Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-06-29
Bio Demand for Sapphires.

pnlTe man Oh mOuldnd, letuTneu iaol
evening from London and will spend
the summer among his many friends
in Great Falls and northern Montana.
Besides being the original sapphire
man of Montana, Mr., Wells may be
without correction, styled the origi-
nal sapphire man of the United States
as he is the only one who has made
the business in London a success,
says the Leader.
Years ago, when Montana was
young, Mr.. Wells blew in with the
old-time herd and for more than a
decade was one of the trail blazers of
the state, and particularly of north
Mr.. Wells and. what is more to the
point, continued smiling until his in
come beat his expenditure by a city
block and he became a capitalist.
! Half a dozen years ago Mr.. Wells took
up the matter of marketing the sap
phires of Yogo, south of Great Falls,
in London; the chances did not look
bright and other people had made
failures, but Mr.. Wells played ball I'M
til the business was upon a business
basis. He with a number of local cap
i~talists, was interested in the Yogo
sapphire mines and Mr.. Wells be-
came the London representative. The
other local men sold out and the sap.
phire syndicate was organized for
100000, Mr.. Wells holding a large
proportion of the stock and continu.
ipa IN racida in nndnp
Today he is the only Montana man
in the company and Is its most pow
erful director. The capital stock of
the company has not changed, but
during the past year three times the
amount was sold upon the London
market. It is a remarkable fact, and
one perhaps not yer thought of by
the outside world, but the mines just
south of Great Falls supply at least
80 per cent of the watch jewels Of
the world, and for the output Of the
mines there Is a call made twenty
times the amount which Is being pro.
duced. At present there are per-
haps rs men working in the mines
and the output is greater than ever
before. The stones are blue and are
shipped to London in the rough state
for cutting and sale. Mr.. Wells will
leave in a few days for the mines
to look owe and report upon the work
ing.
During the past year our sales
were 100000 worth of sapphires,"
said Mr.. Wells, in speaking of the
matter, land II will be much increas.
ed with the year. We could have sold
twenty times as much stock, and by
January l, last, We had not a dollars
worth of the years output on hand.
1T may not be generally known,
but We supply 80 per cent of the
watch jewels of the world, having sold
over 5000 ounces last year to one
man. Our sapphires are chosen for
this for the reason that the smaller
pieces are about right for such pur-
poses with but little cutting and
poor jewels from India, Burmah and
other eastern jewel marts were used
but we have put them out of the mar
ket, except as We cannot fill the or
ders.
"Our %sapphires are blue, and while
there are other sapphires just as
good in every way all over Montana
and in other American points, the
blue sapphires are the sellers and
will go twenty times as fast as any
other. From the time of the Bible
blue has been taught as the color for
sapphires, and while the others are
just as good and just as beautiful,
you will find the sales, as | say, and
the vast majority of the people look
ing for blue stones. All of u stones
are shipped to London in the rough
and there cut, the prices for cutting
here being In a manner p%rohibitive
While we sell stones as high as $125
a carat, we sell ten thousand for not
one-tenth of the sum, and while We
sell most excellent stones, the vast
majority of our business Is done In
the tiny ones, which would ordinarily
be thrown away. This year We sold
our small stones largely to one man
and he would have taken ten times as
many could we have furnished them
| shall leave for the mines In a few
days, and will spend the summer be
tween there and this city"
Mr.. Wells stopped at the st. Louis
fair for a couple of weeks on his way
from England. but found 1t so hot al