It’s Columbia with a U

"You do Colombian emeralds, right?” We get this question all the time.

First, we do not source Colombian emeralds since we’ve not found a way to do so that follows our protocols, though we do have some gorgeous Brazilian emeralds! But more importantly to answer this question, it’s actually Columbia with a U - our name was inspired by the PNW where we were founded and proudly continue to operate from today. 

The Columbia River separates Oregon and Washington state and our first office building once overlooked that very river. In the 1970’s when Eric first began, it was very unusual to have a gemstone business anywhere other than New York City (he’s always been a bit of a trailblazer, are you surprised?). He was born and raised in the PNW, and the idea of leaving the rivers, mountains, coastlines, and countless forests was a hard thing to imagine. So, he didn’t! He set up shop on the opposite side of the country, away from the main hub of gemstone trading at the time and never looked back. 

Our team is deeply rooted here in the PNW and trust us, it is a very special place! So, when you think of Columbia Gem House, know that it’s a Columbia with a U, like the Columbia River.

Visit our website to learn more about how we started and what happened along the way to get us where we are today.