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24/9/2011
Hi Folks,
I hope you are all doing well out there. This is just a notice to advise that I am in the process of relocating over the next week or so to my "summer pasture", this time out to the O'Briens Creek topaz gemfields. I will be spending the summer out there this year and am looking forward to much topaz digging, cutting and silversmithing (my latest project). I will still be cutting gemstones and taking orders as per normal, its business as usual.
So over the next week I might be a bit slow in responding to emails and so forth but I will respond as soon as I can. There is no mobile phone reception where I am going though there is a landline I can be contacted on. I have to get the satellite internet connection sorted out which is why I might be slow in replying to emails for a little while.
It also got a bit warm the other day... it hit 43C, almost 110F in my workshed here at Mt Surprise. This is the time of year when it really starts to warm up. Everything is very dry and the air is dry as well, very little humidity. Soon, around the end of October the electrical storms and buildup to the "wet" will start and then the wet season will be upon us.
Recently we had a small location scout crew for a Japanese reality TV show visit us here at Mt Surprise. We took them out to our claim on the gemfields and showed them what topaz digging was all about. They went back and a week later they informed up that they were going to film an episode here for the show. Apparently the show is for an all-girl Japanese pop group called "AKB48", bit like the "Monkees" of yesteryear where they would go on adventures and then sing some songs (which they didn't do here... they just had the adventure bit).
Well, here are some pics of that very fun and surreal day when we took the AKB48 girls out digging topaz! Their mission was to find the "blue topaz".
3/9/2011
Here are some pics from the 2011 season at the O'Briens Creek gemfield. You'll notice that the landscape is all very old (around 300+ million years) pink granite. In these hills, creeks and under the boulders are all the topaz which were formed at the same time as the granite which makes it some very old topaz indeed. I hope these pics will give you some idea of the country where we find our topaz and just how beautiful it is. These pics were all taken in the dry season so all the grass looks brown and dry. During the wet these hills become green and lush, and the creeks full and flowing.
2011 Season At O'Briens Creek Gemfield, North Queensland, Australia
21/8/2011
NEW GEMSTONE ADDITIONS #26 notification email sent to subscribers
New Gemstone Listed : Rio Grande Citrine, 4.6 ct, Asscher Cut, Brazil, #396
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 10.3 ct, Supernova, O'Briens Creek, #395
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 3.3 ct, Victoria Regent Cut, O'Briens Creek, #394
New Gemstone Listed : Smokey Quartz, 3.2 ct, Six Ray Star, O'Briens Creek, #393
New Design Listed : Supernova
New Design Listed : Victoria Regent Cut
25/7/2011
New Gemstone Listed : Peridot, 4.6 ct, Supernova Oval, Pakistan, #391
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 3.45 ct, Supernova Oval, Brazil, #390
Added new pics and comments : Pink Tourmaline, 5.5 ct, Asscher, #179
17/7/2011
Hi Folks,
Its been a pretty busy tourist season here at Mt Surprise, with plenty of topaz being found. I haven't had much of a chance to cut gems for the website but here are a few I've managed to sneak in.
I did cut some spectacular "Supernova" ovals in natural blue topaz but as soon as I put them in the shop display they were snapped up... didn't even have time to photograph them. Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well out there. My apologies for any slow responses to email... I will get to them all.
Cheers,
Doug...
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 4.9 ct, Asscher Cut, Brazil, #386
New Gemstone Listed : Smokey Quartz, 1.75 ct each, Six Ray Star (matched pair), O'Briens Creek, Australia, #382
New Gemstone Listed : Aquamarine, 5.25 ct, Signature #3, #385
25/6/2011
Added new outdoor pics : Yellow Beryl, Asscher Cut, #150
24/6/2011
I've started taking a heap of outdoor "hand" shots today. It will take me a while to get them all done and uploaded - it will probably be something that I do stone by stone over the next few weeks or so.
