⭐ Gemstone & Mineral Show n Tell

[Heatho]

Planning on camping at a friends property with a couple of newbie mates in 2 weeks near Edith for a night or 2 and have a dig at Porters or Black Springs, you heading out at all around then Varts? If you're up for a dig will let you know if we are going.

 

[Wally69]

Very nice Varts

Just starting to cut a few myself, you certainly do loose some volume but the transformation is amazing.

Could I ask what laps/medium you use to shape, then get your final polish?

 

[Heatho]

Very nice Varts

Just starting to cut a few myself, you certainly do loose some volume but the transformation is amazing.

Could I ask what laps/medium you use to shape, then get your final polish?

Hey Wally where are you learning? I noticed from a few posts of yours we are in the same general area, I think. Northern Beaches area?

 

[Varts]

I cut with thin diamond last for ever,and then finish facets and polish on a charged copper,with oil and diamond dust rolled in to the copper this takes ages,and wears of quick on the big stone,still very green at it all!the hand pieces are older manual dial ones .dob the rock is hard with the wax not holding,top fished take off one while sticking to the other trying to keep it in centre,must get this right or your facets won't line up.

Still a lot to learn ,

 

[Varts]

Ok heatho a bit hectic at the moment but let me know before ,I could manage a dig I reckon

Cheers mate

 

[Varts]

Hey wally,I like to cut /facet/polish all at once,eg cut girdle facet,then don't move the gears ,change the wheel cut,change the wheel polish,then move the gear to the next facet,I find it hard to put the gear in the exact same position and the polish would end up not shining the full facet.

 

[Wally69]

Thanks Varts, I have been doing the same on the coarse cuts, find I can't get the same angle when trying to reset an angle.

I have been trying to finish on Perspex with ruby powder and not getting an A-class finish, will give the copper one a go and source some diamond paste. Found I can fine tune the final finish ok but tend to over cut the smaller cuts.

Think I have the wax sorted now, I found I was being too aggressive and cutting for too long at first and had a couple pop off. I preheat stone and stick on a jam tin to start with and seem to get a good bond using the black wax. Once I have transferred i reheat the stone/wax on transfer jig and apply heaps of pressure.

Heatho - picked up a second hand kit late last year, have read the books and am teaching myself, only done a few so far. Just need to get out there and get some good cutters.

And yes, I am on the north side of the block, we should catch up and dig a hole at some stage.

 

[Varts]

The copper the go,you can do it all,but takes time to charge,I got diamond dust in different grades in a sapphire shop in inverelle,wet the copper with fine oil and sprinkle dia dust you then roll a round rock back n forth ,massage dust into the copper ,my dad says it takes a good couple of hrs.

 

[Russdee]

Don't know how to post pics just yet so can only tell.finally getting my head around grabben gullen,improved from first few visits 1 sapphire,couple of zircons and tonne of spinel, to, 18 sapphire 15 zircon and 2 tonne of spinel. Best sapphire almost a gram (sorta dog tooth but looks 70% bomb) best zircon .7 gram, best spinel 2.7 gram (happy about that) lots of greenies, and maybe a ruby ( not sure but very red and has kept it's sharp edges) real nice place when you get the feel of it, sapphires often seem a bit more Bomby than Oberon,but you don't have to bust your guts to get them. Thanks for the tips Wal. Ps varts, I just use my 9 inch angle grinder for all my faceting, they look great through my bottom of my op bundy 57.7% loop! Cheers

 

[Heatho]

Ok heatho a bit hectic at the moment but let me know before ,I could manage a dig I reckon

Cheers mate

No worries mate, will let you know.

 

[Heatho]

Heatho - picked up a second hand kit late last year, have read the books and am teaching myself, only done a few so far. Just need to get out there and get some good cutters.

And yes, I am on the north side of the block, we should catch up and dig a hole at some stage.

