Australian sapphire my ........

[Heatho]

Hey Lefty, yes all from Inverell, 7 Hours to there from Sydney, it's a pretty decent trip but well worth it. It's about 3 1/2 hours to Grabben Gullen or the Oberon area also, Inverell has been the best place to dig so we usually head there it's only double the distance and produces way better for us.

Even if it's a small stone but great colour it's worth doing for sure.

Head out to BB for a trip sometime, meet the owners and check out the operation, it's well worth a visit mate, it's pretty much a family run mine, not huge but not small either. You can buy straight from them also at a good price.

 

[excalibur63]

Hmm discussions discussions, all I know is Corundum is a Conundrum.

This is what I thought was a not too spectacular stone, my first sapphire to practice on, so far the clarity and colour has surprised me. The good rough I have found should cut exceptionally well when I get to that level of proficiency. and Yes it is from the Sapphire fields of North East Tasmania. How do I know this, because I found the little bugger myself, and the three c's vary considerably here.

Gordon

cutting in girdle

 

[Lefty]

That is a bit of a surprise going on the photo - would never have picked it for that colour when looking at the rough.

Looks like she'll turn out nice

Is the place you're referring to called Weld River?

 

[Lefty]

Spoke to a jeweller who mined sapphires commercially on the Anakie field. The Thai buyers indeed do pay $15 - $20 per carat for decent rough, a bit more maybe for something really good.

From the small miners point of veiw, the thing about the Thais is that they are more reliable and steady buyers than the tourists.

But somewhere along the line, it appears that good sapphire rough is leaping from $20 - $30 a carat to $200 - $300 per carat. Someone must be doing very well out of this but it isn't the small miner on the field nor the pro facetor in the city it seems.