About Us

Sapphires of Montana has merged with Columbia Gem House. The same great product, story, chain of custody and guarantees are still available. To purchase loose gemstones click here. You may still purchase jewelry on this website.

Montana Sapphire - An American Treasure

Within the rugged mountains and pristine meadows of Montana lies a true American treasure: Montana Sapphire. Sapphires of Montana is an American company committed to bringing these American treasures from mine to market in a tightly controlled, socially responsible manner, with full disclosure of every step of the journey.

A Little Crystal Chemistry

Rock Creek sapphire comes from the ground in as many as 50 distinct hues. The natural crystals are almost always zoned and typically display two distinct colors. Heating tends to greatly accentuate one of these hues, producing more uniformly colored gemstones. Heating also expands the color range and intensifies color saturation, producing a huge palette of colors which can be vivid even in stones as small as 2 mm.

Heating of sapphire is a routine process that is universally accepted by the gemstones and jewelry marketplace. However, in recent years, processes have been introduced that add chemical elements during heating, radically altering the color of the finished product. This type of enhancement is acceptable only if disclosed to buyers (which is frequently not the case.)

All Sapphires of Montana are heated in the USA, without exception, by Dr. John Emmett and Troy Douthit of Crystal Chemistry. Sapphires of Montana guarantees that our material has been subjected only to heating, with no coloring agents, fluxes, or glasses added during the process. Unheated sapphire may also become available on a very limited basis.

A Beautiful Finish

Rock Creek Sapphires are capable of a superb level of polish, and proper cutting is essential to revealing their great beauty. Sapphires of Montana takes pride in the finished appearance of our gems, and also in the cutting facility we have selected to fashion them. This factory, overseen by Eric Braunwart of Columbia Gem House in Vancouver, WA, is China's best example of a true fair-trade enterprise. Working with this factory guarantees that our chain of custody remains intact, with no processing done to our sapphire rough other than cutting and polishing.

The Factory

"Our cutting factory doesn't just meet international standards - it sets them. Moreover, our factory is a model workplace; with wages that are three times the minimum wage, room & board, paid vacation, overtime pay, medical, disability and unemployment insurance, and annual bonuses. Our factory has nearly a zero rate of attrition, thereby increasing the skills of the craftsmen to the highest degree of experience in the industry." -Columbia Gem House

Our Guarantee

Sapphires of Montana proudly stands behind our products and offers a full lifetime warranty as follows:

  • • We guarantee our sapphires to be as described in our documentation and reports.
  • • If the sapphire is not as stated in our documentation, we offer a full refund.
  • • This warranty is based on the condition of the item at the time of sale.
  • • This warranty remains in effect for as long as you own the sapphire.
More About Heating
More About Cutting
Montana Sapphire History