![]() ![]() Collecting fossils is a razor’s edge, like we were telling you about up in Etiquette… you gotta be extra careful with this one. The rockhounder in you has been waiting for this place, located along the Great Basin Highway, in between ET Fresh Jerky (Hiko) and Caliente near mile marker 81. If it’s fossils you’re after, it doesn’t get any better than Oak Springs, period. Or, if you wanna skip to the cut, beeline it for the best damn turquoise shop in northern Nevada: Jason’s Art Gallery in Austin. Psyched at the thought of mining your own bauble? There’s a vein of azurite for the taking just outside Yerington, at Mason Pass Road. ![]() If you like the robin’s egg blue stuff, who’s stopping ya?! If you like the deeper, Lake Mead-hued shades with dark webbing, well then get after it. The best part is this: there really are no parameters on what is considered to be the best stuff, either… it’s totally up to you, the PICKER. ![]() From the Ajax Turquoise Mine to the Cyprus Sieritta, an impressive 29 mines dot central Nevada, most just a potentially really special stone’s throw from Austin, Eureka, Tonopah, or Carlin. To book a tour at Otteson Brothers Turquoise-and trust us, this rockhounder’s delight, through and through-click here. Most of the world’s turquoise is mined in Nevada… pretty crazy, right? Rule of thumb: if you’re out and about and happen to find some turquoise-hued stones, chances are, it’s probably turquoise. The mine was open to the public for a while, closed intermittently, and is now back in action. Here’s a fact to stow away for trivia night: ever seen that super famous shade of blue that Tiffany and Company uses as their signature hue? A turquoise mine in Nevada-The Royston Mine, just outside Tonopah-was the very place that inspired the color. If you have a way of making it wet, it will be easier to spot in a sea of dirt. Some of these finds, especially Black Fire Opal, are kinda like searching for clear glass. The garden rake tends to come in the most handy at Garnet Hill and Royal Peacock.ĭon’t forget to bring some sort of bucket-like container to hold all your finds! And, if you’re really hardcore, bring a kneeling pad, and even a squirt bottle. If you’re looking to up your game, add a few more common household items to your gear bag, like a screwdriver, ice pick, or garden rake. A rock hammer is light and small, and can stay in the trunk, for good. But you’ve got nothing to dig with, and then next thing you know, you’re out there trying to use your shoe, or a hanger, or something even stupider. This is going to sound goofy, but we’ve permanently added a rock hammer to our Nevada go bag and here’s why: sometimes you might think you’re headed to a sweet little fishing hole, or tracking down a hot spring, and you’ll pass an area that’s full of opalized wood. Just grab those rockhammers, drop a gear, and disappear, and get ready for a Nevada adventure you won’t soon forget. But you don’t have to be a commercial gold miner to get after it. It helped make Nevada the lucrative mining area it is today. Major geological activity happened, making way for massive deposits of silver, gold, opalized wood, onyx, agate, geodes, jasper, and a whole lotta fossils. ![]() The reason? Nevada was once totally under water, back when giant marine reptiles swam freely in a gigantic, shallow sea in an area that would later become Nevada’s Great Basin. Nevada is an actual rockhounders paradise so much in fact, that pros estimate there are more than 100 sites just waiting for you. Who’da thunk? That, and who needs diamonds when you can find 2 carat garnets sitting right on top of the damn ground? When you throw Black Fire Opal into the mix, and the fact that Nevada is the only North American locale where this beaut naturally exists? No wonder it earned its spot as the official state gemstone. Sure, they might have the largest commercial mines, but Nevada boasts the most turquoise mines in the United States. While most people think the main turquoise producers in the US are places like New Mexico or Arizona, Nevada totally has them beat in all the best ways. You never quite imagine a hobby like rockhounding may creep into your life and steal all your free time, then you discover a world of garnets, turquoise, opals and beyond right in the heart of the Silver State. ![]()
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