Sapphires in Mudgee

[Brumble-Gum]

I am not sure, I think so. This is the 2nd one of these I have got. They actually have 6 faces to each side. Dodecahedron???????
They are not clear, more cloudy with little black spots through them. Looking at pictures of diamonds they are more clear with a waxy sheen to them.
It would be nice if they were, I can then tick diamonds off my bucket list and get into the more serious size gems around the area. (Black Springs & Grabben Gullen).
I think I can take them to a jewelers and have them diamond tested.

 

[WalnLiz]

If they have 6 faces they are unfortunately not diamonds.....Hexoctrahedron crystals pretty well always retain a mirrored image of themselves from top to bottom and virtually always have a waxy luster. More likely from the Quartz mineral family. (but hope it turns out to be a diamond) . Great looking colour with the sapphires.

Cheers Wal.

 

[Heatho]

Just never know when one could pop up though, would be great to get one someday.

 

[Brumble-Gum]

If they have 6 faces they are unfortunately not diamonds.....Hexoctrahedron crystals pretty well always retain a mirrored image of themselves from top to bottom and virtually always have a waxy luster. More likely from the Quartz mineral family. (but hope it turns out to be a diamond) . Great looking colour with the sapphires.

Cheers Wal.

Wal, they do look like milky quartz. I have not heard or quartz having two prisms on top of each other (6 each side) to make the diamond type shape.
Knowing nature, she doesn't have any rules when it comes to mineral shape or colours. Who knows.
I leave for work tomorrow so I wont be able to get them tested for 3 weeks. I will let the forum know when I do.

 

[WalnLiz]

Quartz can grow in very strange configurations (but always hexagonal), especially on a matrix base. Double terminators especially can look like diamond once they become slightly water worn. Look forward to the results and hope it turns out to be diamond.

Cheers Wal.

 

[Twapster]

Going through the concentrates now, will post photo tomorrow. I ran out of sunlight while panning, a lot of small sapphire and pink ruby chips. All went through the 1/4" sieve so rather small. Hopefully around a gram of gold.

Keen to see what haul!

I was at mudgee this weekend getting gold didnt focus on the sapphires at all.

I will come up at the drop of a hat just give me a reason.

I be keen for trip on the weekends of the 13th and the 27th sept.

Hopefully my detector arrives soon, will check my work schedule for another trip

 

[bunyip]

Most of the bigger gem stones and diamonds were found at the junction of reedy or wyaldra creek and the cudgegong and the cooyal creek is a feeder of reedy creek and I find a lot of gems n crystals in the cooyal I'd post pics but don't have enough posts as yet but I'll get there lol oh and there r some bigger sized diamonds found in the vicinity of gulgongs deep leads

 

[Jukebox]

Hey Guyz,

I went up to Mudgee - I found spinnel and what appeared to be very clear quartz.

I think I need more practice on how to sort through to find the sapphires.

I still have not checked out Gulgong yet.

Found gold on the trip but.

 

[Brumble-Gum]

Good on you Jukey.
If you found the spinel and quartz you would have found the sapphires and garnet. They are small and 95% of the time in your pan and not sieves.
Well done on the gold, there is a lot of fine flood gold throughout the system. You just need to keep sampling until you find a reasonable spot. The sapphires are there usually about 30cm into the river wash. I have yet to find any deeper than that, I believe we are 100 years too late to get the good stuff, just keep trying there has to be spots there the old fellas missed or thought were too much hard work (As they had a lot of easier option available to them).

 

[Jukebox]

Good on you Jukey.
If you found the spinel and quartz you would have found the sapphires and garnet. They are small and 95% of the time in your pan and not sieves.
Well done on the gold, there is a lot of fine flood gold throughout the system. You just need to keep sampling until you find a reasonable spot. The sapphires are there usually about 30cm into the river wash. I have yet to find any deeper than that, I believe we are 100 years too late to get the good stuff, just keep trying there has to be spots there the old fellas missed or thought were too much hard work (As they had a lot of easier option available to them).

OOOOH that makes sense - there was spinnel in the sieve but I didn't look in the pan. Kicking myself now.

I was being such a whiner - "I don't want gold I want sapphires" - lol just watch next time I will get sapphires and want gold.

I think I will plan a trip up north like other have on the forum and stop beating around the bush.