In The News

Potentate currently holds what it says is the largest sapphire-producing land package in the western hemisphere through two properties in southwestern Montana.

Americut’s technology makes it possible to cut in the U.S. and avoid the necessity of shipping the rough stones overseas, Abel said, allowing it to offer the “All-American Sapphire,” which it says is the first time that sapphires have been mined, cut and polished in all sizes in the U.S.

Jewelry with Potentate Mine sapphire cut by Americut Gems is one of the few brands that legally can wear the label “Made In The USA,” assuming the finished pieces also are created here. Americut hopes American jewelers develop the same kind of affinity for Rock Creek sapphire that Canadian jewelers have for Canadian diamonds.

Americut Gems is working on heat treating and precision cutting sapphires purchased from Potentate. They use robotic cutting systems to precisely facet stones ranging from 2.5 to 4.5 mm. The stones are faceted as modified round brilliants and to display the “hearts and arrows” effect seen in some diamonds.

At the technology pavilion of the AGTA show, master cutter Kiwon Jang of KLM Technology (New Brunswick, New Jersey) demonstrated the Jang 1024, a robotic system for cutting colored stones. GIA: GEMS & GEMOLOGY, SUMMER 2016, VOL. 52, NO. 2 Click Picture for more…

There are no other places in the entire Western Hemisphere, except in the United States, where commercial production of sapphire is not only possible, but which could become one of the most significant countries for the production of sapphire in the world. Southern Jewelry News January 31, 2017, Written by Diana Jarrett GG, RMV Click Picture for more...

For the first time in the past 120 years, the rich sapphire-bearing land in this area is owned by a single entity. To witness the beginning of a new era of sapphire mining in Montana and gain a full understanding of this operation, a GIA team visited the new Rock Creek sapphire mine in early August. Click Picture for more...

Montana’s rich history of gold and sapphire goes back to the late 1800s. A GIA field team traveled to the Rock Creek and Missouri River areas, where sapphire mining is still underway, to document the current industry and collect rough sapphire samples for our research reference sample collection. During our time in Montana we visited three mining operations, each with its own business model and its own exciting story. They all shared some common traits, however: amazing natural beauty and a passion for both the area and sapphires. GIA Field crew: Andrew Lucas, Tao Hsu, Shane McClure, and Kevin Schumacher Feb 16, 2016