A List of Australian Gemstones

Australian gemstones are known for their exquisite patterns and colours. They are used in decorative items, jewellery, as significant elements of mineral collections and other applications. Interest in collecting gemstones was renewed in the U.S. and quickly spread to other countries. In Australia, this hobby has been eagerly received. Australia is not only popular for its natural beauty, but also for its abundance of minerals and gemstones that are found in the ocean and under the ground. Some of the most popular Australian gemstones are sapphires, opals, jade, pearls and diamonds. If you are a collector of gemstones, you will be happy to know that there are stores where you can find unpolished raw gems. These unpolished gems may be hard to find, but finding one is not impossible. With some effort, you can find unpolished raw gems in Australia and add it to your collection. Here are some of the most popular Australian gemstones.

Diamonds

Diamonds have always attracted the attention of many people. A lot of diamonds in Australia are sourced from the Argyle diamond mine located in Western Australia. It is the world’s largest diamond producer by volume. Australian diamonds and Australian opals are sometimes used together in jewellery to create a lustrous blend of natural gemstones. VIEW ALL OUR DIAMONDS

Pearls

South Sea pearls are found in Australia’s northern waters. Commercial harvesting of pearls started way back in the 19th century. Harvesting mostly took place in Queensland and Western Australia. Pearls are also harvested nearby Darwin within the Northern Territory. Australian pearls are fine gemstones that can be found in various shades such as cream, gold and pink. You can also find silver varieties. Pearls are not only beautiful, but also elegant. These gemstones can accentuate your outfit during formal events.

Opals

Opal is the national gemstone of Australia. Opal is what symbolizes Australia when it comes to minerals and gems. More than ninety per cent of the worlds opals are found in Australia. There are different kinds of opal that can be found in Australia such as boulder opal, matrix opal, black opal, crystal opal and white opal. Some of the most popular mining towns in the country are Lightning Ridge, Andamooka and Coober Pedy. Numerous opal fields were found across Australia in the 19th century. The discovery was, of course, not overlooked. The fields that contained opal were commercially exploited. Today, these fields are producing a large amount of Australian opals. Opals found in the fields are carefully polished to turn them into exquisite pieces of jewellery.  In fact, you can find a wide range of jewellery stores in Australia that offer a large collection of Australian opal jewellery. Melbourne and Sydney, in particular, have plenty of these stores. You will find necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings and pendants with Australian opal in them. VIEW ALL OUR OPALS

Sapphires

Australia is not only known for its opal and diamonds. The country also has many mining fields where sapphire can be found. Australia became the largest sapphire producer in the world at one point, but it has been replaced by Madagascar. Australia sources its sapphire from two main fields in New South Wales and Queensland. The blue variety of sapphire is the most common gemstone offered in jewellery stores. However, sapphire is actually available in various colours. Australia produces a large amount of Parti Sapphire. these Sapphires have a very unique color in that they contain both the yellow and the blue colour. It is still important to be careful as there is a synthetic variety that has been produced in factories and laboratories. The synthetic variety is not natural sapphire. Make sure that you only get genuine sapphire. VIEW ALL OUR SAPPHIRES

Jade

Australia is also known for producing green jade. The green variety is the most common gemstone offered in stores, but jade is available in various colours as well. When you hear the word jade, it can refer to either jadeite or nephrite. Jade is a tough gemstone that was used to carve knives and weapons in ancient times. It also has been used to make small jewellery and other decorative purposes. A good example of this is the Maori, New Zealand’s native population. The Maori used jade for their carvings.

Chrysoprase

Chrysoprase is found in Western Australia and in Queensland. Chrysporase is a green variety of Chalcedoney that has a uniform and beautiful apple green colour. The Chrysoprase from Australia (mainly from a location called Marlborough) is so fine that it is often mistaken for Jade. It is not uncommon to see Chinese buyers on the fields buying Chrysoprase to take back to China to sell as Jade. Some of the locals actually give it the nickname ‘Australian Jade’

How to Find Australian Gemstones

Jewellery with gemstones is not exactly cheap. However, you should not be discouraged. Finding a piece of jewellery with Australian gemstones that is offered at a reasonable price is not impossible. You will find a lot of shops in Australia that jewellery with gemstones. Be patient and compare their prices. You should be guided by your personal preferences and taste. Don’t be influenced by what someone says you should purchase. Remember that you are the one who will use it, not them. You can also go online, but exercising caution is very important. Of course, comparing the prices of jewellery with Australian gemstones is very important. Read the experience of previous customers with the store. You can also ask your friends for recommendations. Since you are investing your hard-earned money, you need to make sure that what you are getting is authentic. Australia still has a lot of areas that have not been fully prospected or explored. Gemstones can be purchased from mail-order firms and specialist shops, but there is another way to get your desired gemstones. Some people find their own gemstones by joining expeditions. You can participate in a day’s expedition and experience what it’s like to dig and look for a gemstone. Camping trips as well as expeditions usually visit known gem fields. This gives you the freedom to keep the gemstone in your desired cut or state. If you don’t want to polish the gemstone, you are free to do so. Some people like their gemstones unpolished. You can also polish, mount or cut your gemstone. This is a great hobby that will make your gem collection even more interesting. You can focus on a certain family of gemstones or collect all of them. Participating in an expedition will not only help you find new additions to your collection. You may even be able to contribute to Australia’s geological knowledge. This makes your collection more remarkable and valuable