News

It’s that time of the year! Here in the Pacific Northwest, we start to see the face of the sun peak out in the Spring and all kinds of colors begin to blossom. For us, Spring brings sweet delicate pastel colors of greens, blues, pinks, and yellows. Which, of course, we love because it gives us an excuse to pull out some of our favorite pastel-colored gems to share with you! Pastel colors show up across dozens of gemstone varieties. Aquamarine, Blue Topaz, Neon Green Beryl, Green Quartz, Morganite, Tourmaline, Sapphire... just to name a few! With new life and...

There’s no question that creative cutting is at the heart of what we do at Columbia Gem House. We first set up our cutting workshop in the late 80’s, and now have some of the most skilled cutters in the industry. From calibrated cutting of melee, traditional and creative styles, to incredibly skilled hand-carved intaglios, and of course spectacular one-of-a-kind gems. Over the years, we have seen fads, trends, and longstanding love affairs with different styles of gems. Recently, hexagon shaped gems have become one of the most requested styles we get asked for. And you know us, we can’t...

Did you catch this month’s Fair Trade Friday? The first Friday of each month, we host a live discussion on Instagram, where we talk about various topics related to Fair Trade.  Last week, our owner Eric Braunwart sat down to talk about our “why” for responsible gemstone sourcing. There are many life events and experiences that influence the fuel behind any business, and in this month's Fair Trade Friday episode, Eric shares his. This story shares how (and why) we came to the decision to create our traceable, responsibly sourced gemstone supply chain. Now, it's been more than 20 years...

We're beginning to inch toward springtime and with the calendar switching to March means we give the spotlight to Aquamarine! Aqua is the traditional birthstone for March and is actually a member of the beryl family (just like Emerald or Morganite). This gem's direct Latin translation means "water of the sea" and comes from a variety of locations around the world, with significant deposits found in Brazil, Mozambique, Zambia, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. Today, our team is working with rough primarily sourced from Nigeria. This rough tends to be quite clean, free of inclusions, and cuts lovely blue and slightly blue-green...

Did you know that Mexican Fire Opal is formed within volcanic rock cavities? Water gets trapped in silica-rich lava, and under high volcanic temperatures, that same superheated water encapsulated in lava transforms into the burning-colored gemstone you see here.   Introducing Gem Facts Pages   Every gem has a story, and we want to share them all with you! That’s why we have worked hard over the last couple of months to begin updating our Gem Facts Pages.   Our Gem Facts Pages are where we share stories like how Mexican Fire Opal is formed, or what happens with the...

Amethyst is one of the best-known gems of the quartz family. Its rich purple color has been praised for centuries. As one of the 12 original birthstones, Amethyst has held its place as the birthstone for February to this day. This gemstone originates from many locations around the world, but we offer two main colorways of Amethyst. One from South America and one from the United States. Our trademarked Iris Amethyst™ is from Uruguay and Brazil and showcases a deep, rich, and beautifully translucent purple. Brazil is most famous for its Amethyst from the Amazon in the southern state of Rio...