We have been in the colored gemstone business for over twenty-five years. We purchase rough gemstone material from the source and cut our own stones. This eliminates the middlemen, which allows for tremendous savings that we pass on to our customers. All of our Montana gemstones are diamond cut to exacting standards achieving maximum brilliance and clarity. Diamond cutting achieves a brightness that exceeds other native cuts.
Nitestone is a term given to Montana Sapphires because of their sparkle and slight color change achieved under evening light. Precision diamond cutting achieves a brightness that exceeds other sapphires and makes them sparkle like diamonds. Montana stones have tremendous light refraction.
Montana sapphires are truly some of the finest quality sapphires in the world. They come in a variety of colors. They are COMPLETELY NATURAL gemstones.
Sapphire was first discovered in Montana in the late 1800s by gold miners working the gravels of Missouri River near Helena. The gold prospectors discovered the Gem Mountain sapphire deposit in 1892. Since that time, this mine has produced 180 million carats of sapphire.
When modern heat treatment processes were introduced, Montana sapphire production went through the roof.
Unfortunately, the sapphires from this location (Gem Mountain) are usually quite small. However, the color and clarity of these gems make up for it. They come in red, orange, yellow, green, pink, and blue. They also come in a combination of these colors and because of their color changes under evening lighting they are extremely unique.
Most of the gem grade sapphire in the market place is heat-treated. When Montana sapphire is properly heat treated, they explode with color. Diamond cutting brings out a brilliance under various lighting conditions that are unique to these gemstones. It is very difficult to find Montana sapphires that are gem-quality without being heat-treated.
There are four basic Montana sapphire regions but Rock Creek is known for its distinctly sharp colors. The colors range from cornflower blue to red/orange to mint green. Spokane Bar and Eldorado Bar are other sapphire regions and located on either side of Houser Lake.