The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1922-08-04

BY far the most important precious
stone found in the United States o.
America is the beautiful blue sap
phire mined in Montana. To describe
a sapphire of the finest quality the
expression used is "cornflower blue,
and the resemblance of the stone to
the familiar flower is Immediately
apparent when a fine specimen OF
this beautiful gem is compared with
the common cornflower of the gar
den and prairie.
The Montana sapphire ranges in
color from the palest steel through
all the shades of steel-blue until it
reaches in very fine specimens the
lovely hue used in the description of
sapphires as tcornflower blue" I'm
til the discovery of the sapphire
claims in Montana in 1895 this shade
was associated only with the sapphire
of Siam, Burma, Kashmir, and Cey-
Ion. The Montana sapphire has,
however, two characteristics which
the gems from other sources do not
possess-the color is always evenly
distributed throughout the stone and
it is bright and effective by artificial
light, charm not possessed by any
other sapphire at present on the mar
ket. Thus Montana sapphires match
easily, and for this reason they now
surpass in value those emanating
from other countries on account of
their being commercially more econ
tho - 10 fx@<x. . q rt1D IN ~
featuring jewelers. point of view.
The claims from which the gems
are obtained are situated in Judith
Basin county, 81 miles from Hobson,
and extend from the canyon of Yogo
creek to the Judith river, covering
a distance of five miles. The sap
phires occur in a dyke of trap rock
through the limestone
rock. The material in which sap
phires occur varies in appearance and
character from hard rock down
different gradations to the
soft yellow oxidized clay into which |
It finally decomposes.
A shaft has been sunk and at the
present time pay dirt is being stopped |
rom above drifts running ESQ feet |
below the surface The pay dirt
after being brought to the surface is
exposed on extensive washing floors
@ the disintegrating effects of the
atmosphere which causes it after
short time to slack. A stream OF
water is then turned upon the floors
ind the pay dirt carried into series
If sluice boxes. Across the bottoms
If these boxes iron rifles are placed
which catch the sapphires owing to
heir high specific gravity, while the
lighter mud and gravel and non-dis-
pay dirt are carried into
Iams to undergo further weathering
to re-washing. Mining
S carried on throughout the year but
operations are limited to the
months of May to November.
Gems have been continuously pro-
uced by the New Mine Sapphire Syn
we're in the original instance mar
eted at prices far below those OBJ '
aimed for eastern gems, but they
ave gradually taken first place, and
ave doubled in value within the
asst few years. The number of carats
in 1921 was 100000, and '
ince the mine has been in operation I
ems to the estimated value of ST.
90, 600 have been placed on the mar
ct exclusive of stones sold in the S
ough for industrial purposes, which 1
ave realized further sum estimated r
100000. t
The property is capable of great v
evelopment and as the older sources I
supply for sapphires become ex- r
austed, the deposits in Montana are
ipable of being exploited to the s
ztent of supplying the needs of the b