The Best from Down Under

Rhodonite and spessartine garnet on galena, North Mine, Broken Hill, New South Wales. Watercolour on black paper.


Regards
Steve

Here's an unusual piece, I don't know if it would really qualify as the "Best from Down Under"...but seems like thats a bit of a grey area in this thread ;)

This is a 6cm long piece of polished Beryl from Harts Range with inclusion of hematite, causing a "sunstone" effect, full of rainbow colours etc. Quite striking and something I haven't seen before.

Ps..lovely artwork as always Steve!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/2011 03:45AM by Patrick Gundersen.

One more for today....not the greatest photo, but here's a very large gemmy Blue Kyanite from Harts Range, measuring 20cm x 5cm in size, collected this year. One of the bigger crystals I've seen from the area. I'll attempt a better photo soon....

A quartz sceptre from Australia's 7th and most easterly State B)- New Zealand!


Regards
Steve

Hi Patrick, The "Best from Down Under" is not a rule. The aim of this thread was to show case what comes out of Australia. That includes any new finds, any unusual or different material that the rest of the world may not know about. It was also started to hopefully get some of the overseas collectors to post their best Australian samples, so that we Aussies could see what has already left our shores. So don't worry if a sample is not the best, if it looks good anyway - post it. Let show it off to the rest of the world.

Cheers

Trev

Hi Trevor,

Ok good to know! I've probably been shying away from posting interesting specimens due to thinking that it had to be a "show-stopper to qualify.
I'll see what images I can dig up to share here...hopefully these are not a repost...

Here's a group of Torrington Beryl's that I've collected over the years, from left to right we have a 4cm tall specimen with smoky quartz from Mica Hill, a 4cm Beryl from Heffernans Mine and a 3cm Beryl from a vein near the old Heffernans workings.

Hello Ralph,
Thanks for the call. I have listed what I think you want for koolyanobbing, it is also gazetted as a town, I believe it is managed by the current mining company in the area (Portman)

Koolyanobbing Range, Koolyanobbing, Yilgarn Shire. Southern Cross. Western Australia.

Last time I was on site, there were maybe 3 pits, that was before mining in the current boom. I would expect collectors are discouraged at the moment.

Mount Holland is already covered. It is the listing for Kimrobinsite.

East Poona is a problem in as much it is listed, but Emerald pool (Ralf Belairs), East Poona (Tony Lee) and The Gem Mine (original name) are all the same prospect.

There are workings 12 to 16 km. south east of poona, but they are un-named prospects.
Hope that's what you want, please email me if there is anything else. I am not confident enough to do any corrections or listings myself, so prefer to have it reviewed.

Hello Patrick,
The day you listed your Chrysoberyl, I was cleaning same at the house I was at. This too is a new find, while not as good as yours in colour, they are very close to an area that Simpson states in one of his books alexandrite was found (of excellent colour change). So here is hoping. I believe your crystals look better with the quartz.







fred.

Patrick And Trevor,
"...but seems like thats a bit of a grey area in this thread ;)" .Surely you don't believe a thread started by an Aussie and mostly supported by Aussies is going to stick to the rules.







fred.

A few more,







f.

Another three, unfortunately not mine.







f.

Thanks Fred for sharing the WA Chrysoberyl, I think if anywhere in Australia was going to produce Alexandrite, it would be Western Australia...all the right elements are there in those schists and pegmatites! Hopefully I'll make it over there one day and do some exploring.

Here's a couple more of the Harts Range material, a large twin Chrysoberyl measuring about 3cm x 3cm and it's baby twin, about 10mm x 10mm. Both collected in 2011.

3rd. last lot.
The magnetite crystals remind me of some one I know, they grew out instead of up.




f.

Patrick, Simpson was our Senior Government geologist for many years and was the author of 3 books, and in book 2?, he mentions the chrysoberyl at south poona, it has been years since I read it , but one can only be impressed by his description of the colour change of the alex. that was acquired from there..

Another three,







f.

To Stephanie,
Last for the day, and to totally wreck Trevor's thread. These are for you, for the kind words of encouragement, glad you
enjoyed.



f.

Hi Fred,

Don't worry you did not wreck the thread. Not only is Western Australia rich in minerals, we all know that it is famous for it's wild flowers. And yet what is not very well known that it is the deeply weathered ancient rocks below that are responsible for the magnificent displays. It is due to the heavily leached soils, that in turn have little nutrients. This means that no individual species can become dominant and we therefore have the most amazing variety and display of wild flowers. To quote Michael Archer - "from the hardest of adversity can come the greatest biodiversity". It's all thanks to the geology and the rocks... Australia is still an amazing place.

Cheers Trev

Great photos of minerals from Western Australia. Here's my contribution to the minerals from the west.

Columbites from Spargoville.

First is 6 cm long, second and third are both 3 cm long.

Dravites from Yinnietharra

First cluster is 5 cm across, second sample is 6 cm across, third sample is 10 cm across.

One more Dravite - 8 cm round crystal (the shape of these are sometimes mistaken for a large garnet)

My final contribution for minerals from Western Australia, a Zinnwaldite with quartz from Londonderry. Sample is 25 cm across.