Nestled in the sedimentary layers of Montana’s Sapphire Mountains near the small town of Philipsburg are thousands of sapphires that are untouched and unseen. Until now. Allison Neumann, a savvy thirty-something resident of La Jolla, came upon the precious gems serendipitously in San Diego this year while working at her studio at the Glashaus Artist Collective Warehouse in Barrio Logan. “One of the other artists there, Jamie Huffman, and I were talking one day over dinner, when he asked me what I really want to do with my work as a jewelry designer. I told him I’d love to work with fine jewels,” Neumann said. Before she knew it, Huffman plucked a jar of rough, uncut, untreated sapphires from a bag in his closet. Neumann was speechless. She inquired where he found them. Montana, he said. “He got them over 20 years ago when he went on a family trip there. Needless to say, I was amazed that he still had them,” she said. Huffman and his family had traveled there many moons ago and purchased the sediment from a tourism mining company in the Philipsburg area. When they returned home, they sifted the dirt and found hundreds of sapphires. Unfortunately, years passed and the Huffman family had no idea what to do with them. “We never considered them as anything more than souvenirs — until I showed them to Allison, who said she could work with them,” Huffman said. Getting each stone cut and treated was timeconsuming and expensive. “At the time, there really wasn’t a market for these stones. Everyone wanted heat-treated sapphires,” said Neumann, a graduate of Gemological Institute of America. Huffman soon suggested that the two join forces to get these sapphires out of his closet and, more than anything, to give Neumann the opportunity to fulfill her dream of using precious gems in her fledgling jewelry line. Now, three years later, Neumann’s sapphire-studded and gold earrings, necklaces and bracelets are constant features in the La Jolla marketplace; her premiere line just launched in September. One can peruse her latest “River Rock” collection at Robina Boutique, located at 1261 Prospect St., or at Capricorn Boutique at 5544 La Jolla Blvd. “All of the pieces I make are inspired by my travels, the outdoors, nature,” Neumann said. “Plus, I only use recycled or refined gold, so essentially all my pieces are 100 percent made-in-America from mine to finished product.” Neumann describes her minimalist collection as “soft and earthy,” with smooth edges and flowing lines incorporated into each piece. “The best part, though, is seeing our concept, our collaboration, time and energy manifested into something tangible, something beautiful, something that people really love,” Huffman said. So, what’s next? “I’m starting a rough ruby line soon. Rubies are actually sapphires that have eventually turned red,” she said. “It just makes sense to create the collections in the same order as the earth does.” Neumann will participate in a meet-and-greet at the “Kettner Nights” art event at 6 p.m. on Nov. 12. The event is part of a free monthly celebration of local artists that’s held at the Mixture furniture store showroom at 2210 Kettner Blvd. in Littly Italy. Who: Allison Neumann, La Jolla resident What: “River Rock” collection of hand-made sapphire-studded and gold earrings, necklaces and bracelets Where: Robina Boutique, 1261 Prospect St., and Capricorn Boutique, 5544 La Jolla Blvd.