Well done Wally on going it yourself, a hell of a lot to learn. Would be great to go for a fossick sometime, always keen. Welcome to meet up for a dig at Oberon in 2 weeks if you have the time.

 

[gudachi]

15ct blue green sapphire-washpool creek central queensland

the same 15ct blue green stone showing cross table colour and crack running all the way across

6ct champagne zircon from washpool creek CQ

17 ct sapphire with ironoxide stained crack washpool creek CQ

blue sapphire washpool creek CQ

light blue sapphire washpool creek CQ

 

[richo966]

wow nice stones mate 8)

 

[Heatho]

Very nice stones, thanks for posting the pics.

 

[Wally69]

Jef - unbelievable colour you have there, that greeny-blue looks sensational.

Are they from the washpool creek just north of Clermont? I need to go to Muranbah at some stage in the next 4 weeks, with colour like that I may try and fit in a day trip.

Heatho - been trying to get out Oberon way for a while so would be keen, are you planning the 15/16th or the following w'end?

 

[gudachi]

Jef - unbelievable colour you have there, that greeny-blue looks sensational.

Are they from the washpool creek just north of Clermont? I need to go to Muranbah at some stage in the next 4 weeks, with colour like that I may try and fit in a day trip.

Heatho - been trying to get out Oberon way for a while so would be keen, are you planning the 15/16th or the following w'end?

Hi Wally, sorry to say no theyre not from the north of clermont area....but still close enough for a dig, theyre from the washspool creek fossicking field which is part of the reward field west of sapphire but easy 2wd access from rubyvale and the road from clermont to rubyvale has been well upgraded see attatched link for detailed map is well worth the visit,

http://fossickaustralia.com/wp-contekt/uploads/2013/09/reward-map.jpg

im happy to send you an exact location to dig in as the creek itself borders the field and just lends its name to the area not much good digging in the creek in fact most of the gem bearing wash is on higher ground also produces some very nice blood red and orange zircons of good size....
let me know if you want an X marks the spot map will email you, or you can always look up the info from the blog on your smart phone if you head out that way actually looking at the map again anywhere in the area that Washpool is written on the map is good digging and just under the p will do the trick...good luck either way

 

[Varts]

Very nice gems gudachi very nice

 

[gudachi]

Very nice gems gudachi very nice

thanx varts washpool is a great field to have a dig on with excellent camping and not too far out of town only 13.46 km to the bottleshop and carrys some very good size stones like the 100 carat orange/honey sapphire that become the 30 carat Autumn Glory a stone with more stories to it than you can poke a stick at

we were there the year wally was trying to flog the stone in the front bar still in the rough and saw the hole it was dug from out at washpool
Then a few years later we had just arrived when first light next morning a local digger frank walked up to the van grinning from ear to ear having just specked a huge mostly yellow/blue parti-colour on the track only 30m from where we had camped (shouldve gotten up earlier)cant remember its exact weight somewhere in the 80ct range i do know it sold for $25,000 in the rough and was cut to a gorgeous golden yellow by Peter and Eileen Brown owners of the rubyvale gem gallery and the list goes on...I was lucky enough to do some freelance gemstone photography when living on the fields and have some good pics of some really big stones from the area including a 102 carat colour change sapphire and a 107 carat star sapphire that threw a star at both ends bloody thing was so big was hard to photograph without seeing yourself and the camera and the car reflecting back at you!

heres local legend jim the gem with a big bomb sapphire of 400 cararts well named the holy **** stone also from washpool

 

[joe]

Beautiful stones gudachi

 

[Wally69]

Jef, you are a legend, I would love an x marks the spot email, it would make the 3.5 hour drive each way even more exciting. I think I should be able to get a good 4 hours in the field while keeping off the road when the roos are thick.

I love the adventure of chasing a new spot, a nice cutter would be the icing on the cake and I'd be more than happy to get a zircon to hone my cutting skills on. An orange one, that would be cool.