About the Company

Jack Lowell is the owner of Colorado Gem and Mineral Co., starting in 1971 after getting his BS in Geology degree at Arizona State University. By spending two months a year in Brazil and speaking fluent Portuguese, Jack gained prominence in the mineral specimen business, importing rare crystals which are now in museums and collections around the world.

In 1987 he imported a large amount of Uruguayan amethyst and geodes and discovered in that material a new gem phenomenon which was subsequently named the Lowell effect in quartz by the Gemological Institute of America (Gems and Gemology, winter 1987). With time, Jack learned the art of gemcutting and specializes in amethyst and tourmaline. With his various international contacts, Colorado Gem and Mineral Co. offers variety, quality, rarity and exceptional value in mineral specimens and cut gems.

Jack has been mentioned in many issues of the Mineralogical Record, Lapidary Journal, and Gems and Gemology. He has also contributed photos or articles to those magazines as well as several books, including Gem and Crystal Treasures (Bancroft),  Gemstones of  North America, Vol. III (Sinkankas), and Gem and Lapidary Materials (Zeitner). Stories about his travels in Brazil are forthcoming in Rocks and Minerals magazine.

 

We are based now in Tempe, Arizona.  It's very close to Tucson, and we have stayed here after Jack got his degree in Geology from ASU, and bought literally tons of Amethyst and other minerals in the 20th Century.