I realize this is long: all you really need to know is that Big Sky Gold is a GEM. If you are…read morelooking for a unique piece, do yourself a favor right now and start browsing through the offerings on Claire Baiz's blog. Need more reasons to reach out? She's ethical and eco-friendly (makes use of lots of beautiful estate jewelry), a registered wholesaler (explains the pricing advantages you need to see to believe), and very sophisticated in terms of style (don't take it from me, she has been known to source stones for the best of the retail jewelers, and I do not mean Zales) Claire is an absolute joy to work with. She is welcoming and highly perceptive in person, and peppers her witty emails with jokes and frank advice (no surprise she moonlights as a novelist/essayist). In fact, dealing with her was such a pleasure, I'm pretty sure she's won our business for life. I caught my fiance emailing her a week or two ago about getting a pair of matching earrings (my ears aren't pierced, go figure!) New Yorkers -- she's a huge fan, and works out of the city for a few months every year! For my story, read on: A rather funny series of events left me wearing a $15.99 CZ engagement ring from overstock.com that was so outlandishly oversized that I would bruise the adjacent fingers if I ever tried to lift anything. But we wanted to do the real thing at some point, and an exploratory email was answered promptly with a surprising "you're in Manhattan, too?" and before long, I found myself face to face with Big Sky Gold's owner and founder, Claire Baiz, over lunch in downtown NYC. I had come across her blog online in the midst of doing preliminary research on yogo sapphires, exclusive to Montana and a specialty of Big Sky Gold's. I didn't really want a diamond ring, and I loved that the cornflower-colored gems came from out West. But I don't know much about yogos, or diamonds for that matter, and was thrilled to be able to talk to an expert on the sapphires... over here on the East Coast. Claire is vegan and gluten-free (and a walking advertisement for the benefits of the lifestyle) so we met up at Hale & Hearty. First she looked at my finger... and the fake. The setting was much too high, she told me, as she spread out informational materials and the "Sears Roebuck" catalog of settings (designed for wholesalers). I began gushing about yogos and my seething jealousy of everyone who lives within sight of the Rocky Mountains. She asked about my lifestyle, my family, my interests. Then we got to talking about budget. After two meetings and around 10 emails, we parted with her reassurance: "I have something in mind for you. I'll email you the details when I get back to Great Falls." Within days the ring of my dreams was assembled (in theory) from two yogos (taken from a pair of earrings) and an ideal cut diamond in a platinum setting, for a price you would not believe. We absolutely could not have found such a perfect ring (not to mention in such a short amount of time) without Claire. It's on my hand now and I (and who would have guessed, my fiance too) could not be happier or prouder? (Can we be proud? We feel proud...) From me and my fiance: a VERY big thank you, Claire!

For 23 years, this was my business. I'm humbled by he five-star rating, an unbiased endorsement…read morefrom great clients. I'm posting a Yelp review just to let everyone know the business is closed. I am not actively buying, selling, or evaluating fine jewelry. If you happen to be a former client, please "like" Big Sky Gold on Facebook--I'm posting important updates (a recent G.I.A. certificate scandal!) and tips (how to sell your fine jewelry) or follow me on HubPages, where my handle is 'baizblogger'.