Samuel’s son, Walter, became our founding president and continued the family trade of mining and selling gold and precious gemstones. Samuel Arnstein prospected for gold, silver, and copper in New Mexico, Colorado and Montana before returning to New York where he raised a family. Samuel Arnstein, Walter’s father, settled in Leadville, Colorado during a mining boom in 1880. Walter’s parents arrived in New York in the late 1870’s and soon went out west to prospect. The family roots in gem cutting and mining go back to Germany in the mid-1800’s. Walter knew a thing or two about mining, gemstones, and gold. Walter Arnstein recognized the potential in white sapphires and specialized in this unique market. White sapphires, however, were extremely durable and became the best alternative to a diamond.
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White quartz and other colorless gemstones could not be used for engagement rings as they were too soft and brittle to survive everyday wear. This created a burgeoning market for diamond substitutes. However, many people still could not afford the high price of a diamond and looked for alternative gemstones. In the early 1900’s, diamond engagement rings became popular in the US with the emergence of the immigrant middle class. Right: The actual altimeter Samuel Arnstein used in the 1880’s while prospecting in New Mexico, Colorado, and Montana. Left: The New York Gem Importers Association, President, Walter Arnstein, circa 1951. In 1939, gemstone enhancements and synthetic stones had not yet been invented so Walter dealt only with natural untreated sapphires. He had a great passion for the natural beauty he saw in sapphires. Arnstein, began importing sapphires into the United States in 1939. We are not a “start-up” internet company like most online jewelers. The Natural Sapphire Company is rich in history. Photos of Walter Arnstein – Left: Circa 1951, Right: Circa 1939. View our Sapphire Education resource for more information about sapphires. We hope you enjoy the rarity, beauty, and quality we present in our inventory.
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Our dedicated team of designers, CAD specialists, jewelers, and setters manufacture all of our fine jewelry on premises. Our staff is extremely professional, knowledgeable, and experienced. All of our sapphires are accompanied by laboratory documentation per industry standards. Our certified staff gemologists analyze and guarantee each sapphire. We pride ourselves on being expert stone cutters and artisans. We then cut, polish, and certify all of our sapphires in-house. We begin from the ground up purchasing the rough and semi-polished sapphire crystals directly from the gem mines.