Bisbee Blue refers to the turquoise that comes from copper mines located in the vicinity of Bisbee, Arizona. It is also called Bisbee turquoise. Turquoise (or turquois) is opaque, blue-to-green hydrated copper aluminium phosphate mineral according to the chemical formula CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·5H2O. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been enjoyed as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic brown Atomic mass 63. ... Bisbee is a city located in Cochise County, Arizona, USA, 82 miles (132 km) southeast of Tucson. ...

Though small amounts were found in the Campbell shaft mine, as well as in streambeds in the Mule Mountains, the vast majority of Bisbee turquoise surfaced when the Phelps Dodge Corporation started open pit mining operations at the location now known as the Lavender Pit, especially the eastern side of the pit. Large amounts of a conglomerate rock bed needed to be removed before the deeper located copper ore could be reached. Within this conglomerate "waste" rock is where most of the turquoise were located, both in vein and nugget form. Bisbee turquoise can be found in many different shades of color and quality, from soft, low quality pale blue to the hardest, most brilliant blue turquoise that can be found anywhere in the world, and most every shade of blue in between. Green turquoise is also found in Bisbee, but is not usually of very high quality. The Mule Mountains as viewed from the west, looking east. ... Phelps Dodge Corporation (NYSE: PD) was founded in 1834 by Anson Greene Phelps and William E. Dodge. ... The Lavender Pit is an open pit copper mine located in Cochise County, Bisbee, Arizona. ... A mineral conglomerate In geology, a conglomerate is a rock consisting of other stones that have been cemented together. ... Sedimentary, volcanic, plutonic, metamorphic rock types of North America. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic brown Atomic mass 63. ... Iron ore (Banded iron formation) Manganese ore Lead ore Gold ore An ore is a mineral deposit containing a metal or other valuable resource in economically viable concentrations. ...

These are some samples of the exquisite quality of Bisbee turquoise. It is very common for Bisbee turquoise to have a hard chocolate brown colored matrix. Note the common colored nugget, illustrating the exquisite blue color of the Bisbee turquoise. From the collection of Michael Griffo. Photo by Michael Griffo.

During the time that the largest quantities of turquoise were being extracted from the mine, the company made no organized effort to recover it. It simply got loaded into large dump trucks and hauled off to the "dumps". During this time (primarily through the late-50s into the late-60s), almost all recovered turquoise was made by company employees, taking it home in their lunch boxes, etc. Though this activity was prohibited, it was rarely enforced. Depending on where the shovels were digging after blasting operations, large quantities of turquoise would be exposed, with many pieces too large to carry, to include stories of several turquoise "boulders" being disposed of. Being sometimes alone, out of sight and out of mind, truck drivers and security guards were able to do quite well in gathering turquoise, though many didn't do so. It didn't take long for individuals outside the company to discover this wealth of blue gold, and to begin sneaking onto the dumps and hunting for the turquoise themselves. Though this activity was illegal (trespassing, and a large liability to the company), these individuals are responsible for recovering much fine Bisbee turquoise, recovering it from exposure, and from the leaching effect of chemical water being filtered through the dumps to extract copper downstream. For several years (mostly the early to late 70s), these individuals locally know as "dumpers", were the only source for this fine turquoise. Also, during this time, Phelps Dodge leased out the dumps to an individual to mine the dumps for turquoise. Needless to say, they recovered quite a quantity (though those who know the dumps well claim that their procedures were not very productive). The turquoise they discovered can now be bought at a store located at the Lavender Pit viewpoint on Highway 80 in Bisbee. It can only be bought made into jewelry. Today, much turquoise being sold in on-line auctions, etc, and being advertised as Bisbee Blue, is not authentic Bisbee turquoise. No file by this name exists; you can upload it. ... No file by this name exists; you can upload it. ...

Even with the Bisbee Blue storefront selling the turquoise, Bisbee turquoise is now very rare, especially in the higher grades. The highest-grade rock was never abundant. Present day illegal dumping activity is only recovering small amounts of any rock, especially high grade, and it seldom goes up for sale. Hard and glossy, with its distinctive bright blue color, and dark, chocolate brown matrix, high grade Bisbee Blue turquoise is exceptionally beautiful, and is unparalleled by any turquoise found anywhere else in the world.