Carico Lake Turquoise — Nevada's Apple Green

Most turquoise collectors spend years learning to recognize and value the blues — the sky blues of Sleeping Beauty, the deep blue-greens of Royston, the complex tones of Kingman. Carico Lake is the stone that makes them reconsider their assumptions. Its color is not blue. It is green — a vivid, clear, almost electric apple green that has no equivalent in American turquoise and very few equivalents anywhere. For collectors who have developed past the conventional categories, Carico Lake is a revelation.

The Mine

The Carico Lake Mine sits in Lander County, Nevada — the same high desert county that produces Royston and Dry Creek, a region of extraordinary geological richness for turquoise formation. The mine takes its name from the dry lake bed near which the deposit is located. It has been mined intermittently since the early twentieth century, with production varying considerably depending on market conditions and ownership. High-grade natural Carico Lake material is increasingly difficult to source, and the finest specimens command significant collector premiums.

What Makes Carico Lake Distinctive

• Apple green color — Carico Lake's defining characteristic is its color, which sits at the green end of the turquoise spectrum — a vivid, clear apple green produced by a relatively high zinc content in the stone's mineral chemistry. Where copper produces the blue tones in most turquoise, the zinc in Carico Lake shifts the color toward green. The result is a hue that reads unmistakably as turquoise but shares no color territory with any other American variety.
• Spider web matrix — The finest Carico Lake features a delicate dark matrix in fine webbing across the green stone. The contrast between the vivid green and the dark matrix creates a graphic intensity that collector-grade specimens exhibit at an exceptional level.
• Variable hardness — Carico Lake ranges from genuinely hard, stable material suitable for setting natural to softer, more porous material that requires stabilization. High-grade natural Carico Lake is relatively rare; most material on the commercial market has been treated.
• Rarity — Carico Lake does not appear frequently in the market at collector grade. When a significant natural specimen surfaces, it moves quickly among buyers who know what they are looking at.

Carico Lake in Navajo Silversmithing

The apple green of Carico Lake is distinctive enough to define a piece rather than simply accent it. Settings that work best with this stone are those that frame the green clearly without competing — clean bezels, rope wire, and minimal stampwork that direct attention to the color rather than away from it. Tufa cast settings work particularly well, as the organic texture of the cast silver provides warmth and contrast without visual complexity.

What to Look for When Buying Carico Lake Turquoise

• Color vibrancy — The most collectible Carico Lake is a vivid, saturated apple green. Pale or yellowish stones, while genuine, carry less collector value. The color should be clean and consistent across the face of the stone.
• Natural vs. stabilized — Most commercial Carico Lake is stabilized. Natural, hard Carico Lake is a meaningful designation that commands premium pricing. Confirm natural status with your dealer.
• Matrix quality — In matrix specimens, look for fine, well-defined webbing that enhances rather than obscures the green. Heavy, irregular matrix on a pale ground is less desirable than delicate webbing on vivid green.

Carico Lake Turquoise at Turquoise Mustang

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