You may have heard the Sleeping Beauty mine in Globe, Arizona closed. Although we had been told by reputable sources we nevertheless decided to do some extra checking to be 100% certain. Sadly, it is certain - in August 2012 the Sleeping Beauty mine ceased its turquoise mining operation to focus on copper extraction. Turquoise is a by-product of copper mining, and some of the more famous turquoise varieties such as Morenci, Bisbee and Sleeping Beauty are a result of this.