The Blue Gem mine in the Copper Basin near Battle Mountain, Nevada produced a great variety of turquoise, from intense blues to deep green combinations with a hard, irregularly distributed matrix.  While there are other mines in Nevada of the same name, the Battle Mountain Blue Gem mine, which began production in 1934 and is now closed, yielded the most valuable Blue Gem turquoise because of its rich color and its hardness.   It is greatly desired by collectors.
Blue Gem turquoise tends to form in very thin slab forms rather than the typical nugget, although the largest nugget ever found weighed 178 pounds.

Blue Gem Turquoise is still some of the finest turquoise ever found, and unlike most turquoise mines, (in which the majority mined is chalky and only usable if stablized) most of the turquoise found there was of gem-quality. There is a distinctive aqua color that some people associate with Blue Gem turquoise, although it produced a great variety of colors, especially when intense blue was combined with deep green in one stone.
The mine no longer exists due to the extensive copper and gold mining operations of the Copper Canyon Mining Company (all of the copper was gone by 1968).  Doc Wilson, owner of the Lone Mountain Mine, also owned the Blue Gem Mine from 1938-1981 when he leased it to Lee Hand. Lee Hand operated the mine until 1970 when he sold his interest to the Elquist family of Battle Mountain.  Lee Hand knew the Patania Family in Arizona and C.G.Wallace in Zuni and regularly supplied those traders with turquoise for Navajo and Zuni carvings and jewelry. While the Blue Gem mine was very prolific at one time, today it is considered extremely rare, valuable and collectible turquoise. Most of the "finished" Blue Gem turquoise today is in private collections and museums.  It is rarely offered for sale.
The mine was deep underground and accessed by tunnels as deep as 800 feet. The Blue Gem Mine and the Bisbee Mine in Arizona are the only two mines that significant turquoise was found that deep in the earth.  Pyrite-bearing quartz veins are closely associated with this turquoise although pyrite in Blue Gem is still unusual to see. Not much large material ever came out of Blue Gem, the majority found was small 1mm "bleeder" veins and tiny nuggets which was perfect for Zuni inlay and fine needlepoint, petit-point and snake-eyes jewelry.
Blue Gem is a rare treasure: a valuable and historic American turquoise. Infinitely collectable, always hard to come by, and deeply cherished once it is acquired.  Blue Gem Turquoise may be very close to a perfect gemstone turquoise.  It is naturally hard, for turquoise, and will not change color.  It can take a high polish and with proper care, it will be beautiful one hundred years from now as it is today.