 |
The Orvil Jack Turquoise Facts & Story
Parts of this story written by and credited
to Carly Wickell
Have you ever seen Orvil Jack turquoise? It's not something
that you'll forget, especially the vivid green stones that
have become its trademark color. Turquoise Jewelry collectors
who are fortunate enough to have pieces made from Orvil
Jack turquoise usually won't part with them. I've been in
love with this turquoise for awhile now, and tried to learn
about the man it is named for, and his turquoise mine, but
with little success. Luckily, Carol Weidman, a jewelry artisan
who uses the turquoise in her designs, caught my error when
I called it "Orville" Jack on a photo caption.
She put me in touch with Grace Wintle, Mr. Jack's daughter,
who patiently answered my questions about her father and
their Turquoise mine.
 |
Back to 1956... Orvil Jack and
his wife, Bessie, moved their family to Nevada in
1956. Orvil chose a turquoise mining site and they
staked a few Turquoise claims in Lander County, naming
their turquoise mine Blue Ridge. Grace shares this
early childhood memory of summertime turquoise mining,
"Mining was such an adventure... after my father
would make a pass with the dozer, I would run over
the newly exposed dirt and look for pieces of turquoise.
I was probably more trouble than help, but what fun
I had!" It's more difficult for smaller mining
operations to continue today, due to the expenses
associated with strict environmental regulations,
mining laws and bonding requirements. Grace feels
they are very fortunate to be able to continue to
work their family's American Turquoise mine and produce
this wonderful lime green turquoise.
|
|
How It's Accomplished... Turquoise
miners begin the mining process by using a large bulldozer
to remove the top dirt, called overburden. The miner
watches very closely for the first sign of turquoise,
and once a turquoise vein or pocket is located, switches
to smaller equipment that provides more precise dirt
removal. After the turquoise vein is exposed, air
hammers are used to drill around the sides of it,
bringing the vein more into the open. Finally, the
miners use hand picks and shovels to carefully extract
the turquoise - and as Grace says, the rest is "good
old fashioned hard work." The miner takes the
turquoise to another spot to clean, refine, and sort
it. During the cleaning process, a saw can be used
to cut the turquoise away from its host rock.
|
 |
 |
Orvil's Favorites... Vivid lime
green turquoise comes to mind when we hear the term
Orvil Jack, but Grace says her father's favorite turquoise
was always the beautiful blue spider-web variety,
like the stone used in a bolo tie owned by her father.
In fact, she says that "Growing up, I remember
we rarely came across a lime green turquoise piece,
and when we did, we were told to throw it down ...
it just wasn't good enough to keep." He had a
change of heart about green turquoise later in life.
In about 1983, in one of the last places he dug for
turquoise, Orvil discovered the beautiful lime green
turquoise stones. Something about them must have impressed
him, because he continued to mine the area. He sold
only a small amount of this "new" color,
keeping the majority of the lime green turquoise himself.
Sadly, Orvil Jack passed away in 1986. A few years
later, the family heard from Bob Hall and Lee Louden,
talented bead-makers who were looking for the "fantastic
green turquoise" from the Blue Ridge Mine. They
bought the high grade, rough stones that were available,
then returned the following year to help the family
mine. Grace credits both men for much of the mine's
success in the early 1990's with lime green turquoise.
|
It's All Natural... The Blue Ridge Mine produces
blue turquoise, too, and occasionally the Wintle's
find rare, lemon yellow stones. Grace says that
Orvil Jack was a staunch believer in selling only
natural, untreated turquoise. He would never have
considered treating any of his turquoise, and they
maintain that belief, guaranteeing artisans a totally
natural product. Grace, her husband Jay, and their
sons work the mine and sell rough turquoise to a
group of jewelry artists, people they know personally
and whose work they respect. They have a close relationship
with their clientele, and try to accommodate their
needs before accepting orders from others. Orvil
Jack Turquoise is a name that will be known forever
to everyone who appreciates turquoise. The man and
the mine have made an impact on the turquoise world,
playing a huge role in the increased appreciation
of green turquoise variations. What a wonderful
legacy.
Look at the awesome neon colored Vein of Lime
Green Turquoise in the picture to the right side.
|
 |
Shop
on our Ebay Store
Example Pictures are not
necessarily the highest of grade, rather a good example
of a common look from a particular mine.
|
 |
