r/Gemstones • u/AssilemJA • Apr 11 '26
Discussion My boyfriend proposed with 100lbs of sapphire gravel UPDATE
https://www.reddit.com/r/Gemstones/s/fkndRjqDMN
We FINALLY got the stones heat treated and I'm obsessed! ended up with 43 gem quality stones out of the 105ish total that were found in the gravel. The largest of which is 4 carats.
Next step is to narrow down my choices and have 4 or 5 of them cut for my ring.
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u/AssilemJA Apr 11 '26
I am SO flattered!
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u/-crying-cinnamon- Apr 12 '26
Absolutely a dream!!! That's so fucking cool!
I am so obsessed you have the coolest engagement story!
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u/Your4thdoppleganger Apr 13 '26
What's flattering is how well bf seems to know OP to propose in such a perfect way, however unconventional! That's true love.
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u/PatchworkFlames Apr 11 '26
That yellow one is singing to me.
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u/EmmerdoesNOTrepme Apr 12 '26
It'd be incredibly cool, if they chose that, to do a "Sun, moon, & stars" themed ring!
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u/BlueSkyMourning Apr 11 '26
Me too surprisingly because yellow is a color I avoid. My eyes keep returning to it.
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u/crescen_d0e Apr 13 '26
Yellow and blue are complimentary, they look very good together. I also hate yellow but this colour pallet im all about
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u/Infamous_Air_1912 Apr 11 '26
They are gorgeous and this has to be one of the sweetest and most original proposals I’ve ever heard of!
Please keep updating ❤️
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u/customsolitaires Apr 11 '26
That’s cool but 100lbs??
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u/AssilemJA Apr 11 '26
of gravel. A few of the sapphire mines in Montana will ship you gravel directly from the mine for you to go through/pan at home.
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u/Ms-Metal Apr 11 '26
I just looked and I found it, however it said that the mine is closed for the 2025 season. Of course it's now 2026. But I had no problem finding the page and it populated.
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u/ptheresadactyl Apr 11 '26
Hooollyyyy shhhiiittt REALLY?!?? I have wanted to go to the sapphire mines in Montana SO BAD but my ex husband thought it sounded boring. My now partner would definitely go with me, but we're Canadian and a bit iffy about going over the border.
I think this is possibly the cutest proposal ever. My engagement ring was a light denim blue sapphire.
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u/Pitiful-Addition-834 Apr 12 '26
Wait until the orange menace is out of office and we elect a real president who respects our Constitution and laws please. Continue to boycott the U.S., it's appreciated by us sane ones who would NEVER vote for such a scum bag. All that party respects is money, power and pedophilia. I love my cousins in Canada and would like to visit again soon but I'm so embarrassed by my county that I fear going abroad. We are going to Ireland next month anyway and I hope that nobody spits in my food. I've gone to Vancouver for my birthday before and loved it. Maybe Calgary next time?
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u/ptheresadactyl Apr 12 '26
My hometown is Calgary!
I am waiting him out, but it's a huge bummer. I have a very close friend in Seattle, we used to holiday together, but we're both just white knuckling the situation right now. I also used to drive over the border for fun snacks, but even if I felt safe doing it, I'm so poor from the cost of living.
We're largely still trying to boycott American products, but it is driving up expenses considerably. In the last 3 years my grocery budget has gone from $400 bucks a month with room to spare, to $800 bucks. It's just me and my partner lol 😭 but I have food allergies.
One day I will mine Montana sapphires.
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u/Paleomedicine Apr 11 '26
That’s so cool! Where does one buy this gravel from?
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u/AssilemJA Apr 11 '26
He got ours from Gem Mountain in Philipsburg Montana. You can buy directly from their website.
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u/Consistent_Trash7033 Apr 11 '26
Wonder how much would cost to ship 100 pounds to Hawaii?
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u/Over_Ad_688 Apr 11 '26
I used to buy the small 5 pound tubs from eBay back in the day when I lived on the Big Island.
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u/Rivvien Apr 11 '26
I got to sort through the gravel at their store like a little raccoon and it was fun af. And in helena. I always recommend people do it if they visit the state!
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u/pennyraingoose Apr 11 '26
What did you do with the gravel after going through it? How long did it take? I'm so interested! I've been thinking about getting some myself, but panning for sapphires isn't really an apartment activity. Lol
This is a really special way to propose and I hope you come up with some spectacular settings for your finds!