I've found it quite amazing just how different the "light" can be out here compared to on the coast at Bowen. The light here at Mt Surprise, about 330km inland, is VERY intense and bright. The air is very dry compared to the humidity on the coast so perhaps that also has something to do with the light quality. That, and also the fact that my poor little camera is really being pushed beyond its limits in its efforts to accurately capture the colours, will explain in some part why the stones may look so different outdoors "au natural" compared to my other pics which, while taken outdoors, are done a little differently then just point and click.
Anyway, enjoy the new pics. Oh, I also have taken these pics in shaded/dappled sunlight... direct sunlight is way too intense for the gems, it needs to be shaded even just a little.
Added new outdoor pics : Citrine, Asscher, #217
Added new outdoor pics : Fanta Garnet, Mini Mint, #302
Added new outdoor pics : Amethyst, The Trouble With Tribbles, #151
23/6/2011
Hi Folks,
My apologies for the delay in getting this update done. I have been making some large scale changes to my pricing structure which has all been explained in the subscriber notification email that I have sent out for this update.
I haven't had much of a chance to cut many new stones for the website as I have been busying cutting orders of topaz and sapphires. I did get a chance to do a few umbalites. I have some smokeys on the dopstick that are waiting patiently to be turned into a lovely little pair of 7mm stones.
I have also listed some very nice facet rough for sale plus some pics of O'Briens Creek aquamarine for people that haven't seen it before. The colour is a knockout. I've also managed to get hold of some proper cabbing laps for doing cabochons on a faceting machine so maybe some cabs coming up in the future. Anyway, enjoy.
Cheers,
Doug
NEW GEMSTONE ADDITIONS #25 notification email sent to subscribers
New Gemstone Listed : Umbalite Garnet, 1.8 ct, KwikOval, Tanzania, #381
New Gemstone Listed : Umbalite Garnets (matched pair), 1.95 ct each, Mini Mint, Tanzania, #380
New Gemstone Listed : Sapphire, 12.8 ct, Step Cut Kite, Australia, #378
New Gemstone Listed : Black Spinel, 2.2 ct each, Matched Pair, Step Cut Briolette, Central Queensland, Australia, #376
New Rough Listed : Aquamarine, O'Briens Creek, Australia, #r161
New Rough Listed : Aquamarine, 18.3 ct, Brazil, #r159
New Rough Listed : Aquamarine, 17.4 ct, Brazil, #r158
New Rough Listed : Yellow / Green Beryl Crystal, 24.6 ct, Brazil, #r157
New Rough Listed : Umbalite Garnet, 7, 7.7 ct, Umba Valley, Tanzania, #r156
New Rough Listed : Umbalite Garnet, 8.9 ct, Umba Valley, Tanzania, #r155
New Rough Listed : Umbalite Garnet, 9.6 ct, Umba Valley, Tanzania, #r154
New Page Added : Facet Rough For Sale
New Rough For Sale Listed : Aquamarine, 32.9 ct, Brazil, #r160
Added some postscript comments to the Red Spinel, 2.8ct, Brilliant Pear, Mahenge, Tanzania, #359
17/5/2011
New Gemstone Listed : Aquamarine, 3.5ct, Signature #4, Nigeria, #374
14/5/2011
Hi Folks,
Here's another batch of fabulous gemstones including a number of fine matched pairs. I have also listed all my matched pairs on the Suites and Pairs page.
This will be my last batch of stones before I head back up to Mt Surprise in about a weeks time for the coming winter tourist season... its TOPAZ time again! Once up there I'll be setup and cutting again.
Theres also an amazing red spinel crystal specimen for your viewing pleasure... its not for sale, just eye candy.:-) I hope you enjoy this latest treasure trove of gems.
Cheers,
Doug...
