History of Boise – The Gem State

Potatoes aren’t the only ‘gem’ Idaho is famous for. Idaho is known as the “Gem State” for the 72 types of precious and semi-precious stones it produces—some of which are exclusive to the state. The official state stone, the Star Garnet, is a beautiful dark purple stone and can only be found in Idaho, USA and India. You can see a great example of this stone over at Geology.com or the Idaho Public Television website.

A quick google search for ‘Idaho gemstones’ or ‘rockhounding Idaho’ will reveal several websites where you can learn more about what gems are located in Idaho and where to find them. The Idaho Dept. of Land is probably a great starting point https://www.idl.idaho.gov/mining/rockhounding/gemstones.html.

Here is a list of other interesting sites regarding Idaho’s Gem State nickname.