I hadn’t been fossicking for more than a few weeks
around Glen Innes when I found my first small pink gemstone. It was nothing
like the colour of the local zircon or garnet and at first I thought it might
be spinel.
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| Group of Glen Innes pink sapphires |
Hylda Bracewell, a well regarded gemmologist who
was living in Torrington at the time, conducted some tests on specimens and
advised me that it was actually pink sapphire, which I knew was a possibility.
It is rarely found and most casual gem hunters
never find a piece or are even aware of its existence. However, it has turned
up in all my regular fossicking spots – Yarrow Creek, Pretty Valley, Rainy
Swamp and Back Creek (at Pinkett, rather appropriately). I saw one found at
Scrubby Gully, Torrington, on one occasion and I am sure they are found in all
the local sapphire localities.
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| 1 cm dog's tooth from Pretty Valley |
The gemstone differs from the more typical blue
and yellow gems in a number of ways. Firstly, the stones are always
small, rarely more than 2 carats. Secondly,
they hardly ever show even a trace of crystal faces and only once a dog’s tooth
crystal turned up (at Pretty Valley). Even this is very pale and unlike the
normal colour of the gem.
Thirdly, the colour is constant in
any one stone, i.e. there are no particoloured stones, although just once I
found a blue gem with a pink end (again at Pretty Valley).
Naturally there has been a lot of discussion about
whether or not these stones are really pale rubies. Everyone wants them to be,
but the truth is that their colour is quite distinct from the true ruby colour.
I have found a genuine ruby only once (in Yarrow Creek) which was confirmed by
the respected local cutter Sorn Lim. The photograph doesn’t do the colour
justice, unfortunately. Subsequently I was shown another from the same creek.
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| 0.33 carat ruby from Yarrow Creek |
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| 0.5 carat pink from Yarrow Creek |
Pink sapphire cutters are rare in New England. I
have had 2 from Yarrow and 1 from Back Creek. All three, and the ruby, range
from 0.3 to 0.7 carats cut.
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| 3 pinks from 0.3 - 0.6 carats |
To conclude, mention must be made of the Aurora Sapphire, which was found in the Glen Innes district around 1988. I suspect it came from Yarrow Creek at Dwyer’s”. In the Australian Journal of
Mineralogy, Volume 4 Number 2 (1996), Webb and Sutherland made this
statement: “The original 48 carat
sapphire cut a 17 carat red stone, a 9 carat blue and 2 carat pink stones”.
In this case, the red corundum was surrounded by an outer zone of blue. The
authors were careful not to call the red stone a ruby and we should likewise be
cautious.
Why
not check out my You Tube channel here. There are quite a few videos on local gem fossicking.
All New England and other Geology blogs and videos
https://johnsbluemountainsblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/links-to-all-blog-entries-and-relevant.html All Blue Mountains blogs and videos
All New England and other Geology blogs and videos
https://www.blogger.com/blog/posts/1325599670344725659?pli=1Limestone Caves of NSW
Song Studies. Bible studies based on hymns and songs
Shoalhaven District Geology.
An exquisite dogs tooth so waterworn but so petty too love the almost pastel tone and those blue lines...having held the tomahawk tiger which would be the ultimate dogstooth this is still a very special find would hang for a charm bracelet beautifully!
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