hard time with absolutes, Nature proves us wrong every time. The material that came out of the ground when they first started digging and was closer to the surface was more intense in the green shades. As the years have gone by we find less material and lesser quality from this mine.
Here are a couple of pictures that show the smoked Damele cut in to cabs.
copyright @ 2010 James Saunders

Vien pieces with cabs

Here are some vein pieces and the cabs that were cut from this material.The different veins and zones can produce different looks and colors. But these cabs were cut from this zone.This zone the black material ocuurs pure black with a lighter matrix. In this zone also blueish green will mix in the black also. This area seems to occur in very small spheres and nodules to form the vein.Makes a great patterned stone when cut.!!!!!

Nodule and cabs cut from it

Here is a dark green nodule and the cabs that were cut from it. The material even though shows a little green is so dark that it looks black.But if you look close you can see the webbing in the stones. These stones cut show a lot of spider webbing.

The vein material

Here are some vein pieces. The veins occur in very thin to over an inch thick. There are many zones that come together and the veins can seperate or thin out. Nature is in charge.
These pictures show the blackest material.

Black Stallion mine

The Black Stallion Mine
The Black Stallion mine is another of the many mines and deposits found in Nevada. Here is an exciting new/old discovery that is new on the market. The material from this mine is in the turquoise family and runs from total black to green and white and a dark yellow and all mixes of these colors. Veins can start green and then turn black in just a few inches. The veins also mix the green and black together with either color the dominate one. The black material will run total black but most of it has spider web and patterns. When you look close at even the blackest material you will still see faint spider web or patterns in it. Several mines have produced a black material that runs black and mixes with whitish colors or mixes with the green. The mines I have seen this material come from are the Candelaria, the Apache, The Damele, and the Badger. We have for years called the dark material that comes from the these mines, “smoke’. Or we say that it is Smokey or Smoked stones. These were stones that had this dark color taking over the stone and turning all of it or just an area dark. Unlike dark brown or black matrix which is a separate material from the turquoise or varaquoise. This Black is actually the turquoise,variscite,variquoise that has another influence and it turned it dark or black. But it is still turquoise or variquoise. In recent years the different colors the turquoise family gives us are awesome. In this turquoise family we have of course turquoise but also Variscite, Variquoise,Cholcosiderite , Faustite, and a couple of newly found others. These are all cousins and are truly hard at times to tell the difference between them. These are all hydrated phosphates, and form similarly. Many mines produce a mixture of these. Without analyzing every stone it is hard to tell.
The Black Stallion mine is not new but this black material is becoming into its own and becoming popular. Time to bring it out of the closet and present it to the world.!!!. I have cut this material for years and used it exclusively in my jewelry and the public loved it. This material is very hard and has a lot of silica in it to make it gem grade. If you look closely at the stones you will see a mixture of the black and green and blue and white and yellow and brown. Black Stallion stone is very beautiful and unique to itself. The contrasts that happen with these colors is awesome. You will see dark black orbs and patterns and webbing against blue or green or other colors. The black with the white or lighter color webbing is totally unique and beautiful.
With all the information available to poachers today with the internet and GPS other means, I will at this time not disclose the exact location of this deposit. I will say it is in Nevada and lies about half way between Las Vegas and Reno in a small mountain range. I will also say, as of right now I am not sure the production of this deposit but it does have enough for me to cut over my life time. As for material to sell to the market place in rough,or volume cutting, or bead making. That will not happen for a while or not at all. Too soon to tell if there is enough material to provide for the market place.
copyright 2010 James Saunders
I have taken pictures and will try to describe each with a description.