Cryogenie Tourmaline Mine

This page LAST UPDATED: 09/20/2023

The CRYOGENIE TOURMALINE MINE

San Diego County, California

All communication regarding the Cryogenie Mine must be sent to: cryogeniemine@gmail.com

for CRYOGENIE Mine LITIGATION UPDATES CLICK HERE (Wentzell vs. Dean Webb, Andrea Christy Callens, and Marcus Origlieri dba Mineral Zone LCC, et al.

I'm excited to announce that I am the new owner of the famous CRYOGENIE MINE and that we will be re-opening it! I relocated this claim on September 1, 2022 after the prior owners defaulted on their claim papers/fees and forfeited their claim. BLM MLRS ACTIVE CLAIM SERIAL #CA-105785144, Christopher Wentzell, owner 9/1/22 to present. NO DIGGING OR REMOVING MINERALS AT THIS TIME, I am working on reopening the mine and will consider public access in the near future.

The Mine/claim is NOT for sale, this page is to document the history and progress made as it happens. I've included some photos below of pieces found in the mine in the past, and links to info and articles on the mine. We hope to equal and surpass these finds, wish us luck and with some hard work maybe we will. There's more in the pegmatite for sure, we just have to go deeper. I will consider a partnership to work the claim on a case-by-case basis. The mine and claim at this time is NOT open to the public and please respect my claim & mineral ownership rights. I do have a couple local people watching the claim from time to time. If on the claim, they will photograph you, your vehicle and your plates and will send that info to me. If you are caught on the claim with digging tools it is attempted theft and if you are caught with minerals on the claim that is Theft. If you damage or remove any markers, signs or infrastructure from the mining claim that is also theft plus violations of other laws. THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING. I WILL DEAL WITH HIGHGRADERS, CLAIMJUMPERS AND THIEVES IN A VERY SERIOUS WAY VIA LAWSUIT AND CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. Sorry I have to even say this but it does happen.

We do plan on selling paydirt gem bags from the mine soon, check back. CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR PAYDIRT GEM BAGS!

Cryogenie Relocation Notice posted 9.1.22 filed with BLM

Cryogenie Relocation Notice posted 9.1.22 filed with BLM on 9.12.22. Photo credit and copyright Christopher Wentzell

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Cryogenie Mine with locked steel door to underground workings, with sign posted noticing NO MINERAL REMOVAL OR COLLECTING due to ACTIVE MINING CLAIM. May 2023. Photo credit and copyright Christopher Wentzell

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Tourmaline crystal in situ in underground Cryogenie Mine workings, May 2023, Christopher Wentzell photo.

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Flooded underground workings at Cryogenie Mine, May 2023. Photo Christopher Wentzell

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Cryogenie Tourmaline crystal and faceted gem stone on display at Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History

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Cryo Genie Mine Tourmaline crystal displayed at a gem show, from wikicommons.

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Elbaite
Locality: Cryo-Genie Mine (Cindy B-Cryogenie; Lost Valley Truck Trail prospect), Warner Springs, Warner Springs District, San Diego County, California, USA (Locality at mindat.org)
Size: 9.5 x 9 x 7 cm.
A major crystal at 777 grams, complete all around, like a rocket, and so colorful and beautiful. All the little crystals around the sides are complete. This piece came from the mine owners (Ken and Dana Gochenour) to Bill directly upon finding it. Ex. Pala International/William Larson Collection.
Credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elbaite-192091.jpg

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Elbaite
Locality: Cryo-Genie Mine (Cindy B-Cryogenie; Lost Valley Truck Trail prospect), Warner Springs, Warner Springs District, San Diego County, California, USA (Locality at mindat.org)
Size: 7.3 x 6.4 x 3.3 cm.
This piece was mined by the Gochenour brothers around 2003. This comes from the collection of collector and swapper Al Ordway. It is a rare matrix Cryo-Genie piece, and, importantly, unrepaired. It has a very broad blue cap to it which is most unusual, attractive, and impressive.
Credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elbaite-192116.jpg

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Locality: Cryo-Genie Mine (Cindy B-Cryogenie; Lost Valley Truck Trail prospect), Warner Springs, Warner Springs District, San Diego County, California, USA (Locality at mindat.org)
Size: cabinet, 16.8 x 15.0 x 12.0 cm
Tourmaline, Quartz, Cleavelandite
This remarkable matrix specimen was collected by Ken and Dana Gochenour from the "Payday Pocket" mined just prior to October 2003. These were considered some of the better tourmalines from the mine by outsiders to collecting San Diego County tourmalines as they had a prismatic habit rather than the tapered habit typical of the Big Monday and B.A.T. Pockets this mine was better known for. Only 3 really fine matrix specimens of this style are known from the mine and this may very well be the best of them, according to Chuck. Ex. Chuck Houser Collection.
Credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quartz-ch02a.jpg

