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GEM PROFILE - YOGO AND MONTANA SAPPHIRES
Information from David Federman, Modern Jeweler.
Buying products made in America is in vogue again. Which should
increase the sale of what many consider America's finest gemstone
- Montana sapphires. The best known Montana sapphire mine is Yogo
Gulch, the state's only primary corundum source. Primary, meaning
that a gem being mined is still embedded in the rock where it formed
and that this rock is still in its original location. If that host
rock had eroded fully or partly and its gem contents have been moved
by water or rock slide to some other area, this new site is called
a secondary source or "placer deposit." In recent years,
most of the sapphires from Montana have been coming from secondary
sources. The sapphires found in these secondary deposits are vastly
different in color and character from those found at Yogo Gulch.
Hence, gemologists now distinguish between Yogo and other Montana
sapphires.
Yogo Gulch was discovered about a century ago, on one of the gravel
bars on the Missouri River near Helena, Montana, by gold prospectors
who cared very little for the brightly colored pebbles they found.
The first Yogo sapphires were found very near the original dike
in which they formed roughly 50 million years ago. In 1900, Yogo
sapphires exhibited at the Universal Exposition in Paris won a silver
medal in competition against stellar stones from Kashmir and Ceylon.
Those prizewinning Yogo stones were hand-chosen by owners of the
Yogo Gulch mine, then in its first full year of production.
Yogo sapphires enjoy a reputation for distinctive "cornflower"
blue color as well as the rare distinction of being treatment-free.
Yogo sapphires do not need the color and cosmetic boost from heat
treatment, which is routinely given to blue sapphires from Asia,
Africa, and Australia. Because of their rare and natural beauty,
Yoga sapphires have become a highly prized precious gemstone by
jewelry lovers across the world.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ancients believed sapphires had magical healing powers and could
predict future events. It has also been said that a sapphire is
a reflection of the soul of those wearing it. The sapphire is one
of only four precious gems, along with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds.
Rubies and sapphires are actually the same substance - both are
corundum. All corundum is sapphire unless it is red, then it is
a ruby. Sapphires are extremely hard and that makes them durable
- beautiful forever. For centuries, royals have chosen sapphires
for engagement rings. Royals appreciate the permanence of sapphires.
Prince Charles chose a blue sapphire for Princess Diana's engagement
ring.
The word "sapphire" comes from the Greek "saapherios",
which means blue, and many people think that about sums it up. However,
sapphires come in many colors - especially sapphires from Montana,
which run through a wide spectrum of truly amazing shades. In its
pure state, corundum, is colorless. Naturally occurring tiny amounts
of trace elements create the variety of color found in sapphires.
The blue comes from titanium and iron. A small amount of chromium
yields a pink stone, iron gives rise to both green and yellow stones,
while the combination of iron and chromium renders orange stones.
Heating gemstones to yield color brilliance dates back to the beginning
of time. Pliny the Elder, in the first century A.D. described how
Romans cooked the stones. A 1240 A.D. Arab treaty on ruby heating
in Sri Lanka describes similar techniques to those that are used
today. The exception is that there is now a modern breakthrough
method for creating the clarity and brilliance in today's Montana
sapphires. Sapphires from Montana are very clear. Their color has
an extraordinary purity. Sapphires from Montana contain brilliance
and color. Sapphires are less expensive than diamonds but nearly
as durable.
America's leading homeland gem may be the exquisite sapphires from
Montana. Sapphires are a symbol of love and purity. If you're considering
an anniversary gift, sapphires are the traditional gifts for 5th
and 45th anniversaries. Sapphires are also the birthstone for September.
Montana Yogo and Montana sapphires will bring an explosion of
color and pizzazz to your wardrobe! Have Ken Saatjian at the Jewelry
Studio create a unique heirloom for your family with these beautiful
gemstones.
Montana Sapphires |
Yogo Sapphires
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Learn more about American Sapphires on our Sapphire
Frequently Asked Questions Page.
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