need help -are these gems or minerals?

i've got 3 possibly 4 specimens i suspect are gems. if anyone can help me - it would be great. first is possibly a topaz. 2nd i think is either topaz or quartz. how does one know if they're cutters? i also have a mystery red gem which i think is zircon. i discovered that at Uralla possibly. th e 6cm blue/cream topaz was specked by my husband in Cania gorge. 3 moon creek to be precise. the topaz/quzrtz i discovered at Tingha. pics can be seen on my facebook page.

Hi RockSpectre,

Welcome to the forum, would be good if you can post the pics up here. They could possibly be identified. The red gem possibly could be garnet as they are very common at Uralla but are generally quite small, could possibly be a red zircon also.

Most likely quartz from Tingha but there is Topaz there also.

Anyway hopefully you enjoy the forum, interested to see you stones.

The blue/cream topaz by it's description sounds like blue chalcedony to me also, just did a bit of a search on the area and blue chalcedony is mentioned there. Anyway if you can get pictures up we have plenty of experienced members here that can help.

Cheers

Sorry. I don't do Facebook. After a few more posts you can upload pictures

I may not be able to help but we love to see pictures.

i have pics in my gallery, have no idea how to add them to a message. i could upload them to photobucket for you if its easy. i was told it was a topaz. the caravan park onwer at Cania gorge, regulary fossicks at 3 moon creek. she identified the rounded blue/cream - semi see thru rock as a topaz. light will shine through it. i check all possible gems with a torch. if light shows through, then its possibly a gem to me. Sean at Tingha gems caravan park showed me that trick. its ultra useful. i always hold any find up to the sun. or check with a torch later.

RockSpectre said:

i have pics in my gallery, have no idea how to add them to a message. i could upload them to photobucket for you if its easy. i was told it was a topaz. the caravan park onwer at Cania gorge, regulary fossicks at 3 moon creek. she identified the rounded blue/cream - semi see thru rock as a topaz. light will shine through it. i check all possible gems with a torch. if light shows through, then its possibly a gem to me. Sean at Tingha gems caravan park showed me that trick. its ultra useful. i always hold any find up to the sun. or check with a torch later.

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Hey there RS, check this link out, it shows you how to upload images to the site, they just need to be under 1MB. Or you can embed them from photobucket also though you will need 10 posts up before you can link from photobucket.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5495

What's your facebook name, I'm on there and can check out your gem pics if you like? The thing with gemstones is that some can be very difficult to identify but if you have already been told what certain ones are by experienced fossickers from certain areas then the ID is most likely correct.

the caravan park onwer at Cania gorge, regulary fossicks at 3 moon creek. she identified the rounded blue/cream - semi see thru rock as a topaz

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Hi RockSpectre.

I can't see your photos and I haven't heard of topaz in that area - but frankly, nothing surprises me since I learned that much of the eastern strip of the eastern states is one huge ancient igneous mass. Hundreds of thousands of square km of volcanic and plutonic features, there's quite likely untapped gem deposits here on par with Brazil, Burma/Thailand, Ceylon, Tanzania and other African nations.

The Monto area is well mineralized so who knows what might be there. How big is this rock? I might have dismissed it as quartz until you mentioned the blue colour. Could be something else, there is blue lace agate near Monto somewhere. I don't have a Facebook account, I'd be interested to see a photo when you're able to post one here.

Cheers

Edit: I see 6cm across - topaz crystals can be that be big, be a pretty decent sized crystal if it is.

Lefty, had a look at the picture and the Cania 'topaz' is an agate or chalcedony nodule .

jimnyjerry said:

Lefty, had a look at the picture and the Cania 'topaz' is an agate or chalcedony nodule .

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Cheers JJ.

That may not be faceting material but may still be worth finding - some of that can make some nice looking cabs. Grandfather had a piece of blue-ish coloured agate he said came from that area somewhere. I cabbed a bit of it and it made quite a nice cab.

I saw it too Jerry, I agree, it's almost certainly not Topaz, interesting looking rock though.

Can someone post a link to their photobucket for me please?

Search Cania topaz on FB mate.

Hi. could anyone help identify this rock please.
thanks for your help...
Terry

Looks like it could be carnelian to me, hopefully others have a look and comment also.

Looks like a carnelean or agate yep

jimnyjerry said:

Lefty, had a look at the picture and the Cania 'topaz' is an agate or chalcedony nodule .

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Yep I recon that too. Finally found the photo ..

Cutting them into thin cross sections or even polishing can bring out some nice patterns and banding

Looks like it could be carnelian to me

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Yep, looks like it to me.

thanks guys for the info.