A Wikipedia search for “sapphires” will land you in
my backyard: the Spokane Hills near Helena, Montana. The Missouri River (now a chain of lakes
created by hydroelectric dams) passes through the sapphire country. The sapphires are found near the water in the
diluvium that washed down from the surrounding mountains in the time of ancient
floods. Montana is one of the few
places in North America where gem quality corundum crystals (sapphires) can be
found. Ruby is also a form of corundum.
Rubies have also been found in Montana.
Sapphires, depending upon the impurities within the
corundum, may range in color from clear to green to blue to yellow to pink. A handful of uncut sapphires might appear
like a bouquet of mixed flowers. While I
appreciate the look of a cut sapphire, I am much more thrilled by the way the
uncut sapphires play with light.
--Mitchell
Hegman
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