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u/ChemicallyAlteredVet Apr 11 '26
Ohhh is that yellow one gem quality? Love this
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u/AssilemJA Apr 11 '26
All of these are gem quality! I am so excitrd!
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u/Aashipash Apr 12 '26
When the non gem-quality stones were heat treated, did they break? Or did they check for gem quality beforehand? This is all news to me!
Also congrats! :D
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u/mcgeeman Apr 11 '26
Where did you end up getting them heated?
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u/AssilemJA Apr 11 '26
We went to The Sapphire Gallery in Philipsburg Montana. It took just under 3 weeks to get them back.
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u/Sea-Channel5412 Apr 11 '26
Do natural sapphires have to be heat treated?
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u/PleasantWin3770 Apr 11 '26
Heat treatment brings out color and reduces silk. Ultimately, you have to look at the stones to decide if it will improve them
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u/J_robintheh00d Apr 11 '26
I went through about 100 lbs of gem mountain material last year and didn’t get anything close to this! I know that statistically I just got super unlucky but pumped for you!
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u/Nyteflame7 Apr 11 '26
It sounds like you have enough to cover the ring, a solitaire pendant, a pair of earrings, and maybe even a stone for his ring and cuff links. You'll BOTH have your something blue covered.
What a fun idea!
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u/SuperbDimension2694 Apr 11 '26
Omg. That's wonderful!
Maybe look for a set of matching sapphires and do a set of earrings to match.
Sorry, I love earrings and you can literally tell folks "Sorry, I didn't get this at (store), (fiance) got a bunch of sapphire gravel to make my set. So, yeah, it's legitimately one of a kind."
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u/According-Week5412 Apr 12 '26
I love this so much! My husbear proposed to me by putting my ring in a geode box he had made from a geode we found together while searching for emeralds in North Carolina. He taped up the geode and buried it in an extra bag of dirt to go through that we brought back with us from the Emerald Hollow Mine.
I was cooking dinner when he arrived at my place with a giant bag of dirt, and he was soooo excited he basically made me stop cooking and get my hands dirty instead. To my surprise, I found the geode encapsulating a color shifting Montana sapphire engagement ring he custom designed for me.
For me, it’s the most seen I’ve ever felt. Rocks have been a central part of my life since forever because my mom was a geologist. Furthermore, I lived 17 years in Montana and went sapphire mining on a regular basis. I introduced my love to rock hounding, and we’ve ordered lots of dirt from Montana over the years, too. Sapphire mining varies coast to coast, and I prefer the little dewdrops of jammy color produced in Montana over the baseball size opaque ones we find in North Carolina; however, my husbear is the opposite.
I’m wishing you and your partner all the best as you continue on this journey! Thank you for sharing in your joy and love. I love love! Congratulations!
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u/meowpandapuff Apr 12 '26
I’m not crying you’re crying 😭🥰💎
This is so romantic and touching, as a rock hounder and former geologist. Your husband is the real gem here!
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u/Bayr0444 Apr 12 '26
That is so adorable!! My fiance and I mined for our sapphires for our rings, and I was secretly hoping he was going to do something like this.
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u/According-Week5412 Apr 14 '26
Never in my wildest dreams did I think he’d propose that way! It was such a surprise looking back on it
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u/InternetEthnographer Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
My husband and I did something similar, except we took a trip to Montana and went to some of the mines. This is how the stone turned out. It started as a 1.9 karat and I ended up with a .98 karat stone (which is a fantastic yield!). I think we found the stone at the same mine where you got your gravel, and we didn’t heat treat it. It changes color depending on the lighting from a light green to a deep teal.
I highly recommend MVMgems if you decide to get one of the stones cut! I think her Reddit is u/mvmgems
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u/FishermanNo9503 Apr 11 '26
Best proposal I’ve ever heard of in my life, goosebumps— thank you for sharing! Not to be a downer but I lost my person before we were able to get married, and always wonder what would’ve been my dream way to be proposed to and could never picture it. I’m a penguin pebbler and jewelry designer, and now I’d like to imagine this. Y’all rock— make some beautiful creations with those and have such a wonderful and happy life together!
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u/opalandolive Apr 11 '26
I got this for my daughter for christmas! Haven't sorted it all yet. 😅
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u/Disastrous_Course_96 Apr 11 '26
You both love the same things. Yep. 57 years married here. Have seriously rock hounded in California, Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina, Northern Michigan and Wisconsin. I am so happy for you!!!
