Yogo: The Great American Sapphire [Paperback]

Stephen M. Voynick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1987

To the surprise of many, the United States has emerged as a commercial source of what some gem experts consider the world's finest sapphire. Equally surprising is that the entire production of the gem comes from a little-known Montana mine named Yogo, which 60 years earlier had produced $25 million in fine-cut sapphires for the British. Yogo is a historical treasure, but the story of Yogo sapphires is really just a beginning, for only now are South American diamonds, Colombian emeralds, and Burmese rubies being belatedly joined by a native American precious gemstone that is every bit their equal the Montana sapphire. The colorful story of the Montana mine that produces the prized Yogo sapphires has been updated in this revised edition. Included is the demise of Intergem and the humble beginning of Vortex, Inc.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Here is a remarkable geological story backed by a century of rich Montana history a fascinating tale that lay hidden in disjointed company files and correspondence, dusty geological reports, decades of yellowed newspaper clippings, and even in some of the works of Charles M. Russell." --Northwest Rendezvous

About the Author

Stephen M. Voynick has worked as an advertising, industrial, and technical photographer; a marine salvage diver in the Caribbean and South America; and a hardrock miner in Colorado, Wyoming, and Arizona. Since 1982 he has worked as a full-time freelance writer. Voynick has written more than five hundred articles, many on topics of mining, mining history, western lore, resource development, and applied science. He is currently a staff writer with Persimmon Hill, the magazine of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. With a lifelong interest in minerals, gemstones, and fossils, he is also a contributing editor and science columnist for Rock & Gem magazine. Voynick lives in Twin Lakes, Colorado.

Product Details

• Paperback: 215 pages
• Publisher: Mountain Press Publishing Company; Revised edition (October 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087842217X
• ISBN-13: 978-0878422173
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #651,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Americana-rich story of Montana's Yogo Gulch sapphire mine., January 17, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Yogo: The Great American Sapphire (Paperback)

If you own a sapphire from Yogo Gulch, you own a piece of history, so you might as well know the whole story behind your stone and the mine it came from. Steve Voynick, a bona-fide hard-rock miner and talented writer, tells the whole Yogo story from Pig Eye Basin and J.P. Morgan to the present prospects for this century-old gemstone claim. Detail-rich photographs help you get a better picture of the people and the times. Western mining Americana at its finest

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing, December 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Yogo: The Great American Sapphire (Paperback)

This is a well-written, and fairly well-illustrated, account of a very obscure, but fascinating chapter in mining history---specifically the Yoga sapphires of Montana, which are arguably the finest blue sapphires in the world

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great history book, July 18, 2005

By 

D. Gannaway "Forgetmenotjewelry.com" (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yogo: The Great American Sapphire (Paperback)

This book is not a gemological type book. It is more of a history book with a lot of interesting Montana history. It is definately worth the read. Yogo Sapphires are beautiful gemstones. That's why we use them in our jewelry at forgetmenotjewelry.com.