New Gemstone Listed : Red Spinel, 2.8ct, Brilliant Pear, Mahenge, Tanzania, #359
New Gemstone Listed : Red Spinel, 2.3ct, Round Brilliant, Mahenge, Tanzania, #360
New Gemstone Listed : Pinkish Purple Spinel (matched pair), 1.1ct each, Mini-Mint, Mahenge, Tanzania, #361
New Gemstone Listed : Aquamarine, 4.9ct, Asscher Cut, Nigeria, #371
New Gemstone Listed : Peridot (matched pair), 2.5ct each, Round Brilliant, Pakistan, #368
New Gemstone Listed : Champagne Topaz (matched pair), 3.1ct each, Maya Drop, O'Briens Creek, Australia, #365
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 3.1ct, Maya Drop, O'Briens Creek, Australia, #366
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 4.9ct, Yin-Yang, Africa, #367
New Gemstone Listed : Pink Tourmaline, 3ct, Smith Bar, Nigeria, #364
New Gemstone Listed : Light Green Tourmaline, 1.7ct, Asscher Cut, Afghanistan, #363
New Gemstone Listed : Amethyst (matched pair), 3.9ct each, Sunflare, Uruguay, #343
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz (matched pair), 3.7ct each, Sunflare, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #346
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 29.3ct, Trouble With Tribbles, Severn River, Stanthorpe, Australia, #357
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 24.25ct, Ten Main Oval, Severn River, Stanthorpe, Australia, #358
New Speciment Listed : Red Spinel Crystal Specimen, 1.2kg, Mahenge, Tanzania, #r153
16/4/2011
You'll never believe what happened here this afternoon around 3:30pm... we had an EARTHQUAKE with an epicentre about 60km west (inland) from Bowen where I live!!! It was 5.4 on the scale and shook the house for about 30 seconds... it was my first earthquake ever, I think it was the first for Bowen, and the biggest to hit Queensland since 1935 apparently. And why Bowen of all places??? No damage was recorded but people are certainly wondering just what is going on. There was a low, deep and quite audible rumbling, like a big explosion going off nearby. Crikeys, its getting a bit weird over here with the weather and all... first major floods, then a major cyclone and now a major (for this area) earthquake... whats next?!?!?!? Here are some links to the earthquake reports :
Map Report News
15/4/2011
New Gemstone Listed : Umbalite Garnets (matched pair), 1.6 ct, Round Brilliant, Tanzania, #355
8/4/2011
NEW GEMSTONE ADDITIONS #23 notification email sent to subscribers
New Gemstone Listed : Fanta Orange Mandarin Spessartite Garnet, 3.05ct, Antique Round 1910, Loliondo, Tanzania, #353
New Gemstone Listed : Rose de France Amethyst, 4.3ct, Brilliant Cushion, Brazil, #352
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 37.9ct, Fiorino, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #349
New FAQ article : Photographing Gemstones - How I do it.
6/4/2011
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 12ct, Spider, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #351
25/3/2011
For a change, I've been working on my other website where I have all my artwork displayed.
Flowering of Life Portal of the Seven Sisters Andalusia
18/3/2011
Hi Folks,
Here is my latest batch of gems and rough. A number of these topaz were cut for a private collector who has been digging at O'Briens Creek for years. I've posted them because there are some new designs amongst them that you might like, particularly the "spider". This update is also a "constellation of sunflares" as I've been cutting my newest design alot lately.
