Transparency is one of our key pillars at Columbia Gem House. Our Gem Facts Pages are one way we fulfill our commitment to providing all available information for the gems we offer. If you don't yet see a Gem Facts Page you’re looking for, stay tuned. The stories behind these gems are in the process of being written.
This American-mined Amethyst ranges in color from a deep purple to a light pink-lavender and is produced in Montana, which led to our name for this beautiful gem - Rose of the Rockies™.
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Citrine has been a part of the gem kingdom for centuries and a member of the quartz family. Fire Citrine®, a very deep red-orange color: has been available for a shorter period of time and is one of the richest colors of the Citrine Family.
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Anthill Garnet is a red Garnet, otherwise known as Chrome Pyrope, that is found on the Navajo Indian Reservation in the state of Arizona.
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Grape Garnet® is a unique pyrope-almandine member of the garnet family and is quite rare. This gem is one of Columbia Gem House’s Trademarked products: a completely new gem variety when it was first found, and then named by Columbia Gem House’s Owner, Eric Braunwart.
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From the high altitudes of the Andes mountain range, our untreated Chilean Lapis showcases gorgeous deep blues, often times speckled with bits of white and metallic golds.
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Here at Columbia Gem House, we refer to this material as Mexican Fire Opal, or MFO for short. MFO is a gorgeous fiery color that reflects its beautiful country, heritage, and cultural significance. As of today, the Mexican Fire Opal is considered to be Mexico’s national gemstone.
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Cortez Pearls® are rare saltwater cultured pearls from the rainbow lipped Pteria sterna oyster, native to Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Pearls are organic gems, created when a mollusk covers a foreign object with beautiful layers of nacre, the mother of pearl.
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Peridot has been valued for centuries and comes in various shades of green, with the most desired being the bright chartreuse to near apple greens. These intensely bright greens can be seen in our Mesa Verde® Peridot, which happens to be sourced right here in the United States.
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A new ruby from Madagascar named Pomme Ruby™. ‘Pomme’ meaning apple in French as well as the root word for apple in Malagasy. We gave this magnificent material its name because the community in which it’s found consists of apple and rice farms. When not farming, the villagers dig for these vibrant apple-red rubies.
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Found in various locations worldwide, Ruby is only produced in one location within the Americas: Wyoming. The Rodeo Queen Mine produces very red gems, nearly opaque in color. These rubies manifest the energy of the rugged terrain surrounding the mine and display the earthy imperfections that make them so unique.
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Montana Sapphires are one of today’s most sought after American-mined gems. This incredibly rare sapphire is mined in three distinct locations in Montana and known by different names.
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For many years Australian Sapphire was thought to only include very dark blue to near-black colors when, in reality, it produces a wide range of qualities and colors.
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Commonly found when mining for rubies and sapphires, black spinel holds many of the same desirable qualities when it comes to hardness, durability and luster. When cut and polished correctly, this jet-black gem offers the most brilliant sparkle you will find in any opaque stone.
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Oregon Sunstones can be found in pale yellows, peach, pink, rust-red to deep reds, as well as various shades of green. Some will also display tiny copper platelets, known as ‘schiller’, which sparkle and reflect light as it enters the stone.
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Seafoam Tourmaline® is a member of the tourmaline family. The colors range from a soft green to moderately vivid shades of seafoam blue greens. To paint a picture, just imagine going to the ocean and watching the waves roll in as you relax.
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Rutilated Quartz is a clear quartz with inclusions of rutile needles. Brazil is one of the few origin locations that produces such unique golden color rutile formed in broad bands, resulting in gems as unique as snowflakes.
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Known for its unique veining, Moss Agate is not actually moss, nor is it even a pure agate. While this material is found in other places, India is one of the major producers and many believe to be the best material available.
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