Number 8 Turquoise — Nevada's Golden Spiderweb

Number 8 Turquoise — Nevada's Golden Spiderweb

Among American turquoise varieties, Number 8 occupies a category of its own. The stone is not the rarest — Dry Creek and New Lander are harder to find. It is not the most geologically varied — Royston holds that distinction. But for the combination of vivid color, dramatic matrix, historical significance, and sheer visual power, Number 8 turquoise is argued by many serious collectors to be the finest turquoise ever produced in the United States. The mine is exhausted. The supply is fixed. And the stones that remain in circulation are among the most avidly collected in the American West.

The Mine

The Number 8 Mine takes its name from a mining claim designation — Claim Number 8 in the Carlin Mining District of Elko County, Nevada. The deposit was discovered in the early twentieth century and mined most actively between the 1920s and 1970s. The finest material — the deeply saturated blue-green stones with rich golden-orange spiderweb matrix — was recovered primarily during the peak production years of the 1950s through 1970s. The mine is considered effectively exhausted of high-grade material. What exists in the market today is what was recovered during those decades of active mining.

The exhaustion of the Number 8 Mine is not a matter of the claim being abandoned — it reflects the geological reality that the high-grade turquoise-bearing veins have been fully recovered. New material simply does not exist.

What Makes Number 8 Distinctive

  • The spiderweb matrix — Number 8 is defined by its matrix: golden-to-orange-brown webbing that spreads across the face of the stone in fine, intricate patterns. This coloring comes from iron oxide — limonite and goethite — deposited in the micro-fractures of the turquoise during formation. The finest examples show dense, even webbing that covers the stone uniformly. The color of the matrix — ranging from pale gold to deep burnt orange — is a function of the specific iron minerals present and their degree of oxidation.
  • Blue-green body color — Number 8 typically shows a medium to deep blue-green, neither as purely blue as Sleeping Beauty nor as green-shifted as Carico Lake. It is a balanced, complex color that reads differently in different lights — more blue indoors, more green in natural light.
  • Natural hardness — High-grade Number 8 is a relatively hard, stable turquoise that does not require stabilization. Natural specimens are set as found, without resin treatment. This is increasingly uncommon in the turquoise market and is one of the reasons Number 8 commands premium pricing.
  • Exhausted supply — The mine is gone. Every piece of Number 8 turquoise in existence today was mined before the deposit was worked out. This finitude is real and irreversible, and it is reflected in the stone's collector value.

Number 8 in Navajo Silversmithing

Number 8 has been a prestige stone in Navajo silversmithing since the mid-twentieth century. Its dramatic matrix makes it well suited to settings that frame rather than compete — heavy bezels, stampwork surrounds, and overlay techniques that direct the eye to the stone. The finest Number 8 pieces are set by artists who understand that the stone is the subject and the silver is the support.

Andy Cadman's 9-row stampwork and repousse cuff centered on a large Number 8 oval is one of the most technically ambitious pieces in our inventory — a case study in how to honor a great stone with great silverwork. Darryl Becenti and Robert Delgarito have also created significant Number 8 work in our collection.

What to Look for When Buying Number 8 Turquoise

  • Matrix density and color — The finest Number 8 has dense, evenly distributed golden-to-orange matrix. Sparse, pale, or irregular matrix indicates lower-grade material. Deep orange-gold matrix on saturated blue-green turquoise is the pinnacle.
  • Natural stone — With the mine exhausted, any Number 8 offered as natural and untreated should come with credible provenance. At Turquoise Mustang, natural stone designation comes directly from the artists who sourced and set the material.
  • Stone size — Large, high-quality Number 8 cabochons are exceptionally rare. A stone over 50 carats of fine-grade natural Number 8 is a significant find. Michael Calditto's 100+ carat Number 8 cuff in our collection is an example of material that simply does not appear often.
  • Artist attribution — Number 8 set by a named, hallmarked Navajo silversmith carries substantially more value than the same stone in an unmarked setting.

Number 8 Turquoise at Turquoise Mustang

Browse the full Turquoise Collection and Native American Collection for all available Number 8 pieces.