There is also a new page called "The Wishlist". Its a new idea I wanted to try out. The idea behind it is, well, lets say you've been looking for a particular type of gemstone in a particular design and can't seem to find it anywhere, or maybe you want to see more of a certain thing. This page allows you to "make a wish". It is completely anonymous so you will not be under any obligation or whatever to purchase any gems that might happen to appear in time that were what you wished for. You can also use it to provide anonymous feedback to me as well. Try to keep "wishes" in the realms of gemstones so nothing silly like "I want a mercedes benz" cause it ain't going to happen (not that a mercedes benz is silly... I wish I had one!). Naturally, if you do want me to get back to you regarding something, use the normal contact page. Let me know what you think, whether its a good idea or not. :-)
NEW GEMSTONE ADDITIONS #22 notification email sent to subscribers
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz (matched pair), 2.2ct, Sunflare, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #347
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 3.7ct, Sunflare, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #346
New Gemstone Listed : Madeira Citrine, 4ct, Sunflare, Uruguay, #345
New Gemstone Listed : Amethyst, 3.9ct, Sunflare, Uruguay, #343
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 22.5ct, Fiorino, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #344
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 9.6ct, Penta Brilliant, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #341
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 8.2ct, Girl's Best Friend, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #340
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 8.8ct, Sunflare, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #339
New Gemstone Listed : Champagne Topaz, 20.7ct, Spider, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #338
New Gemstone Listed : Rose de France Amethyst, 13.9ct, Utopia Pear, Brazil, #337
New Rough Listed : Pink Tourmaline, Nigeria, #r149
New Rough Listed : Mint Tourmaline, Afghanistan, #r150
New Rough Listed : Umbalite Garnet, Umba Valley, Tanzania, #r151
New Rough Listed : Fanta Orange Spessartite Mandarin Garnet, Loliondo, Tanzania, #r152
New Design Listed : Spider
New Page Added : The Wishlist
Just a quick note about the fanta orange spessartite mandarin garnet and select facet rough in general. I talked to my rough dealer who has been going to Tuscon for over 20 years and he told me that this year was one of the worst he's seen for finding high quality facet rough. There was plenty of the usual suspects, like amethyst, citrine, treated blue topaz, etc but for the more "big name" rough like tourmaline and fancy garnets there was just nothing available and what could be got was expensive. The fanta garnet in particular is getting terribly expensive! Anything (rough) in the five carat and over category saw the price per carat go up dramatically. These garnets that I recently purchased and are listed above have gone up in price by 125% compared to the same time last year when I purchased some rough! It is not cheap and the cut gems ARE going to be expensive. I wish I could say it wasn't the case but it is. If you can find cheap true "fanta" orange spessartite mandarin gems out there, grab them because they won't be cheap or available for long. I wouldn't be surprised if these "fanta" garnets go the way of paraiba tourmaline with prices rising dramatically. Just look at what has happened to Mahenge spinel. Prices for this material are crazy and the deposits are, for all intents and purposes, exhausted. Alot of miners there are not digging for gemstone rough as there is more money now in looking for gold. My dealer also told me that even decent commercial cut fanta garnets two carat and over were priced at $450-500 and more per carat! This is not for precision cut gems, this is just for commercial/native cut stones. Just thought you should all know.
17/3/2011
I'm currently putting together my latest batch of gemstones and hopefully should have it uploaded in the next couple of days. I will also have some VERY nice new rough to show you as well. This is all rough fresh from Tuscon and there is some very lovely material. There is some nice chucky rhodolite garnet, some beautiful pinkish umbalite garnet, a couple of devine pink tourmalines, some smaller mint green Afghani tourmaline and some vivid fanta orange spessartite garnet! Coming soon so stay tuned...
21/2/2011
Hi Folks,
I hope everyone has had a great month and getting into the swing of 2011. Its Year of the Rabbit this year so I hope lots of abundance and bounty comes everyones way.
Thanks for a great response to my inaugural and impromptu "Aquarius Sale" which is now finished.
I've got a great batch of gemstones with this update as well as some fantastic customer settings, a new design and a couple of new pages.
I hope you enjoy them. Cheers and all the best.
Doug...
New Gemstone Listed : Rose Quartz, 5.5 ct, Fiorino, Brazil, #336
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 6.6 ct, Sunflare, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #335
New Gemstone Listed : Rose de France Amethyst, 5.25 ct, Antique Round 1910, Brazil, #334
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 6.75 ct, Atlas, O'Briens Creek, Australia, #333
New Gemstone Listed : Electric Blue Topaz, 10 ct, Ten Main Oval, Brazil, #332
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 19.5 ct, Brilliant Briolette, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #329
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 12.5 ct, Trouble With Tribbles, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #328
New Gemstone Listed : Rhodolite Garnet, 4.1 ct, Antique Round 1910, Tanzania, #327
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 11 ct, Jill's Dilemma, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #326
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 13 ct, Antique Phi Flower Dome, O'Briens Ck, Australia, #323
New Design Listed : Sunflare
New Page Added : Cutting Rates
New Page Added : FAQ
New Customer Setting : Natural Blue Topaz "Victoria Cut" ring
New Customer Setting : Natural Blue Topaz "Barion Old Mine" pendant
Also when you have a chance, check out the new Green Gem Foundation. This is a great new initiative to bring focus and awareness to the people and miners who dig and find these wonderful gemstones in Africa.
