F.A.Q.

Q. After I get my sapphire sand in what is the easiest and cheapest method to use to screen and look for them? Also after I have found them what is the next step - can I run them in a rock tumbler? or use a cutting tool?

A. You can use a kitchen sieve and wash a cup of gravel then spread it out on a glass pie dish. Put a light source underneath - flashlight or lamp or use a slide table. Once you find the sapphires - they are glassy in appearance- send them in to be faceted, using the coupon sent with your order. You can also print another one from our website under "Faceting Services" at www.sapphiremine.com A rock tumbler is great for the rocks, agates and minerals you find - however, it will decrease the value of the sapphires. Sapphires should be worth $100 per carat faceted versus .10 cents when tumbled.

Q. Hello, My Husband and I are new to the idea of mining. We were wondering how much is charged for Faceting once you find something in one of your bags or box's? Also, I was wondering what winter gravel is as compared to just the gravel?

A. The faceting prices are on the back of the coupon. They run about $7 a finished carat for sapphires. You can print another coupon from our site at www.sapphiremine.com under "Faceting Services". Scoll to the bottom of the page and print. The "Winter Garnet Gravel" is just garnet material from a different mine. We named it Winter a couple years ago when it was snowing and we were depressed. The sparkly garnets seemed to cheer us up. The other gravel is mined here at the Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine plus our other mine the Ed Dorado.

Q. I am just wondering how I might be able to actually get the sapphires out of gravel? Do we require a rock crusher or some specialized equipment? Can I hit it with with a hammer? I am just asking because I would have absolutely no idea how to even look for or recognise a sapphire in gravel. Any tips would be very much appreciated.

A. There is a direction card clipped to the flyer. If lost, you can print one under "Print Flyers"-"Directions" at www.sapphiremine.cm. It helps to wash a cup or so at a time using a kitchen strainer or screen. You can spread the gravel on a plate or better to use a clear glass pyrex pie dish with a light source underneath. The light will shine through the gems and not the rocks. You can either use a light table made for slides or use a flash light under the dish. You can also cut out an old metal coffee can, mount a light bulb in it, and put a piece of glass or a pie dish over it and pour some gravel in. Direct sunlight outside is also good to search for the sapphires. Gold nuggets can at times be found as well as unusual minerals such as topaz. The rocks in outdoor sunlight will appear in varied colors - green is often serpentine, dark green is olivine, at times jade can be found. Also found - jasper-reddish, lots of quartz, and agate-waxy. Shale will be sharp - not water-worn like most of the gravel. If you hit any of the sapphires with a hammer you will ruin them. Sapphires will often have a hexagonal crystal structure. A clear sapphire the size of a mustard seed can be about 1/3 to 1/2 carat and have a finished value of $20-$50 bucks. Clear and colorful sapphires larger than a pea can have a finished value of $100-$1000 bucks.Look under "Testimonials" on our website for photos sent in by other customers. Also FAQ for questions and answers at www.sapphiremine.com Knowing how valuable sapphires can be - you'll end up looking at every rock.

Q. I read a testimonial mentioning a Light Box for sorting. Can you please send info on buying, building, proper use of such.

A. You can buy a light table from Logan Electric Specialty Mgf. Co in Chicago, IL, 60622, model 920. Pricey though. Try Walmart or a photo shop for a slide table for photographs. We use light tables to help pick out the sapphires. Light will shine through the sapphires and garnets but not the rocks. You could miss gold nuggets on a light table, however.

A. The material has to be processed. The gravel dug from the Spokane Bar is 20 feet deep. We must remove 15 plus feet of overburden then dig the remaining gravel down as deep into the bedrock as possible. Then we haul it out of the pit with dump trucks and stockpile the gravel. Our trommel is started, pumping water over 100 feet up from the lake. The gravel gets sorted through the trommel, taking out the boulders, sand and sizing the material. It then goes into another machine, called a jig. That machine separates the gravel by specific gravity. The heavy material is then hauled into the office and sacked. (We try to dry it first) It is quite a process. You would not want just raw material as you must process through ten dump truck loads to get any sapphires. I wish they were more plentiful but that is why they are valuable.

Hand digging is another matter. It still takes a lot of work to loosen the gravel (like digging into concrete), screen it - sorting out the boulders and sand, and then concentrating it by hand using double meshed screens in tubs of water. It is a slow process and again, not as rich as you would hope. The old saying "you can be an inch from a million dollars or a million inches from a dollar" applies. It only takes one good sapphire to make it pay, however, not like gold - which takes one level teaspoon to make an ounce (lots of flakes and specks).

Q. When we use the coupon provided for gem cutting, do the gem cutters
only cut round stones or do they look at the gem and cut to get the most
of the stone? ie. ending up with ovals or other shapes? Once, several
years back with another mining company in the area, I sent a 3 carat stone
to be cut and it ended up being .75 carat round! THe cutter only did
rounds apparently. I didn't think cutting stones used up that much
material.

