Hidden Gems
Nirinjan Singh Khalsa is a Sikh miner and jewelry designer. In Tonopah, Nevada, he mines turquoise with the Otteson family.
- Year
- 2026
- Runtime
- 24 min
- Director
- Nirinjan Singh Khalsa, Hansjeet Duggal
- Executive Producer
- Satinder "Bicky" Singh
- Produced By
- Sikhlens
- Location
- USA
Synopsis
Nirinjan Singh Khalsa is a miner, a jewelry designer, and a Sikh. In America you don't find a lot of other Sikhs mining gemstones. He takes you to Tonopah, Nevada, to the Royston turquoise mine, to meet David and Danny Otteson and their nephews Tony and Trenton.
The Ottesons blast, cut, and polish. Tony says it's about freedom: me, God, and the rocks. The freedom to create your own destiny. When Nirinjan asked what mattered most, every person said family.
Turquoise in America is only mined by small operations like the Ottesons. Native American artists buy it. Nirinjan hopes when you see turquoise in a store, you ask if it was American mined.
Film Credits
- Director
- Nirinjan Singh Khalsa, Hansjeet Duggal
- Executive Producer
- Satinder "Bicky" Singh
- Producer
- Nirinjan Singh Khalsa, Hansjeet Duggal, Bicky Singh
- Produced By
- Sikhlens
- Editor
- Shahbaz Khan
- Cinematography
- Salman Alam Khan
- Music
- Kashif Din
- Sound
- Ghuffran Khan Abbasi
- Film Location
- Nevada, USA
- Runtime
- 24 min
- Festival Screenings
- Sikhlens Arts and Film Festivals
- Cast
- Nirinjan Singh Khalsa; David Otteson; Danny Otteson; Tony Otteson; Trenton Otteson; Tom Otteson; Brenton Otteson