2/2/2011
I've decided on the spur of the moment to have an impromptu "Aquarius Sale".
Given that I'm an aquarian and its coming up to my birthday soon I thought I'd have a sale on all my aquamarine and garnet.
Buy two or more gemstones and take an extra 10% off. Sale until Feb 21.
27/1/2011
New Gemstone Listed : Black Spinel, 1.8 ct each, Matched Pair, Mini Mint, Central Queensland, Australia, #324
25/1/2011
New Gemstone Listed : Black Spinel, 6.7 ct, Swirl Dutch, Central Queensland, Australia, #322
New Gemstone Listed : Black Spinel, 4.5 ct, Emerald Cut, Central Queensland, Australia, #321
20/1/2011
Hi Folks, hope everyone is doing well out there. I've finished a number of black spinel gems but haven't had a chance to photograph them yet. Here are the details :
(a) matched pair of round "Mini-Mint", 7x7mm, 1.85ct.
(b) "Swirl Dutch" dome design (Jeff Graham) with 129 facets. Looks really good in glossy black spinel, the swirling design works well! 11x11x7.5mm, 6.7ct.
(c) "Emerald Cut" black spinel, 7x11x5mm, 4.5ct. Big beautiful bold glossy black reflection flash sort of thing happening with this gemstone.
Remember that this natural black spinel material is opaque and therefore relies on its incredible glossy polished surface of the many facets to "flash" light about. Its like the glossiest (if that's such a word) ebony piano key that you've ever seen.
10/1/2011
New Customer Setting : Fanta Orange Mandarin Spessartite Garnet "Acorn" Ring
9/1/2011
Hi Folks,
I hope everyone had a very happy christmas and a great new year! :-)
Here is my first drop of gemstones for the new year. I have some fantastic fancy garnets which are exceptional examples of their type. Have a look and let me know if anything interests you. Cheers!
New Suite Listed : Suite of Merelani Mint Green and Fanta Orange Garnets, Tanzania
New Gemstone Listed : Pakistani Peridot, 2.6 ct, Antique Round 1910, Pakistan, #320
New Gemstone Listed : Sage Green Quartz, 5.4 ct, Rectangle Scissors Cut, Brazil, #319
New Gemstone Listed : Black Spinel, 3.24 ct, Antique Round 1910, Central Queensland, Australia, #318
New Gemstone Listed : Fanta Orange Mandarin Spessartite Garnet, 2.2 ct, Under The Dome #5, Tanzania, #317
New Gemstone Listed : Fanta Orange Mandarin Spessartite Garnet, 2.04 ct, Antique Round 1910, Tanzania, #316
New Gemstone Listed : Fanta Orange Mandarin Spessartite Garnet, 1.36 ct, Emerald Cut, Tanzania, #315
New Gemstone Listed : Merelani Mint Green Garnet, 1.04 ct, Radiant Emerald Cut, Merelani Hills, Tanzania, #314
New Gemstone Listed : Merelani Mint Green Garnet, 1.7 ct, Acorn, Merelani Hills, Tanzania, #312
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 15.8 ct, Acorn, O'Briens Creek, #311
New Gemstone Listed : Garnet, .83 ct, matching pair of Princess Cuts, Harts Ranges, NT, Australia, #308
4/1/2011
New Page Added : Gave Rose de France Amethyst its own page.
30/12/2010
I'm cutting some very nice Merelani Mint Green Garnet (x2) and Fanta Orange Spessartite Garnets (x3) at the moment... should be finished shortly.
24/12/2010
I am currently working on adding information about each type of stone. At the moment I have only done several.... you can see an example of this information at the bottom of the page here :
Amethyst Information
Aquamarine Information
Citrine Information
Garnet Information
Topaz Information
Tourmaline Information
Eventually I want to be able to make this information expand/shrink so that it doesn't take up all the space on the page and you can view as much or as little as you want.