A. Faceting will take away 2/3rd of the stone plus more if the stone has
fractures or flaws that should be ground away. A three carat rough piece
ideally will yield a one carat finished gem. Gem cutters grind to the proper
shape for the best light refraction for a finished gemstone. Most rough
stones have flaws. If there is any way to get a clean stone, I will grind
as many of the flaws out as possible to yield a more valuable, finished gem.
Most cutters will cut for yield. An oblong shaped stone would be best
suited for an emerald cut or oval. The people that do the cutting want to
make as much money as possible and they will cut for shape as that will save
weight. They get paid for the finished weight.

Q. Are the "flakes" of "gold" in my Garnet Gravel real or fools?
A. There can be gold in the garnet gravel. Gold is heavy and a gold colored metal. The flakes you are seeing are probably mica. If you can cut it in half with your fingernail - it is mica. Both mica and pyrite are shiny and brassy. Gold does not shine.

Q. How do you tell the difference between a garnet and a red sapphire?
A. The red stones are probably garnet. There are about 8 varieties of garnet. Rubies can also be found - but they will have a hexagonal shape.

Q. I really enjoy screening my gems, but need to know how to pick out which ones to send out to be faceted. We have found several clear sapphires, as well as a couple of larger sapphires that don't appear to be clear, but how would we know if the center area is more clear?
A. You can put your sapphires at the edge of a light and roll them around in your fingers. You should be able to see all the fractures and inclusions. Some of those can be ground away and still have a salvageable gem. I just leave it up to the cutters. They are masters at getting the gem quality stone.

Q. I saw on your website that the stones can be heat treated, can you give me your feeling on this?
A. Heat treating can definitely improve the color and clean up the impurities. If the stone is hazy it will definitely help. I don't do all of them - only a special few. I prefer the natural. However, the treated sapphires sell faster as most people want the deeper color.

Q. we pay by the carload, for the stones found, per person? Do we need to rent buckets and shovels or may we bring our own?

A. We advertise the gravel we sell in the office on our flyer which ranges between $25 and $75. We do have sample bags for $5 which is about a screenfull. Our dig option can be shared with the family. It is $60 total and includes one large concentrate plus digging a five gallon bucket in the mine. We provide screens and shovels - some buckets. It is wise to bring your own bucket in case you want to take material home. Also a screwdriver for digging into cracks and crevices if you do the dig. Tweezers are helpful - we do sell them for $3 in the shop.

Q. I am curious about the value of the faceted sapphires - what do you sell them for in your shop?

A. The value of the sapphires ranges from $100 a carat up to $1000 a carat. A half carat (.50) would be $50 as there are 100 points in a carat. Stones that finish over a carat can double in price or more. The four "C's" apply - color, carat weight, cut and clarity, as far as values go.

Q. Regarding the E-Monster Mine...is there any difference in source or quality of gravel, or is the price difference based on the coupon for faceting?

A. You can read about the different Monster Mines in my October 2003 and November 2003 newsletter at www.sapphiremine.com and click on "Newsletters". The E-Eldorado Monster Mine costs more due to the haul fees-40 miles on a bad road with big haul trucks. The El Dorado is new mining property we acquired last October. It is similar material. So far - I have noticed the El Dorado sapphires seem to be bigger. The Spokane Bar Monster Mine material seems to have more colors. El Dorado has a bit more debris- such as twigs and roots - as the gravel is only four feet deep compared to Spokane Bar - of 30 feet. Lots of people try both and compare. You can view some comments about the differences under "Testimonials".

A. Personal checks and money orders can be mailed to: Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine/5360 Castles Road/Helena, MT 59602. We also take credit cards, debit cards, phone orders at 1-877-diggems, or on-line orders at www.sapphiremine.com The faceting coupon is a totally separate issue. You will need that to get your gems faceted at a very reasonable rate.

Q. I'm getting ready to have the first sapphires faceted and have some questions about heat treatment. Most of the stones are quite pretty in their natural state and we will not want to heat them. But some of the duller colors (very pale greens, blues and almost clear) might be prettier heated. So...should this be done before or after faceting? Approximately what does it cost? And can you send me contact info for someone who does heat treatment?

A. I would recommend heat treating prior to faceting. Once treated the cutter will be able to orient the color better. If you wait until after the stone is cut - it can still clean out the silk but often the stone will need to be repolished - or recut and then loose some weight. Elliott Sher, the facetor listed on our website, also will heat treat if you ask him. It is under the "Faceting" link at www.sapphiremine.com.

Does EVERYONE find sapphires?...

Does EVERYONE
find sapphires?...