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Tourmaline
Locality: Cryo-Genie Mine (Cindy B-Cryogenie; Lost Valley Truck Trail prospect), Warner Springs, Warner Springs District, San Diego County, California, USA (Locality at mindat.org)
A gemmy, translucent BLUE-PURPLEY crystal from this recently worked locality consisting of a string of small pockets....now almost mined out, I am told. Repaired in the middle - you can see the line in the right shot. Hence, cheaper than it would otherwise be. still, displays well as a thumb, from the front 2.2 x 1.6 x 1.4 cm
Credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tourmaline-30067.jpg

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Tourmaline (Var.: Indicolite), Tourmaline
Locality: Cryo-Genie Mine (Cindy B-Cryogenie; Lost Valley Truck Trail prospect), Warner Springs, Warner Springs District, San Diego County, California, USA (Locality at mindat.org)
A lustrous and gemmy indicolite crystal with a matte-finish, purple termination from the 2004 Beryl Pocket find at the Cryo-Genie Mine. Indicolite is not common from the Cryo-Genie, and this is a good one. The backlit photos highlight the color intensity. A couple of trivial edge bruises are certainly not detracting. The side on the back is contacted, but is totally out of sight. Ex Korpi Collection. 4.0 x 3.4 x 2.9 cm
Credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tourmaline-40616.jpg

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Turmaline from San Diego County, California, USA.
On display at the San Diego County Fair. The name of the mine is actually spelled Cryo-Genie. Date 29 June 2009.
Credit and Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tourmaline.jpg

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Tourmaline
Locality: B.A.T. Pocket, Cryo-Genie Mine (Cindy B-Cryogenie; Lost Valley Truck Trail Prospect), Warner Springs, Warner Springs District, San Diego County, California, USA (Locality at mindat.org)
Complete, transPARENT, bicolored, colorful crystal from this recently worked locality consisting of a string of small pockets....now almost mined out, I am told. VERY RARE POCKET with the blue-green caps! Another miniature improperly bundled diagonally into a tn box! 3.8 x 0.6 x 0.5 cm
Credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tourmaline-30981.jpg

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Locality: Pay Day Pocket, Cryo-Genie Mine, Warner Springs District, San Diego Co., California
Size: small cabinet, 5.5 x 4 x 3.5 cm
Tourmaline with Quartz
An interesting and showy specimen with a cluster of quartz crystals hanging off the back of this tourmaline! Not only is the tourmaline unusually blue for this locality, but it is of excellent translucency for the size and has a sharpness you do not often see at the CG. Word has it that the mine is now pinching out after just a few years of prospecting. Each pocket, though small, was quite different from the last. It is a shame to see this mine go the way of odler SD localities! That being said, this piece, because it is so unique in aspect, should be a good investment 5.5 x 4 x 3.5 cm
Credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quartz-ib116a.jpg

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Elbaite, Lepidolite
Locality: Cryo-Genie Mine (Cindy B-Cryogenie; Lost Valley Truck Trail prospect), Warner Springs, Warner Springs District, San Diego County, California, USA (Locality at mindat.org)
Size: small cabinet, 9.2 x 5.3 x 3.5 cm
Indicolite with Lepidolite slice of blueberry pie
A glassy, fat, 5 x 4 x 3.5 cm BLUE indicolite sits here perched smugly on a pie-shaped matrix of crystallized cleavelandite - hence the (heatstroke-induced?) nickname given it by the Gochenours upon mining last year. \Because of its form, color and lustre, this piece is one of the very best CG tourmalines found to date in over 2 years of active mining, for my tastes and in context with worldwide tourmalines. However, that being said, its even better by County standards because big fat indicolites like this haven't been found in 30 years, since mining at the Stewart produced a few....and those not as glassy. In fact the termination is so glassy you can look right down into it to a considerable depth (which makes the pictures worse than the actual specimen because the light refracts). I was EXTREMELY happy to find that Chris had purchased this piece just before selling his collection to me, as I would have bought it anyhow. 9.2 x 5.3 x 3.5 cm
Credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elbaite-Lepidolite-ck88d.jpg

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Tourmaline
Locality: Cryo-Genie Mine (Cindy B-Cryogenie; Lost Valley Truck Trail prospect), Warner Springs, Warner Springs District, San Diego County, California, USA (Locality at mindat.org)
Wow! This is one of the richer specimens to come out of the CG in terms of sheer tourmaline quantity on one rock! It has dozens of brilliant deep-pink crystals intermeshed with one another. Some of them are actually colorless and look like quartz at first glance, though they are indeed tourmaline. Some minor damage, but overall in pretty good shape for a solid mass of little tourmies the size of a grapefruit and the broken ones get lost in the visual jumble of pink crystals! 11.1 x 7 x 4.8 cm
Credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tourmaline-20393.jpg

Large Cryogenie Tourmaline Matrix LA County Museum

Large Cryogenie Tourmaline Matrix LA County Museum, on display at Tucson Gem & Mineral Show.

Some links with info and past history of the Cryogenie/Lost Valley Truck Trail Mine: