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Here is a rarity; a sapphire in matrix from Yogo Gulch, Montana. You can look all over the internet, but I doubt you will find a similar specimen. Yogo Gulch is a world famous sapphire mine located not far from the town of Utica, Montana. The deposit is a lamproite dike that cuts across several miles of countryside. It has been mined, off and on, for many years. The sapphires are remarkable because of their consistently fine cornflower blue color (without any heat treatment!) and exceptional clarity. Although most of the crystals are small and tabular in shape, these sapphires set the world standard for fine color and quality. A friend of ours owned property at Sapphire Village, a small trailer community at the edge of the mine, and owned digging rights on part of the sapphire dike. We collected the above specimen at the mine. As you can see, the sapphire is small, but any Yogo sapphire in matrix is a rarity. Many of the Yogo sapphires occur as very thin plates. The above specimen is a flattened plate that cleaved across its length when the matrix was broken. Shown above is a close-up image of the specimen. If a strong point source of light is shown on the sapphire its gorgeous blue color is evident. The chunk of lamproite matrix itself is approximately 2 x 3 x 1 inches in size and weighs 8 ounces. (#M415, $12.50 )
To view other Yogo Gulch sapphire matrix specimens for sale, check out this link.
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