Corundum (var. sapphire) (NMNH 177075) | Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Greg Polley

These natural sapphire crystals from the Rock Creek deposit in Montana exhibit the range in varying colors of the rainbow: orange, yellow, green, blue, violet and pink. The crystals have been eroded from the host rock and weathered by water and wind, exhibiting a tumbled worn appearance.

Natural (unheated/untreated) sapphire crystals from an important historic mining area in the U.S., the Rock Creek deposit of Montana, range in varying colors of the rainbow: orange, yellow, green, blue, violet and pink. This collection of natural sapphire crystals are a major upgrade to the National Mineral Collection.

View Rock Creek Sapphires in the GeoGallery.

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Taxon:: Corundum (var. sapphire) - Primary Mineral

Record Last Modified:: 16 Sep 2024
Specimen Count:: 100

Other Numbers:: IGSN ID : 10.58151/NHB007Z9C
USNM Number:: NMNH 177075-00

Place:: Granite Co., Montana, United States, North America

See more items in:: Mineral Sciences; Minerals; NMNH - Mineral Sciences Dept.

Record ID:: nmnhmineralsciences_14176994

GUID (Link to Original Record):: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3b9fd06ae-c549-4462-8ab2-0f96eb7d61e5

Open Access Online Media:: Creative Commons Zero; These media are in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use.