Carlin, Nevada is in Eureka County. There is a famous turquoise mine there called Number 8. It was found in 1925 and then mined finally 4 years later in 1929. The mine is no longer mined for turquoise, but it is mined for gold at present.
Number 8 is the mine that produced a selection of the biggest nuggets ever found in history. The turquoise from this mine is mostly composed of a matrix of spider web type with varieties of black to gold brown and color grades of extremely dark blue to light blue. Occasionally it will be a variety of green tints as well. The color make-up and pattern matrixes from the Number 8 are unique and easy to spot. In 2020 the Number 8 darker shades of turquoise are both rare and valued by turquoise collectors.
Earl Buffington and Lawrence Springer filed the first claim on the Number 8 mine in 1929. Afterwards, several famous turquoise miners owned the mine in the ensuing years. The premier spider web turquoise ever discovered was found by the mining brothers, T.G. and J. W. Edgars, while mining for copper. They located 1600 plus pounds of some of the best high-value turquoise ever discovered. Marvin Syme and the Edgar brothers worked together and discovered a gem quality turquoise stone that weighed in at over 150 pounds.
Number 8 mine closed in 1976. The last owner of the mine was Dowell Ward. He mined a giant stockpile of high-quality turquoise that through today is still on the market. The turquoise from that stockpile is looked at as one of the premier turquoises ever discovered. The reason why this is the case is because once the Number 8 gem quality turquoise stockpile reserve is depleted it will never be available again, making it highly valuable.
