What to look for ( info for clueless newbies like myself)??

[Spud]

First off sorry if this has already been covered or if It sounds like a stupid question, i'm just a super visual person and need to see what I am looking for to understand it!

I have spent a long time going through the Gemstone & Mineral Show n Tell page marvelling at everyones awesome finds, looking at the pics and reading all your thoughts on what stone they are. I thought this might be enough to help me when I went out looking on the weekend but unfortunately it was not!
Soooo many of the stones I threw away look the same but different to ones that others have posted on here as keepers and Im confused as heck lol!

I was holding them all up to the light and a lot you could see through but isn't that just because I wasn't holding up black ones haha
I kept a lot of crystal clear stones knowing my luck are just quartz, I also kept some clearish ones that have slight opaque/ purple tinges to them and some that look clear on the outside but have slight green tinges to them oh and some yellowish ones lol

Looking at this pic Joe posted on this link I would not have recognised a lot of the bigger ones on the outside as from what I can see looking at the pic you cant see through them? Joe also has one clear one in the middle, I kept a lot that look like that.....
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1685&p=7

Also this pic ( sorry Joe, another one of yours) https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1685&p=4
Those big ones on the outside, I would not have looked twice at! What makes them obvious to an experienced person?

Also I was wondering how you take your pics? Do you just put the stone on a torch and then snap away? I saw mentioned UV light is the best way to go and Im looking an ebay for a small uv torch now. Does it have to be UV? In the mean time is there anything I can use to get some decent pics for identification?

Pics would be great if anyone replies :lol:
Thank you

 

[Wally69]

As a newby I would take home anything that is dark in colour or glassy in appearance and place them on top of a torch to see if they are translucent, the colour in a good stone should jump out at you.

Even though most stones i find are not a-class sapphires I have a jar of pretty stones that I have enjoyed collecting.

Good ones are rare and well worth the effort of a couple of failed trips.

Good luck, and keep researching as finding a patch is easier with a bit of knowledge on where they are likely to be found.

 

[Heatho]

Spud, I was just as confused last year on my first few trips, every stone looks like one lol. Sapphires have a certain sheen to them and a lot of the time a flat side or 2, sometimes are a hexagonal crystal shape too. There is no real way of being certain without experience, keep anything that looks interesting and post up some pics if unsure.

Sapphire looks very glassy even if not clear, the darker bombs you may have trouble identifying until you have more experience but you are pretty unlikely to miss a large clear good quality one. Most of all keep anything Blue, bright clear Yellow, Green, Pink or any combination of said colours.

If your sieving technique is good then any Sapphire will be on top when flip your Sieves.

 

[Heatho]

Oh yeah, not sure what that clear light purpley stuff is at GG, not Sapphire though, though some pieces look quite nice.

 

[Lefty]

Do all of the above Spud.

Most gemstones tend to have a particular look about them and after a while your eye becomes trained to scan for them and they will stand out to you with close observation.

I did a lot of specking on the central QLD sapphire field as a kid so my eyes have been conditioned from a young age to pick out things with a certain look about them - on a day trip from Mareeba out to O'Briens creek last year with father-in-law and brother-in-law, I picked up a bunch of small quartz crystals along the road as I walked back to the car. The other two walked (no fossicking experience) over the same area in front of me looking at the ground but found nothing. Experience will pay off - so keep at it

 

[richo966]

when looking for gems run your tweezers across the stones some times different angle will show them off

 

[Heatho]

Forgot to mention also Spud that UV is only good for testing suspected Rubies/Pink Sapph as a lot flouresce quite brightly due to Chromium content, most other Sapphire will not, you want a good bright white light for pics of gemstones.

I just put my stones on a torch and set the camera to Macro.

 

[Spud]

Awesome thanks Wally, this forum has been a goldmine of advice which is fantastic! So nice to find a hobby that people are willing to share their knowledge and help others!
I think I will do that, just keep anything I think might be a goodie, that will save me kicking my self later on lol.

Thanks Heatho. My Sieving techniques are not good at all but Im trying to practice at home. I also kept forgetting to flick the sieve over and was just picking them from the top! Mmmm might have to look into what the purple sheen ones are. Im trying to take pics of them but no matter what I do I cant get the stones to show what Im trying to explain in the pic lol

Thanks Lefty, Im hoping experience will come quick. I did fall into a hole while I was walking with my head down the other day LOL

Ta richo I tried that and ended up finding a glassy one I hadnt noticed before I still have 2 buckets in my garage that I was hoping to go through soon just didnt want to risk it coz the garage light is not the best and Im never home in time for sunlight!

Heatho re the camera and torch, thank you!!! I was holding my stones to my fish tank light last night and wondering what the heck I was doing haha think I need to get another camera, dont think the good old iphone has that setting!

 

[Spud]

opps

 

[Heatho]

The best advice I can give with sieving is watch WalnLiz vids on looking for Sapphires, they go into some pretty good detail, there really is not much to sieving but you need to do it quite vigorously to get the Sapphires to the bottom, don't put too much wash in and not too little either, you'll work out the right amount. Using a 1/2 inch classifying sieve is best though as everything in the 1/4 inch will be much more uniform and easier to sort through after flipping. Pretty rare to find a Sapph bigger than 1/2 inch but still check for them.

 

[Kingsolomon]

Put the stone in your mouth .. After a while you can detect the hardness against your teeth. You'll soon work out what to spit out...
You can take photos on a piece of mirror , with overhead light ... Like this...would be better with nice camera , not an iPhone like this pic..

 

[shivan]

I just don't know if I could put stones I had just dug in my mouth...... Saw two dead rats in the water when we were at GG, and you never know what's upstream :8

 

[Gold689]

How about dead sheep or cow I totally agree with you shivan

 

[Gold689]

That's a very nice Sapph you got there Kingsolomon
which area from?

 

[Kingsolomon]

Some are willing to go to greater lengths ... Nothing wrong with a bit of bacteria .. Bit of training and you don't have much problem drinking water in third world countries .

....

 

[Varts]

I find a nice saph taste good
Whatever is upstream

:lol: