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All 3 Philipsburg Attractions »

Gem Mountain Sapphire

21 Sapphire Gulch Lane, P.O. Box 190, Philipsburg, MT 59858
406 859 4367
Website
My haul and doggy
The troughs
Staff Member Helps a Visitor
9 visitor photos
Ranked #1 of 2 attractions in Philipsburg
4.5 of 5 stars 31 Reviews
Type: Mines
Owner description: Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine - Wash Gravel Find Montana Sapphires. Seasonal: Memorial Day through Columbus Day in October (weather permitting). Open...... more » Owner description: Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine - Wash Gravel Find Montana Sapphires. Seasonal: Memorial Day through Columbus Day in October (weather permitting). Open year-round in Philipsburg, 201 West Broadway. Indoor gravel washing, heat treating, faceting, Montana Sapphire Jewelry, rocks, fossils, crystals and more... « less
Useful Information: Activities for older children
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31 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    17
    11
    2
    0
    1
Date Rating
Missoula, Montana
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
“Find your own gems!”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 April 2012

So cool for the whole family, mine for your very own sapphires! Often you can find ones of gem quality, inside they will assess the gems you have found. Bring a hat and sunblock! It is hot and sunny out there! More

Was this review helpful? Yes
Corvallis, Montana, United States
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
“Gem Mountain”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 April 2012

Fun place to hunt for sapphires. Don't go on weekends as it is busy, but still worth it. Have them cook and cut your large finds. More

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Portland, Oregon
Senior Contributor
36 reviews 36 reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“A touristy jewelry store”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 March 2012
1
person found this review helpful

If you're in the market for sapphires, this is the place. More

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Port Townsend, Washington
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Oooohhhh's and Aaaahhhh's is what was heard!”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 February 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Very fun, friendly, knowledgeable staff. Beautiful location! Oh yeah, absolutely GORGEOUS sapphires! We had a great time, it nearly killed us to wait to see what became of the stones we left with Gem Mountain but oh was it worth the wait! Out of 11 stones all came back just beautiful and I am in the process of designing the... More

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Hamilton, Montana
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Good for kids!”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 December 2011

If you're kids like hunting for treasure, this is a fun day. They will find lots of small sapphires if they're patient. It's relatively inexpensive and they are very good about teaching people how to hunt through buckets of gravel for "gems." More

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Yucca Valley, California
1 review
“Scammed”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 October 2011

We went in Sept 2010 , We found lots of Sapphires, some worth cutting. They offered to cut 3 of them for us for about $$280.00. We said OK. We never received any sapphires and have called many times. They told us they sent the to CHINA to be cut !!! and they did not know when they would come... More

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GemMtnMT, Owner at Gem Mountain Sapphire, responded to this review
25 October 2011

The Title of this Review is Misleading. Gem Mountain offers both an overseas cutting option and a Montana Faceting option. Both options are clearly presented on the front page of our Heat Treating and Faceting Pricelist. Most customers select the overseas cutting option for the cost savings. We have attempted to contact all of the customers with stones trapped by... More

Manhattan, Montana
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Good place for rough sapphires”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 September 2011

When I first went to Gem Mountain it was dig your own gravel, those days are gone but it is still a good place to go for rough sapphires. I have kept records over the last couple of years, and have averaged around 17 carats of stones per bag of gravel, out of which there are approximately 4 carats that... More

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Kalamazoo, Michigan
2 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“AWESOME!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 September 2011
1
person found this review helpful

About 5 years ago, I saw Philipsburg on the travel channel and promised myself that one day I would go there to sapphire mine. This was the year. I packed up my 12 year old step-daughter and we took the road trip from Michigan to Philipsburg. After waiting so long to finally get there, I was afraid that my expectations... More

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Fort Lewis, Washington
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Great fun, but way too pricey”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 September 2011

This is one of my favorite things to do in MT, but since I started going in 2004, the prices have more than doubled. I still go because I have a good time sifting through the dirt and being outside...it's like gambling for me, wondering what you'll get in every shake. Very addictive, I would spend more money if the... More

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furnitureruss
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
53 helpful votes 53 helpful votes
“If you have a free day - do this!!!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 August 2011
6
people found this review helpful

My wife and I were in Missoula for the weekend. We decided to take the drive to Gem Mountain to see what it's all about. First of all, if you are coming from Missoula and you follow the directions on the Gem Mountain web site, the directions they give are spot on (and it's a scenic drive - very beautiful).... More

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