20/12/2010
New Gemstone Listed : Matched Natural Blue Topaz, 8.1 ct each, Diamond Teardrop, #306
New Suite Listed : Suite of matched Natural Blue Topaz, Diamond Teardrop
15/12/2010
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 33.6 ct, Diamond Teardrop, #305
New Design Listed : Diamond Teardrop
9/12/2010
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 2.6 ct, Princess Look Alike, Matched Pair, #303
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 22.4 ct, Eye, #301
New Gemstone Listed : Yellow Sapphire, .16 ct each, Princess Cut, Matched Pair, #bb21
New Gemstone Listed : Blue Sapphire, 2.4 ct, Bicentenial Brilliant , #bb20
New Gemstone Listed : Parti Sapphire, 1.2 ct, Round Brilliant , #bb19
New Gemstone Listed : Green Sapphire, 1.29 ct, Round Brilliant , #bb18
New Gemstone Listed : Blue Sapphire, 1.2 ct, Round Brilliant , #bb17
I have created an index of all the designs I have listed on my site... see the design index here.
29/11/2010
New Gemstone Listed : Hot Pink Tourmaline, 2.1 ct, Bicentenial Brilliant, #300
New Gemstone Listed : Fanta Orange Spessartite Garnet, 1 ct, Mini Mint, #302
5/12/2010
Coming soon, some new sapphires cut by my friend Bill Bradford :
Green Sapphire, 1.2ct, 6mm, Round Brilliant
Parti-colour Sapphire, 1.2ct, 6mm, Round Brilliant
Blue Sapphire, 1.2ct, 6mm, Round Brilliant
Blue Sapphire, 2.4ct, 8mm, Bicentenial Brilliant
2 x Yellow Sapphires, .16ct, 2.5mm, Princess Cut
2 x Blue Sapphires, .27ct, 4mm, Round Brilliant
2 x Blue Sapphires, .26ct, 6x3mm, Marquise
29/11/2010
NEW GEMSTONE ADDITIONS #17 notification email sent to subscribers
New Gemstone Listed : Asscher Cut Yellow Chrysoberyl, 1.1 ct, Asscher Cut, #299
New Gemstone Listed : Asscher Cut Pink Tourmaline, 5.6 ct, Asscher Cut, #298
New Gemstone Listed : Golden Beryl, 2.1 ct, Tripple Treasure, #297
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 8.5 ct, Bar Round, #296
New Gemstone Listed : Golden Citrine, 10.2 ct, Pentagram Pendant, #295
New Gemstone Listed : Rhodolite Garnet, 4.7 ct, Birdie, #294
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 7 ct, Maltese Cross Pendant, #293
New Gemstone Listed : Asscher Cut Madeira Citrine, 1.1 ct, Asscher Cut, #291
New Gemstone Listed : Asscher Cut Madeira Citrine, 1.35 ct, Compear, #290
New Select Rough Added : Merelani Mint Garnet, Tanzania, #r145
New Select Rough Added : Fanta Orange Spessartite Garnet, Tanzania, #r146
New Select Rough Added : Pink Tourmaline, Nigeria, #r147
New Select Rough Added : Chrysoberyl, Tanzania, #r148
I have also reduced the prices on the following gemstones :
#235, #283, #194, #143, #146, #172, #170, #249, #248
With this update I am also introducing a new 20% discount on all listed gemstone prices to all existing and new subscribers! This will be a permanent offer going forward... so spread the word! Subscribe and save! :-)
I've also had another crack at organising my Select Rough pages. Each type of rough now has its own page.
I'm always working hard to try and improve my website to make it easier use and navigate. If there is anything you can think of that I can do to improve something or feel there would be something nice to have, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'd love to hear your feedback and ideas.
Cheers,
Doug...
PS. Please note that some subscribers have contacted me to let me know that they have not received any notification emails.
This is usually due to one of two things:
1) They originally mistyped their email address.
2) The spam filter on their inbox is very tight and puts my notice email in the spam folder rather then their inbox. So check your spam folder regularly... I do. You'll be surprised that alot of genuine emails from people end up in there.