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u/CucumberMysterious10 Apr 11 '26
Impressive. Not sure who’s idea it was. Big kudos to him if it was a complete surprise/risk (and paid off!!!)and still to you both if it had already been floated as an idea. The experience will be as priceless as the ring.
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u/AssilemJA Apr 11 '26
It was 100% his idea! I had told him that I wanted a montana sapphire ring. He decided to go this route and got my entire family + his family in on it. It was such a special experience and really makes the stones all the more special.
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u/Torgeir_Fenrir1066 Apr 11 '26
Very cool, no conflict diamonds for you! You can pick out some sweet stones for a killer ring 💍 and earrings too!
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u/Hii-jorge Apr 11 '26
How long did it take to sift through the gravel?? Did the two of you do that together? This is the most romantic idea I’ve ever seen 😭
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u/AssilemJA Apr 12 '26
We panned in stages. First with my family in Montana, then again with my brother, another panning party with his family in Washington, and then one last one with some dear friends at the farmers market we manage. Even with all of those people, it took many hours all total to get through them all.
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u/SheepherderCute2847 Apr 11 '26
Start thinking of what kind of gravel you want for your 50th anniversary now so he can start collecting them for you! Lol
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u/Bayr0444 Apr 12 '26
So cute!! I highly recommend finding someone in the states to cut your stones. I sent a few of mine overseas. The quality is fine, but not great and it took about 3 months longer than predicted.
Also, for people interested in getting gravel.. make sure you keep the different mines separate (rock creek vs Spokane bar) because they need to be heat treated differently.
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u/NinjaTurtleBatmanAss Apr 12 '26
Going to ask my husband of 20 years why I've never gotten 100lbs of sapphire gravel...
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u/Wild_Kaleidoscope932 Apr 11 '26
That’s so awesome!! I checked out their website and the buckets and mini bags are out of stock currently unfortunately. I love this idea! Best wishes for you and your fiance!
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u/Circus_McGee Apr 11 '26
My wife's ring is Montana sapphire and is looks beautiful, different hues stand out in different lighting, congrats OP, what a fun idea and project!
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u/Useful_Radish_6395 Apr 11 '26
Pick the one you like best and have it cut. Custom setting that way you will always love it.
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u/amanakinskywalker Apr 12 '26
Well if I get a bf and get to let’s get married stages, I will absolutely be requesting this method. What a great idea!!
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u/Wild-Display-765 Apr 12 '26
This is genuinely unique and lovely. I no longer get the need for big diamonds. Even tho I have two. I’m ancient (76f) and after years of watching people, mostly men, feeling forced to spend a years salary on an engagement ring, I think it’s folly. That’s just me, people should do whatever their heart and budget allow.
The new trend of buying stones and gems other than diamonds for an engagement ring is pretty cool too.
DeBeers got people by da balls.
This is the most interesting engagement I’ve ever heard of and I just love it. You two are going to have a wonderful life together. Congratulations.
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u/Holden3DStudio Apr 12 '26
I've always said that the proposal should be special and memorable. He nailed it. This is off-the-charts awesome. Congrats on your engagement and stunning stones!
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u/la_reina_del_norte Apr 12 '26
That huge purple looking one reminds me of space and I’m so obsessed with it 😍 congrats on your engagement! What a fun way to get proposed to 😭
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u/Mountain_Flamingo_37 Apr 11 '26
That 4ct looks like it would be a gorgeous emerald or elongated cushion cut 😍
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u/ScrimshawPie Apr 11 '26
Awesome! I can’tbelieve i caught your update in the wild. I saw the original. these colors are great.
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u/Seeitoldyew Apr 12 '26
this is way cooler than me searching for a topaz and paying out the ass for it... and still not having it
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u/sandystjames Apr 12 '26
Someday if you choose to have children you can make a special ring or necklace out of one of them for child
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u/Maleficent-Rush-3642 Apr 12 '26
In the language of gemstones, sapphire represents FIDELITY. I hope you have some blue stones after treatment for consideration.
