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Gemstones, Minerals & Fossils
Gemstones and Minerals
❓Your Mineral Identification Questions answered here
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<blockquote data-quote="Lefty" data-source="post: 404796" data-attributes="member: 2976"><p>What's your take on the reason (assuming the figures I've read are remotely accurate) that global sapphire production does not significantly outstrip global diamond diamond production? Certainly diamonds bring a lot more $$$ but sapphires are also up there with the ranks of "true" precious stones and are worth mining even in high-cost places like Australia. Is it that diamond mining is conducted mainly by "the big boys using lots of big toys" and high-tech equipment and a highly advanced global marketing system versus the more modest approach to sapphire mining?</p><p></p><p>That was the point behind my question. I don't disagree that there are a lot more potential sources for sapphires - in addition to the places you listed, I'm aware of their existence in several other places in eastern QLD as well - but....</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>....seems to be a recurring theme.</p><p></p><p>Before he was into gemstones, my old man was a mad keen gold prospector. If I listed all the places he found gold traces it would give the impression that gold is very common. However, it boils down to whether or not an area has it in sufficient quantity to be worth going after - that <em>context</em> is crucial.</p><p></p><p>In that context, corundum as a mineral may be more common and widespread than diamond but <em>gem quality</em> corundum - which includes not only colour and transparency of the material but size as well - does not seem particularly common in the main.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lefty, post: 404796, member: 2976"] What's your take on the reason (assuming the figures I've read are remotely accurate) that global sapphire production does not significantly outstrip global diamond diamond production? Certainly diamonds bring a lot more $$$ but sapphires are also up there with the ranks of "true" precious stones and are worth mining even in high-cost places like Australia. Is it that diamond mining is conducted mainly by "the big boys using lots of big toys" and high-tech equipment and a highly advanced global marketing system versus the more modest approach to sapphire mining? That was the point behind my question. I don't disagree that there are a lot more potential sources for sapphires - in addition to the places you listed, I'm aware of their existence in several other places in eastern QLD as well - but.... ....seems to be a recurring theme. Before he was into gemstones, my old man was a mad keen gold prospector. If I listed all the places he found gold traces it would give the impression that gold is very common. However, it boils down to whether or not an area has it in sufficient quantity to be worth going after - that [i]context[/i] is crucial. In that context, corundum as a mineral may be more common and widespread than diamond but [i]gem quality[/i] corundum - which includes not only colour and transparency of the material but size as well - does not seem particularly common in the main. [/QUOTE]
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Gemstones, Minerals & Fossils
Gemstones and Minerals
❓Your Mineral Identification Questions answered here
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