SAPPHIRE PAYDIRT!
Montana Gems brings you unwashed Montana sapphire gravel for sale from 2 different Montana sapphire deposits. This family attraction allows you to mine our sapphire gravel on-site or in the comfort of your own home. None of our material has been mine run, you will be the 1st person washing your material to hopefully discover your very own Montana Sapphire. Our gravel comes from 2 locations – 1 is from Potentate Mining Company, Philipsburg, MT -coming from the area surrounding Gem Mountain. The other is from the El Dorado Bar deposit located just outside Helena, Montana. Don’t forget to check out all the gem gravels for sale, see them here!
GEMSTONE PAYDIRT EXPLAINED
Gemstone paydirt can be a very different experience depending on the Montana sapphire gravel you are mining. Our loose Rock Creek Sapphire material is from a Mountain deposit. This material is full of clay, making it our hardest sapphire gravel to wash. The loose rock creek sapphires are often found inside the clay balls so care must be taken to break them all down. These montana sapphires will be rounder in shape, usually pastel in color. The sharp contrast between the host material and the actual sapphire helps rock hunting enthusiasts discover their gem hunting potential.
El Dorado Bar sapphire gravel:
Our El Dorado sapphire gravel comes from an ancient gravel bar near Helena, Mt. Here you will be searching river rock for the famous Montana Sapphires. These sapphires are also usually pastel in color but more crystal in shape, often found in the natural 6 sided crystal form. You may have a harder time spotting these montana sapphires, due to their rough exterior and the variety of colors and shapes in the natural gravel. Searching through this sapphire gravel is much easier due to the lack of clay. This deposit tends to produce larger sapphires. The down side is our Montana sapphire gravel bag is a bit more expensive. This material also produces garnets, gold flakes, fossils, agates, petrified wood and less often spinel, kyanite and tourmaline.
Rock Creek Sapphire Gravel:
Virgin unwashed sapphire gravel from the Rock Creek deposit. This material comes packaged in a 2 gallon sack. The material has not been washed and contains a lot of clay. This takes more washing than our El Dorado Bar gravel material so be prepared. Complete washing instructions with photo are included to assist you through the process. Rock Creek sapphires are usually smaller but nice and gemmy and fairly easy to distinguish among the base material.
Gem Krazy:
This is our most FUN bag per our many visiting customers! Virgin sapphire gravel that has been enriched with many various gems. Treasure hunting galore and a perfect family activity – great entertainment for rock-hounds and treasure hunters. Gravel may contain gold flake and fossils as well as natural Montana sapphire.
Fossil Bag:
This 2 gallon fossil bag is a great mix of low grade sapphire gravel along with aquatic fossils. The fossils date back over 400 million years old. You can expect hours of fun searching this material and using the provided information to identify your finds. The base is unwashed sapphire gravel so keep your eyes peeled for glassy looking gems – they could be valuable Montana sapphire or garnets.
Furthermore, use this fossil bag as an educational tool. This can be a great way of studying ancient aquatic fossils. The various fossils and information cards provided turns a fun project into a learning session.
Please note, each bag will contain a variety of fossils. Some of the fossils included could be trilobites, ammonites, shark teeth, crinoid stems, brachiopods, branch corals, gastropods, snails and or fossilized clams. This material from the El Dorado Bar may also contain native fossils, gems or flakes of gold.