What are Montana Sapphires? Everything You Need To Know
Montana sapphires are well known in the gem industry for their specific coloring and interesting history. Their easily recognizable seafoam and grey-toned hues are sought after by many seeking custom Montana sapphire engagement rings. At Caleb B Quashen, we have cultivated relationships with mines in the Eldorado Bar over the last decade. This mining area is full of history.
Montana sapphires were discovered by gold prospectors in the late 1800’s. Due to the nature of their intentions for gold, the sapphires weren’t of much interest. The stones were identified as sapphires by Tiffany & Co. in 1867 and termed “Eldorado Sapphires.” However, the colors found were not desirable to the gemstone and jewelry industry. Much of the focus was on the more well-known dark royal blue sapphires.
In 1887, the Spratt brothers began mining and marketing the sapphires found along the Missouri River and the Eldorado Bar area around the world. However, in 1895, cornflower blue sapphires were discovered in Yogo Gulch, dampening a lot of the interest in Eldorado Bar material.
In 1947, the rise of heat treatment fueled mining to resume in the area, as heating can enhance coloring, making the stones more generally desirable to the jewelry industry.
(https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2023-characterization-montana-sapphire)
Today, unheated Montana sapphires are amongst some of the most prized materials in the world. Their recognizable teal-green, silvery hues have become a widespread trend in the engagement ring industry.
At Caleb B Quashen, we have an established, decade-long relationship with multiple artisan miners along the Missouri River in Montana. From each of them, we curate a collection of diverse, natural sapphires that are both heated and unheated, which display a wide range of colors and shapes. We focus on providing gemstones that can be traced from the moment they are uncovered to the moment we receive them into our inventory. Particularly with Montana sapphires, we are able to work very closely with mines to ensure not only that our sapphires are sourced ethically, but also the material we receive is the best possible quality.
