We hand select many of our Montana sapphires from small businesses, direct from miners and from larger mining operations in Montana, U.S.A. Many of these are family-run, small scale and seasonal operations. Additionally, numerous businesses re-deposit soil and native grass seed when a mining run has closed, to restore parcels of land back to their natural glory! The products of these operations yield these gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, truly nature-made Montana Sapphires.