Many visitors to our region are experienced fossickers who know what they are looking for. However, we often get enquiries from people who are looking for some guidance on the basics.

Note that for our overseas visitors, fossicking = rockhounding.  The exact definition of the term is subject to argument, but in our experience, Aussies use the word fossicking to describe the search for gemstones & rockhounding is used when looking for fossils, mineral specimens, etc.
 
HOW TO FIND SAPPHIRE BY FOSSICKING
The recommended method of finding sapphire in the New England area is to use 2 sieves with contrasting mesh size. You will also need a shovel and a bucket. We recommend that you wear old clothes for this activity as it can be muddy and dirty. Many of these areas are some distance from town so take along plenty of water and wear sunscreen/hat. Often these locations are excellent spots for a picnic - no need to spend all your time on the end of a shovel! Just get out there and enjoy the Australian bush !

Most fossickers will work in a sapphire bearing creek as the alluvial sapphire is the easiest to access. In contrast, commercial miners are not allowed to work within a watercourse and are usually working wash layers which are at some depth (not easy for the casual fossicker to dig down to).

There is great variation in wash type - you may be digging in heavy black clay or sandy soils. When digging for sapphire bearing gravel (or "wash"), the presence of black spinel (often called "black jack") or of common corundum in the concentrate is a good indicator that sapphire is also present. Sapphire may be found in a wide range of colours including blue, green, yellow and gold, and combinations known as "parti-colours" so don't just look for the blue ones.

Place your sieves one on top of the other and fill your top (coarse) sieve with gravel, submerge below water and shake in a circular motion. A slight up and down movement will help to suspend the gravel in the water and release the smaller and finer stones.

When washing is complete, remove the top screen and sort through it, looking for any gems of a 'glassy' appearance or stones of interesting colour. Next inspect the bottom screen (fine) and wash again to dissolve the clay.    The next step is to pulsate the fine material in the bottom sieve as shown in this photo. Shake vigorously up and down while periodically turning the sieve partway so that the gravel is concentrating evenly in the centre of the sieve. You are aiming for the heavy gems to sink to the bottom of the sieve and concentrate in the middle section.

Take the screen to a clean, flat area for inspection (many use a hessian bag) and flip the screen over landing it squarely upside-down. If centred correctly, the gemstones will be in the centre and on top. A keen fossicker is looking for treasure in the next photo.

Inspect the pile of gravel carefully and pick out anything of interest - some tweezers will help with this job and a small container is handy to store your gems. Remember that sapphires often are not very spectacular in their natural state - pick up anything with a slightly glossy appeareance even if the colour is quite dark. Hold the stone up to the sunlight - if it is transparent or translucent, it is most likely a gem of some kind.

Fossicking in the New England area will yield a wonderful range of gems. While most are looking for sapphire, other possible finds include zircon, black spinel, garnet, varieties of quartz, topaz and tourmaline. Zircon is associated with sapphire in most areas and range in colour from clear, yellow, honey brown to rich red and orange hues. Black spinel is another gem commonly found with sapphire and is an opaque black mineral with excellent properties as a cut gem.

No licence is required to fossick for gems in NSW - other states may differ.  You simply need consent from the landholder and must follow some simple rules. See here for more information from the relevant government authorities:
NSW Department of Primary Industries and NSW State Forests
The NSW DPI also has an information sheet on where to find gems in NSW.

If you find yourself getting “gemstone fever”, see our online shop for lots of great bargains in rough and cut gems. Remember the Glen Innes and Inverell area is a fantastic place to search for a huge variety of gems (sapphire, garnet, quartz, topaz, tourmaline, beryl, etc).

Fossicking is fun for the whole family - give it a try !