08 August 2018

Go to site  
   
   
 


Our first stop in Australia was in Inverell, a small town in New South Wales from where we get the majority of Australian sapphires. This city of just over 11,000 people is about 320 km southwest of Brisbane.

 


The region is much less arid than the Outback where we find the opals. There are many farms, beautiful birds and of course quite a few kangaroos!

 
   
 

We had the chance to meet John Wilson who operates one of Australia's largest sapphire mines, which lays about 20 km from the city in the middle of cornfields and wind farms.

   
   

The mine employs a dozen people who operate trucks, excavators and other machinery.

 
 

Below are the different stages for the extraction of sapphires.

 
   
 

The first step is to dig the black soil on the surface in order to reuse it once the process is complete.

The sapphires are quite close to the surface, about 6-7 meters deep. They were carried over by rivers hundreds of years ago. We find them mixed with clay.

The shovel digs the clay that contains sapphires and dumps it over into a truck.

The truck empties the material on a large plate, or a conveyor, where the pieces of clay are separated with the help of a powerful water jet. The clay must undergo several steps in order to separate. 

Large sieves then sort the rough in three different sizes.

The sorted rough sapphires are automatically transferred to a large padlocked box that the owner empties at the end of the day. They are then shipped to Thailand to be cut.

All the used water is filtered and discharged into a large pond for reuse. 

After the process, the remaining mixture of soil and clay is reloaded into a truck and returned to the hole that was initially dug. The black soil is then added back onto the surface. 

The field is thus ready to welcome new seeds. As the land has been turned, it is more fertile and the new crops are even better.

 

 
   
 

Pierres de Charme

 
 

In this era of ethical and environmental awareness, it is important to find choices that respect your values and those of your clients. Australians share values that are very similar to Canadians; their good working conditions and environmental awareness all make it possible to market ethical sapphires that are, above all, relatively affordable!

 
   
 

Pierres de Charme

 
 

Expo Prestige

For the 3rd consecutive year, we will be attending the Prestige exhibition which takes place at the Palais des Congrès from August 26 to 28. Come greet us at booth # 426.

   
 

Hong Kong 2018

Like every year, we will be at the Hong Kong show in September. Now is the time to send us your special requests.

 

Canadian Tour - Fall 2018

All dates of our sales to schools occurring in different Canadian cities are now on our website! If you want us to bring something specific, please let us know in advance.

 

Pierres de Charme
620 Cathcart street, #310
Montreal, Québec,
H3B 1M1


Opening hours :
Monday to friday 9h to 12h and 1h to 5h pm or by appointment


MARTINE LAVOIE, FGA BÉNÉDICTE LAVOIE, FGA
Gemmologist & Gems Dealer
+1 (438) 384-1284



_


You are the member of our mailing list.

To unsubscribe : Click here

© 2016, Pierres de charme. All rights reserved.

pdecv2
Éditer la page
Fermer l'onglet