gem mountain sapphire

I totally forgot to submit this review when I got back from my visit, so pardon the delay of this review. So after noticing a flyer advertising this place, I knew my MT experience needed to have some sapphire mining done. The store was great, the staff was super friendly and knowledgable and 'mining' was a lot of rewarding work! I pulled 18.3 carats from my bucket and 2 pieces are worthy of treatment. They should be here soon and I can't wait to see how they came out. A definite must if you're in this area!!!

We sifted for sapphires at the mine itself. We found some and had a good time. Staff was friendly and helpful. I would go back again. Note: Coming across the "pass" from Hamilton, it is a long stretch of dirt road with some people driving like maniacs. This is best accessed from the Phillipsburg side.

The mine itself is closed for the winter season but if you go into Philipsburg the have a store that is open year round. You can buy a bag of mine rocks and either pan them there at the store in the back or take them home with you to do later which is what I do. The shop is full service and if you find gem stones they will evaluate them for you and tell you if they are good enough to make into cut stones. You can then have them heat treated and cut and polished and sent to where ever you live. We have done this in the past and have been very pleased. One thing to keep in mind is be patient if you want to have your stones processed it can take up to 9 months to get them back. If you go in the summer time it is a great time for the whole family.

Gem Mountain gave my family a fun Sapphire mining experience. The staff was very accommodating, knowledgeable and friendly.

Really great place in the middle of nowhere! The people working there were so friendly and helpful (except for the older woman who evaluated our stones). We had a really great time, and I already want to go back. You are pretty much guaranteed to find sapphires, but how much they're worth...I'm not sure. Pretty exciting when you flip over your pan and see them all sitting there together! As we were leaving, someone had found a large purple sapphire. The owner or manager said it was probably worth somewhere between $10k-30k!?!? The fact that I could have found that stone makes me want to go back next weekend!

What is better than finding your own sapphires and being able to have jewelry made with them! We loved it! A little spendy, but totally worth it!

Fun finding your own sapphires, a bit hard on the back as the day went on. It can be hot under the sun, bring hats, sun screen and water to drink

Nice way to spend an afternoon or day. Out of the way but not difficult to find. Nice to take your yreasures home.

Hunting for sapphires in the beautiful Montana mountains! An incredible treat complete with a very energetic, knowledgable and fun staff. Whether you're passing through or spending a few days, it's well worth the drive. Very reasonable cost with big rewards.

The sapphires were beautiful. You can also "mine" for your own sapphires and if you find one you really like, they can set it for you.I also found birthday presents. Beautiful necklaces and earrings with stones at very reasonable prices. Also, stone craved animals. So much to see and quite the variety. You have high end jewelry and very affordable jewelry. Something for everyone.

We went out to the mountain to hunt for sapphires instead of being in town. It was so peaceful out there! We spent about an hour sifting out 2 buckets of dirt between my wife and I and our 2 young children. We chose not to get any of the sapphires evaluated and continued on our way. A quick stop in downtown Phillipsburg at The Sweet Palace to pick up some candy finished off the visit quite well. We would definitely like to stop again if we travel through the area again.

We went to Gem Mountain expecting a real "touristy-trap" type of experience, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip to Phillipsburg. The staff was VERY knowledgeable and helpful. We recommend that this adventure be on your list of "things to do".

Decided to do something different on a holiday weekend. A colleague told me about Gem Mountain. She went to the store in town to sift gravel and search for sapphires. My husband and I decided to take our dog and head out to the mine. It's about 16 miles outside of Philipsburg. The countryside is beautiful. When you arrive, you check in to the office/shop and purchase tickets for buckets of gravel. When we were there, the price was $20/bucket (discounts for multiples). You give your ticket to a staff member outside, pick your bucket, and find a table. Staff are really friendly and will give you a lesson (or two or three...) on how to wash the gravel in the trough. Mind what other reviewers say - you get wet and dirty! If you wash the gravel the right way, when you flip the screen, the sapphires sit on top in the center. If you don't (and even if you do, you don't want to miss any!), you search through the cleaned gravel. It's a tedious process like assembling a puzzle in that you sit and move bits around and search for small differences amidst a lot of similar pieces. We found over 70 cts in 3 buckets. Only 7.5 cts were possibly good for cutting into gemstones - the largest sapphire we found was 3.55 cts (flawed) that may end up being 1.5 cts when cut. For a small fee ($5), they will assess your finds for gem potential. If you have them cut or fire your stones (firing causes them to turn colors such as the characteristic dark blue), they waive this fee. Cutting and firing will cost you, but if you have decent stones, you will get your money back in the value of the finished gems. They send stones out for cutting and it takes months to get them back. Check out their facebook page for pictures of stones and more info.We spent several hours there, our dog under the table out of the sun, cleaning and searching. It was hot and searching is easier in the direct sun - bring sunscreen. They have snacks and drinks in the shop - we brought our own. The staff were friendly and helpful. Tips are appreciated. I would do this again, and I'd definitely bring friends and family for a Montana experience. This is probably NOT something for people with a short attention span or young children. Bathrooms are portables. Dress for dirt and wet and whatever the weather has in store.

Took our dog with us and looked for Gems in gravel. Also would recommend going to the town and enjoy a beer outside or in at the Philipsburg Brewery.

Read the other reviews.. dress for the day..your going to get dirty and wet! But its fun and where else can you find your very own sapphires...also follow up with a visit to town for lunch and gift/jewelry shop visit! I went on Sunday morning ..it was getting busy after 12:00 and I headed into town for lunch!