Australian Sapphire World Marketing Facts
Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka are still widely perceived as major sources
of Sapphire. The truth is that most of the commercial deposits in these
countries have been depleted for years and stone that is sold as coming from
these sources is really renamed material for other countries with Australia
and Madagascar being the most probable sources of the better quality material.
Recent years have seen Australian producers start to take a more active
role in the marketing and promotion of the quality Sapphires that they produce.
This site is just part of the effort to correct the misrepresentations of the
past and strive to provide a true picture of the quality of sapphires produced
in Australia
Marketing - read on ...
Heat Treatment of Sapphires
Heat treatment technology has been greatly extended in man's
quest to turn lower quality material into brighter stone in the
endless search for more profit - and some quite dubious if not
actually false practices have resulted in recent years
Heat Treatment - read on ...
Australian Sapphire History
The history of sapphire gems in Australia stretches back
over 150 years. One of the first reports is from 1851 when sapphire was
recovered during gold mining on the Cudgegong and Macquarie rivers in New South
Wales. In 1854 sapphire was reported from the New England area
of New South Wales and in 1875 Sapphire was discovered in
Retreat Creek, Central Queensland.
History - read on ...
Sapphire
Reserves
Most of these deposits are alluvial in nature and follow
existing or former watercourses. The most widely held theory is that
sapphire formed deep within the earths crust and was subsequently carried to
the surface by volcanic activity. Basalt is often associated with Australian
sapphire deposits. Generally sapphire has been eroded from this basaltic
host and concentrated in various streams and river systems. Due to the high
specific gravity of sapphire it does not travel far from its original source
Reserves - read on ...
Sapphire Description
Sapphire is the gem quality
form of Corundum. It is second only to Diamond in hardness. The
hardness of corundum is due in part to the strong and short
oxygen-aluminium bonds. These bonds pull the oxygen and
aluminium atoms close together. This makes the crystal not only
hard but also quite dense for a mineral made up of two
relatively light elements.
Description - read on ...
Sapphires and other
Australian Gemstones on the market.
Authenticated and Guaranteed that :
-
The Gemstone must be
natural and of Australian origin.
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No Beryllium treated
sapphires or other forms of chemical modification.
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No radiation treated stones.
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No dyed or otherwise
artificially coloured stone
Gem List - read
on ...
