Topaz, aquamarine and smoky quartz were once of little value to tin miners who worked this area, about 280km north-west of Townsville. It's no surprise then that nice specimens have been found near old mine sites close to the banks of the Elizabeth and O'Briens creeks.
This stone is commonly found in Brazil and is a part of the beryl family, alongside emeralds. Our aquamarines are sourced typically from O'Brien's creek near Mt Surprise in Queensland.
This gemstone is mined mainly in Brazil, but it is also found in Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Pakistan, and Mozambique. Like emeralds, this gemstone is a variety of a mineral called beryl. Large gemstones have been found all over the world, including one gemstone found in Brazil that weighed over 240 pounds.
Sapphires are a longstanding staple
Most of the sapphire in Australia is blue, or very dark with a greenish color. This kind of sapphire is only found in Australia.
Opal is found around the world (Brazil, Mexico, Honduras and the western US) however Australia produces 95% of the world's precious opal and it is our official national gemstone.
SAPPHIRES FROM AUSTRALIA
The rough is usually sorted at the mine offices and sold directly to Thai buyers in the fields. The iron-rich Australian sapphires are predom- inantly blue (90%), with some yellow, some green, and a very few parti-colored stones.
Musgravite – Estimated $35,000/carat
Musgravite is one of the newest and most rare gemstones in the world. Musgravite is a silicate mineral whose main ingredients are beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg) and aluminum (Al). It was named 'musgravite' after the area Musgrave in Australia from where the material was first found.
While Turquoise mineral deposits have been found in many Australian states, including New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia, these extremely limited occurrences do not produce high quantities or good qualities, with most specimens incapable of being ...
Chrysoprase. An unusual and eye-catching gemstone, chrysoprase is a variety of chalcedony with inclusions of nickel-bearing minerals that impart bright green hues. Cabbed or carved, this translucent gem is another great jade lookalike. If you're looking for a stone that will last, make sure it originated in Australia.
It is quite common and easy to find large aquamarines. As a result, the price of the stone doesn't incrementally increase carat. A stone weighing several carats and a stone weighing just a few carats may be of the same price if their quality remains the same.
Aquamarine is not among the top ten rarest gems, but it ranks 27th in the top thirty rarest gems on planet earth. This means aquamarine isn't uncommon, but is still moderately rare.
Aquamarine is rarer in nature, especially in fine color. Its long history as a gem also adds to its collectibility.
There are many locations across Australia where crystals can be found however they are not as easy to source as you might think ... A large amount of Australian crystals actually get exported overseas!
Sapphires are much harder to find than aquamarines, especially in high-quality and large sizes. The scarcity of sapphire makes it more desirable and sought-after, driving up its value in the market.
Touch the Gemstone
You can touch aquamarines to verify their authenticity. People make fake aquamarines using glass, which is a good conductor of heat. Therefore, they may feel warm or have room temperature when you touch them. Real aquamarines feel cool against your skin.
Emeralds have been commercially mined in Australia in three main deposits Poona and Menzies in Western Australia, and Emmaville in New South Wales. The emeralds are usually in rocks among layers of other minerals such as mica.
"The most common places known for good quality turquoise are Iran (Persia), Egypt, Northwest China, Mexico and the southwestern part of the United States. Although there can be mines found in many states, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada are the most common places where you will find them.
The most-prized turquoise color is an even, intense, medium blue, sometimes referred to as robin's egg blue or sky blue in the trade. The traditional source for this color is the Nishapur district of Iran, so you'll also hear it described as “Persian blue,” whether or not it was actually mined in Iran.
Ruby is usually found in metamorphic rocks, such as those in the Harts Range in the Northern Territory. However, a more transparent, gemstone-quality ruby comes from a few areas in eastern Australia where it has been brought up from underlying metamorphic rocks by volcanic action.
Mookaite Jasper. Not only is Mookaite Jasper completely unique to Australia, it also beautifully resembles the outback with its vivid colours of red, yellow, cream, brown and burgundy/purple. It is the perfect Australian crystal and was first mined in the mid-1960s.
Australia. Quartz is found all over Australia, both as crystals and as fine-grained material. Rock crystal and smoky quartz are found in all states, while amethyst and citrine are less common.
Uluru rock is composed of arkose, a coarse grained sandstone rich in the mineral feldspar. The sandy sediment, which hardened to form this arkose, was eroded from high mountains composed largely of granite.
Jade in South Australia
Jade deposits near Cowell on Eyre Peninsula are among the largest known nephrite jade deposits in the world.
Tanzanite is only found in Simanjiro District of Manyara Region in Tanzania, in a very small mining area approximately 7 km (4.3 mi) long and 2 km (1.2 mi) wide near the Mererani Hills.