10/11/2010
New Design Listed : Barion Square
New Design Listed : Vega
New Design Listed : Hextile Triangle
New Design Listed : Mixtress
New Design Listed : FVS-89
New Design Listed : Trixie
New Design Listed : Signature #4
New Design Listed : Compear
New Design Listed : Lazy Pear
New Design Listed : Pendeloque
New Design Listed : Hari-Peri
New Design Listed : FVS-80
6/11/2010
Hi Folks, I am in the middle of relocating to my summer pasture at Bowen so apologies for any delays in responding to emails. I have been doing some housekeeping on my website and have split the SOLD pages for Topaz and Blue Topaz into two each as they were getting quite large and I wanted to shorten the download time/volumes. I hope to be back up and cutting very shortly. I hope everyone is doing well. Cheers, Doug...
:-)
30/10/2010
I have introduced a "zoom" feature allowing you to view larger pics. Where you see a magnifying glass (as shown) beneath the main gem picture, you can click on it (or the main pic) and a gallery of larger pics for that gemstone will be displayed. At the moment I have only implemented it for these two new gemstones. Going forward I will try to implement this zoom feature for all new gemstones.
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 13.5 ct, Utopia Pear, #288
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 24 ct, Trouble With Tribbles, #289
I have also cleaned up and renamed my "Quick List All Gemstones" page so that it now only shows SOLD gems. It has been renamed in the menu to be "Quick List SOLD Gemstones". I found it was getting too confusing having both available and sold gems in the one list. Now there are two distinct "Quick List" pages, one for AVAILABLE gems and the other for SOLD gems.
10/10/2010
NEW GEMSTONE ADDITIONS #16 notification email sent to subscribers
I have just cut two very special pink tourmalines from Afghanistan. These are particularly fine gemstones and are excellent examples of the high quality material that Afghanistan is renown for.
I have also started adding some ray-trace images for the gemstone designs I have listed, for example have a look at the Asscher Cut.
New Gemstone Listed : Pink / Mint Green Tourmaline, 3.3 ct, Acorn, #282
New Gemstone Listed : Pink / Clear Tourmaline, 13.3 ct, Acorn, #283
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 17.2 ct, Phi Flower Dome, #276
30/09/2010
New Gemstone Listed : Malaya Garnet, 29.6 ct, Brilliant Pear, #277
17/09/2010
New Gemstone Listed : Chrysoprase, 5.5 ct, Cabochon Oval, #cab1
New Gemstone Listed : Chrysoprase, 23 ct, Cabochon Freeform and Silver Pendant Setting, #cab2
New Select Rough Added : Malaya Garnet, Tanzania, 68.6 ct, #r144
New Select Rough Added : Malaya Garnet, Tanzania, 79.9 ct, #r142
New Select Rough Added : Malaya Garnet, Tanzania, 22.4, 39.5 ct, #r141
New Select Rough Added : Malaya Garnet, Tanzania, 48.6 ct, #r140
15/09/2010
Hi Everyone.
Its been a busy time of late but the season is pretty much over now as the heat of summer is starting to arrive. I've been cutting alot of orders lately, mostly topaz that people have found out at O'Briens Creek. These have been quite large stones and I've included a few of them here for you to view. They are all listed as "SOLD". I haven't had much time to do any cutting for the "shop" as such but I will when I get the chance.
I have also listed some great carvings that I was lucky to acquire... these are particularly fine examples of workmanship.
There is also some beautiful select rough that should get the juices flowing. I've made another attempt to sort out my rough pages... I have now sorted them alphabetically.
