Where are Yogo Sapphires found in Montana?
Yogo Gulch
Yogo sapphires are a variety of corundum found only in the Yogo Gulch area, in Judith Basin county, Montana.
Is a Montana sapphire the same as a Yogo Sapphire?
“Yogo sapphire” is the preferred term for gems found in the Yogo Gulch, whereas “Montana sapphire” generally refers to gems found in other Montana locations. More gem-quality sapphires are produced in Montana than anywhere else in North America. Montana sapphires come in a variety of colors, though rubies are rare.
What are Yogo Sapphires worth?
Because of their fine quality, the price differential between Yogo and other fancy Montana sapphires can be significant. Baide said that other Montana sapphires can average about $1,000 per carat, compared with somewhere around $10,000 per carat for a Yogo sapphire.
How can you tell a Yogo Sapphire?
Often, they appear blue in daylight and violet to purple in incandescent light. Pale colors shift from sky blue to lavender. Yogo sapphires have a beautiful deep cornflower blue color without any treatment. However, these stones tend to be small, with few above 0.5 carats.
How rare are Montana sapphires?
Are Montana Sapphires Rare? Montana sapphire is not found in very large rough pieces. Considering that a rough nugget will yield a cut stone only about 1/3 of the original size means that large, fine quality faceted Montana sapphires are very rare.
How valuable are Montana sapphires?
Typical Montana sapphire can cost anywhere from $250-$1500 per carat for under 1/2ct to upwards of $7000 per carat for larger than 5 carats. Price is dependent on the quality of the gemstone (ie color, clarity, cut, and carat).
Why are Montana sapphires so expensive?
What makes Montana sapphires even more valuable to many people is the way they are ethically sourced and mined, with consideration for the environment and an easy to trace “mine to market”. Just as with other sapphires, a Montana sapphire’s value (and price) will depend on its color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.
Can you mine Yogo sapphires?
Because Yogo sapphires occur within a vertically dipping resistive igneous dike, mining efforts have been sporadic and rarely profitable. It is estimated that at least 28 million carats (5.6 t or 5.5 long tons or 6.2 short tons) of Yogos are still in the ground.
Are Montana sapphires expensive?
Montana Sapphire To be specific, the majority is under 1/2ct and a very limited supply of the sapphires are over 1ct, which makes the stone substantially more expensive per carat. Typical Montana sapphire can cost anywhere from $250-$1500 per carat for under 1/2ct to upwards of $7000 per carat for larger than 5 carats.
What kind of rock are Yogo Sapphires found in?
igneous
They are found in a system of igneous intrusions called dikes. There are six main dikes that form the centre of the Yogo sapphire deposit. All are composed of a type of igneous rock called a lamprophyre.
Are Montana sapphires more valuable?
Due to the limited resources for the Montana sapphires, a majority of the natural Montana sapphires will be under 1ct. To be specific, the majority is under 1/2ct and a very limited supply of the sapphires are over 1ct, which makes the stone substantially more expensive per carat.
Where are Yogo sapphire mined in Montana?
Mining activity today is largely confined to hobby miners in the area; the Vortex yogo sapphire mine is the only major commercial mine currently in operation. Yogo sapphires are mined in Montana at Yogo Gulch, 12 miles southwest of Utica, 45 miles west-southwest of Lewistown and east of Great Falls.
Is this ring a Yogo sapphire?
The story that the gem is a Yogo can be traced to a Los Angles Times article that described the ring as a 9-carat montana sapphire, and quoted Intergem president Dennis Brown’s claim that the gemstone may have come from a British-owned Yogo mine. The yogo dike was a unique mining area compared to other sapphire sources in the world.
Will county lines affect Yogo sapphire mining in Lewistown?
This minor change in county lines appears to have had no effect on yogo sapphire mining in the Lewistown area. Yogo Gulch and the foothills of and including Yogo Peak, Yogo Creek, and the Yogo dike, are all in the Little Belt Mountains. The Gulch is located along the lower reaches of Yogo Creek and west of the Judith river.
Where are Yogo sapphires made?
The Yogo sapphires we sell are hand mined, untreated, and sustainably sourced from our claims in Yogo Gulch, Montana. Yogo is the rarest of all Sapphires. In the late 1880s, Yogo City was like a ghost town. The hundreds of people who had come to the town looking for gold had deserted it.