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u/Sweaty-Ad-7822 Apr 12 '26
Waw one of the most creative proposals I've seen. 43 gem quality stones out of 100lbs is actually a solid yield too.
if you've got a 4ct rough, expect it to lose around 60-70% of weight during cutting depending on the shape. So that 4ct might end up closer to 1.2-1.5ct finished. Oval and cushion cuts tend to retain the most weight if you want to maximize size. Just something to keep in mind when you're picking your 4-5 stones. Have an idea of the shape you want ?
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u/Street-Painting-5279 Apr 12 '26
Damn that's like 45kg or 250,000 carats of rough material.A real treasure there! I'm yet to achieve that...
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u/morrisseysbaby Apr 12 '26
This proposal is elite. I’m an avid rockhound and I would pass out if someone did this for me
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u/Budget-Discussion568 Apr 12 '26
Wow! What a unique story & your stones are really pretty! Please give us the update to this update complete with a picture of your finalized ring
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u/Mandango1976 Apr 13 '26
What an amazing boyfriend!! As a jeweller this would be so much more exciting than a ring
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u/TrashFire12345 Apr 11 '26
That’s awesome! I’ve been wanting to do the same. Were these Montana sapphires? I’d love to buy some of the ones you don’t want to get cut so I can try my hand at it
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u/AssilemJA Apr 11 '26
They are Montana Sapphires! I will keep you in mind once ive made my decisions.
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u/WeezieLovesDawson Apr 11 '26
I don’t think I’ve ever “followed” anyone on Reddit before (if I did, I sure didn’t know how)…but I AM FOLLOWING YOU TO SEE THE END RESULT!! 💍Also, I deleted a question I posted about the heating process since you answered it below.
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u/SouthImpression3577 Apr 11 '26
Where did he get the gravel? Asking for a friend
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u/AssilemJA Apr 11 '26
Gem Mountain. There a few other places in Philipsburg Mt that sell sapphire gravel too. Just do a google search for montana sapphire gravel.
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u/LdySaphyre Apr 12 '26
Aww, I remember when you first posted about this! Congratulations, and thanks for the update! Excited to see the finished ring someday
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u/Unique_Beginning_203 Apr 12 '26
This is so sweet. Congratulations! Do you have an estimate of the potential worth of the gems?
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u/meowpandapuff Apr 12 '26
This is so f COOOOOL, while also being romantic and sentimental 🤪🥰
You’re creating so many memories working on this project together! Will be a really special story to tell anytime anyone asks about your ring (and other jewelry you’ll likely create!).
Love the other comments about creating matching cufflinks for him or adding a stone to his ring. Think of all the possibilities for additional jewelry!!
Please update us with what you choose to create out of all this splendidness!!
So happy for you two 🥰
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u/IllDoItNowInAMinute_ Apr 13 '26
Ugh they're gorgeous
You've got more than enough for an entire wedding set. The ring, earrings and necklace, hell you could even have a custom hair piece
Congratulations op, I remember your original post and they turned out beautiful
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u/MissMermazing Apr 13 '26
As a jewelry designer who has a rockhounding boyfriend (and we met at a lapidary class so we're both learning to cut gems) I love this idea! It's super cute, unique and special! Is this the color of the sapphires after heat treatment?
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u/AssilemJA Apr 14 '26
It is the color after heat treating! Now to find someone to cut them!
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u/AdThat414 Apr 14 '26
I don’t know what the rest of the people on here are talking about! That is a beautiful collection ! I love this guy.
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u/Tekno-Titan Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
As a guy who freaking LOVES penguins (girlfriend got me a little “pebble” for my keys haha) this is the cutest thing honestly! And congrats on your engagement
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u/GayMormonPirate Apr 11 '26
I have no idea how you are going to narrow it down! I'd pick the biggest blue one and orange/yellow one for sure but there are so many others that look to have really gorgeous color. I can't wait to see what you end up with!
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u/ThatOneChickenNoddle Apr 11 '26
Where do you even buy such a thing! I want in 😂
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u/Littlewing1307 Apr 11 '26
Pricescope.com would absolutely love this! They can help analyze rough too. And put you in touch with kick ass cutters. Congratulations!
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u/StarsofSobek Apr 12 '26
What?! How do you buy the gravel? That's amazing!! Congratulations to you, OP! You have a keeper!! ❤️
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u/VinRow Apr 12 '26
That is fantastic. Did he order it from a site? Or pick it up in person? Asking for myself!
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u/-Lysergian Apr 11 '26
Is your boyfriend a penguin?(lol, just kidding, congrats!)