NEW GEMSTONE ADDITIONS #15 notification email sent to subscribers
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 13.33 ct, Under The Dome #5, #260
New Gemstone Listed : Asscher Cut Yellow Beryl, 3.1 ct, Asscher Cut, #261
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 15.4 ct, Yin-Yang, #263
New Gemstone Listed : Smokey Quartz, 12.3 ct, Huntress, #268
New Gemstone Listed : Rio-Grande Citrine, 2.2 ct, Matched pair of Victoria Cuts, #266
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 21.5 ct, Acorn, #269
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 12.8 ct, Octadome #12, #272
New Gemstone Listed : Amethyst, 1.5 ct, Matched pair of Mini Mints, #270
New Carving Listed : Chrysoprase, Carving of Cat and Mice, #carving1
New Carving Listed : Ruby and Zoisite, Carving of Baby Dragon Resting, #carving2
New Select Rough Added : Strong Pink/Rubellite Tourmaline, Nigeria, 24.2 ct, #r132
New Select Rough Added : Bubblegum Pink Tourmaline, Afghanistan, 33.3 ct, #r133
New Select Rough Added : Bubblegum Pink Tourmaline, Afghanistan, 8.3 ct, #r134
New Select Rough Added : Golden Beryl, Brazil, #r137
New Select Rough Added : Peridot, Pakistan, 11.6 ct, #r138
New Select Rough Added : Madeira Citrine, Uruguay, #r139
19/08/2010
Hi Everyone.
I have just returned from GemFest and am going through all my emails and will reply to everyone as soon as I can.
I managed to get some really nice select pieces of rough, such as some bubblegum pink tourmaline, merelani mint garnet and golden beryl. I also got some top quality Queensland chrysoprase beads... these are not your normal quality beads, they are really something special. I also picked up some exceptional quality carvings in chrysoprase and ruby/zoisite. These are the best quality carvings that I have ever come across and are miles ahead of the usual stuff that you see.
I will endevour to get pics and info of all these up on my website shortly. I hope everyone is doing well. Cheers.
24/07/2010
Hi Folks, well its the middle of the tourist season here at Mt Surprise and that means topaz, topaz and more topaz. I've been pretty busy with taking people out on topaz digging tours and cutting some of the topaz they find. We've found alot of topaz this year and quite a bit of it has been large good stones. I've cut a few monsters and included them here for you to check them out. There was also a brief weekend spent picking up agates at Agate Creek... that is an AMAZING place! There is literally agate everywhere all over the place, the ground is covered in it.
I hope everyone is doing well. Cheers and stay tuned for more stones... BTW, the annual Sapphire GemFest held at Anakie on the Central Queensland gem fields is coming up in mid August so if anyone wants me to keep an eye out for something special, let me know.
New Suite Listed : Matched Suite of Synthetic Cobolt Blue Spinel
New Gemstone Listed : Synthetic Cobolt Blue Spinel, 7 ct, Birdie, #254
New Gemstone Listed : Synthetic Cobolt Blue Spinel, 3.8 ct, Birdie, #253
New Gemstone Listed : Synthetic Cobolt Blue Spinel, 2.2 ct, Birdie, #251
New Gemstone Listed : Natural Blue Topaz, 53 ct, Signature #3, #257
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 43 ct, Smith Bar, #259
New Customer Setting : Natural Blue Topaz "Egyptian Asscher" Ring
New Pictures Added : Weekend at Agate Creek
11/06/2010
NEW GEMSTONE ADDITIONS #14 notification email sent to subscribers
New Gemstone Listed : Synthetic Azurite Blue Spinel, 2.5 ct, Birdie, #250
New Gemstone Listed : Electric Blue Topaz, 12.8 ct, Emerald Cut, #249
New Gemstone Listed : Electric Blue Topaz, 4.4 ct, KwikOval, #248
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 3.6 ct, Princess Cut, #247
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 5 ct, Princess Cut, #246
New Gemstone Listed : Topaz, 2.5 ct, Princess Cut (Matched Pair), #244
New Suite Listed : Matched Suite of Princess Cut Topaz
New Select Rough Added : Large Amethyst Quartz
New Select Rough Added : Smokey Quartz (O'Briens Creek, NQ)
New Synthetic Rough Added : Synthetic Azurite and Cobolt Blue Spinel
New Design Listed : Princess Cut (Traditional)
New Design Listed : Princess Look Alike (Alexandre Wolkonsky)
New Design Listed : Square Radiant (Traditional)
New Design Listed : Birdie (Jeff Graham)
New Design Listed : KwikOval (Fred Van Sant)
New Pictures Added : Pics of a Monster Aquamarine Crystal
