blue jewel mine

The mine is remote but worth the drive to find it. It's a true, authentic working mine and not just your typical tourist trap. Bruce was very helpful and his passion for his livelihood was contagious as he patiently explained the process to us. We spent an afternoon sifting and sieving through about four buckets that yielded a couple larger blue sapphires. One was not cuttable but will likely become a wire-wrapped pendant. The other, however, yielded a gorgeous 2.5 carat stone that will now become a family heirloom! This place is highly recommended for anyone looking for a truly unique experience! Even if we hadn't found these stones, I wouldn't hesitate to return again and would gladly spend all day there.

We visited in the middle of August and had a fantastic day out. Bruce was a very generous, enthusiastic and helpful host. He has a wealth of knowledge and a host of stories to keep you informed and entertained. We are a family of 4 with no previous experience but we were made to feel very welcome. We would thoroughly recommend a visit.Thanks for all your help, Bruce.

My kids loved this place. We bought 4 buckets. They got tired of doing this after a few hours. I would suggest 1 ucket for one family. It is fun but a ton of work. We found a handful of gems...

As others have stated, a little tough to find but so very worth the effort. Our family had a fantastic time learning, and sifting/panning for sapphires, hematite, and other interesting stones. Son (7), and daughter (10) loved it. The owner, Bruce, is fantastic. He was a teacher, historian, and storyteller. Bruce took time to teach the whole family the steps, but took extra time with the kids. Once we went through a cycle, he let us go. Several notes. It was really hot so bring water, sunscreen, hats, an umbrella, etc. Bring snacks. This can be hard, dirty work. Wear athletic shoes or boots and prepare to be covered in dirt/dust. As others note, got to the GPS point and then had to drive down a long hill to several mining operations closer to the river. (1 mile+). Bruce's is a few sites back and has a mobile home, lots of heavy machinery, and a small mobile home with the Panama flag (we didn't get to meet Panama). We did spot a couple small "BJSM" signs that aided our search. We are novices and were so glad we made the effort to meet Bruce and spend a half-day searching for sapphires. We can't wait to return some day in the future.

This out of town location is hard to find but well worth the trip. After several miles on a dirt road, our GPS wanted to take us down a gully to nowhere when we entered the address, but we continued on and eventually found it a few miles on down the road. This is a real, operational Sapphire mine with a fascinating history and the best hosts you could ever hope for. There are many, many mines and sapphire hunting operations in the area but this is by far the very best actual mining experience you could hope for. Bruce, the owner, is very knowledgeable and very willing to explain everything you want to know and help you get started. This is a real mine so not a fancy place. You will stand out in the open while you screen your treasures so wear sunscreen and bring water as it is hard work and gets hot. You might want to get a burger at the York Tavern before or after you go here - the burgers are excellent (mushroom/swiss) and York is the closest little town nearby. We've been to Phillipsburg and found a large sapphire there but this was far superior to that experience even though we didn't find our fortune that day. Bruce has many gorgeous stones for sale but you have to ask to see them and there is absolutely no pressure to buy - in fact, you can tell it would be hard for him to part with some of them and again, these stones are spectacular! We are planning to return again next year. Thanks Bruce and Panama! We had a great time at Blue Jewel Mine.

My boyfriend, our little dog and I went to Blue Jewel Mine on the way home (to Washington State) from visiting family in Montana. I had dug for garnets, quartz, and amethyst as a kid in Montana, and my boyfriend had always wanted to look for gems, so it seemed like the perfect thing to do during our trip.Totally worth it! It's a bit off the beaten path so make sure you take down the directions from their website, call them or ask along the way after York, as you'll spend around 15-20+ minutes on gravel roads. I have a tiny city car that did just fine so I'd say not to be worried about your vehicle making it there.Bruce and company were extremely kind, informative, and welcoming! They taught us all about how to sift and wash the gravel and look for the gems, and they showed us all sorts of amazing examples of both cut and raw sapphires and other neat stones and fossils to keep an eye out for. From a number of buckets of gravel we walked out with a small bag of beautiful raw sapphires, some of them cuttable, plus fossils, hematite, quartz, and agate. We spent probably 3-4 hours there and would have been there even longer if we hadn't had to get on the road.Tips: Do bring lots of water/fluids, snacks if you're planning on being there a while, hats/sunglasses, sunscreen and decent shoes, plus common sense based on the weather. Don't expect there to be a lot in the way of frills as this seems to be very much a working mine, which makes for a very neat, casual, hands-on experience. It was so much fun! We'll definitely be going there next time we're passing through Montana. Thanks to everyone at the mine!

Looking for something interesting to do while we were in Helena, and we found it. This was our first time doing mining, but it is simple, fun and can be rewarding. Bruce was a big help and we probable needed more help than most beginners. We weren't expecting to find anything huge but we did find about a dozen sapphires and some other beautiful rocks. Do yourself a favor and read ALL of the reviews for ALL of the mining companies offering "fee" based mining. We did and I know we made the right choice. It was awesome. Thanks Bruce

We had such a fun time mining for sapphires and other semi precious stones. Bruce, the owner, and Panama, his right hand man,showed us the ropes and gave us all kinds of interesting facts about sapphires. It was a great time and well worth the money! I highly recommend this for a fun filled day!

We decided to end our trip by visiting the Blue Jewel Mine Saturday May 24th 2014 and had the best time ever. Bruce the owner was super nice he showed us every step we needed to know to start our first ever jewel hunt. My husband and I got hooked the granddaughter just enjoyed playing in the rocks, but most of all we had a lot of fun and brought home the jewels we found.I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a new experience just be careful because it can be addicting. That is why I want to plan a trip for next year.

Visited the mine with family along on July 4th weekend. The owner, Bruce, is a great guy and very knowledgeable. It was a very hot day. The mine is mostly level ground near the Missouri river that has giant rows of gravel (over 30 feet tall extending for 100 yards) where the next row starts. The "roadway" is just areas between the gravel rows, but was drivable by a normal car. We did not find much, but had a good time anyway. It was neat to see his mining equipment. I would warn people that it is a mine and more of a work place rather than a tourist spot. It is a place without facilities, refreshments, food, lockers, other recreation, etc. Just a few picnic tables to sort the stones on. I suggest eating in the community of York at the bar/restaurant there (good burgers). I have continued to get sapphire gravel from here and go through it at the house with great success.

The owner is very nice to teach us how to mine sapphire in real. we went this place not only for digging sapphire, but also for learning something and experience. it's a very hot day. we did all steps as instructed, each of us has a beautiful small stone when we left. really love this place and will be in good vacation memory.Be sure to make an appointment before you go. the owner is working on his own when without visitors. It's not hard to find the place, just make a left turn to the up hill when you get to the GPS coordinates location. the address is a bit off with the GPS coordinates. there is no "Blue Jewel Mine" sign off the main road.

I have been to the mine 5 to 6 times over the years and have found it to produce consistant gem and mineral results. Fun for every level of miner's skills by the bucket or by the day can put you back into an era of frontier mining where anything is possible. I have seen good colour stones come from this mine and large ones too. People are very helpful with teaching you the art of the trade so that finding sapphires become more likely. Never a problem finding something, I was never skunked when I dug a pile. Nice views and wildlife fill the fresh clean air as you dig for that natural ice gem waiting to see the light by your hands. It was a great place for anyone to enjoy, I know I did.

We wanted to find a place that was as natural and real as possible to go mining for gems for our two girls. This was it. I highly recommend Blue Jewel Mine as a family activity. Excellent service and the people were very helpful and friendly. Thank you for making our family vacation even more enjoyable.