The Yogo Sapphire

An Associated Press article led me to discover the yogo sapphire. I was familiar with Burmese sapphires but yogo sapphires, which are mined in Montana, are famous for their deep natural cornflower color. Yogos are becoming more and more rare. There is only one active yogo mine currently and the prices for larger stones are increasing. For the most part, yogo sapphires are small (half a carat or less). Prices for these small yogo sapphires are low but the larger stones are rarer than diamonds. There are still potential sapphire deposits in the ground but there isn't a big demand for yogos since not a lot of people know about them and the scarcity of larger stones makes it hard to market on a larger scale. The 2.23 carat yogo shown here sells for $23,000.

From Luxist