Zeehan Gem & Mineral Fair October 28 2016

On the 5th & 6th of November,  Zeehan will host its wonderful Gem and Mineral Fair. Held annually for over ten years, this is a great town and regional event. Stallholders from Tasmania and interstate attend the Fair, with minerals, fossils, jewellery, giftware, carvings and lapidary supplies available. There is a strong focus on providing an event for all in the community over the two days, both within the town and the wider region. Outside activities for children include rides, jumping castles, reptile display, gold panning, face painting etc. And the Saturday night fireworks is always a splendid event.

This is a great chance to view many fine and affordable mineral specimens, for both the beginner and the collector.  Zeehan has had a long history in the mining world in Tasmania, and is the perfect town to host  an event like this. The town has a museum with its own geology and history displays.

There is an entrance fee of $5 for adults, with children under 12, free. A raffle is always held, with a fine Crocoite (Tasmania's Mineral Emblem) specimen being First Prize (value of $500!) For more details, search the web under Zeehan Gem & Mineral Fair 2016. 

Two 'rock' shows in the coming two weeks. March 16 2016

Just spreading the word about the two gem, mineral and  fossil shows about to happen in Tasmania.

The annual Hobart Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show will be held this weekend (19th & 20th March) at the Hobart Showground, Glenorchy - the venue is the Grandstand Hall.

Saturday times: 9 - 5pm       Sunday times: 9 -4pm      

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....and over Easter,, 25th - 28th March,  a four day show in Ulverstone. The town will host The 52nd NationalGem & Mineral Show, at the Ulverstone Showgrounds, in Flora Street.. This event will have many interstate traders and visitors, who will display their earthy 'goods', either for sale or as competition displays. This event is held in a different state each year and has a dedicated retinue of show followers, some of whom are here to fossick as well as attend the state's two shows. 

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Lunaris Gemstones will be attending both events, with a new selection of Tasmanian topaz from Flinder's Island, as facetted stones; jade jewellery from western Tasmania, and some unusual 'Sunstone' Aquamarine, both rough and facetted. We will have our usual array of Stichtite in Serpentine - from Dundas, Tasmania - as carvings, jewellery and rough pieces, suitable for carving or as a mineral specimen. 

A new sparkle or two! - Topaz from Flinder's Island January 28 2016

     It had been eight years since we last went over to Flinder's Island - for rest and relaxation, as well as to look for topaz. Having been asked for some by a number of people over the past few months, we decided we'd better go fossicking, to see what we could find.

     We went last November, before we got too busy with visitors to our show-room and at Salamanca Market. Instead of taking our vehicle across on the barge, as on our first visit, we flew into Whitemark and hired the island's only camper-van, from the friendly folk at the caravan park. This allowed us better mobility, independence and allowed us to tuck ourselves away, savouring some solitude, one of Tasmania's natural gifts, often having a beach to ourselves and the birds. The relaxing part of the journey was easy come by, and truly savoured - to ly in a rock-pool, with just sea and sky, is bliss indeed. And I'm glad to say that our fossicking efforts proved successful, with some good-sized topaz for cutting,  amongst our finds. We've had some facetted and they are now for sale, both at our market stall at Salamanca and at Lune River, in our rock-shop. Sizes vary, with stones averaging between 1 -  4 carats, with one large beauty, at 20.97 carats! Prices range from $65 - $1,150.  Though most are clear, we have some blue shades and soft yellows. A rare find, was a pink topaz, now cut to display its unusual hue. 

     Two stones sold in the first two weeks we presented them, which is a nice response, so if you'd like to see some Tasmanian topaz (called by some, 'Killiecrankie Diamonds'), please come to our stall at Salamanca - we're always near St. David's Park- or to our show-room. We haven't as yet put cut topaz into our on-line shop, but this will happen soon. 

                                      ......always a wonderful island to visit, with many rewards!

                                                                               Chrystine and Boris

ps. please note that we also have other facetted gemstones, both Australian and overseas.

NEW MINERALS FROM AFAR - CHINA AND RUSSIA August 04 2015

Earlier this year, Boris travelled to China and attended the third China (Hunan) Mineral and Gem Exhibition.

The event was held in the city of Chenzhou, a region rich in non-ferrous minerals., including tungsten, tin, bismuth and fluorite. Over the five day event, Boris sought out some interesting and unusual mineral specimens, as well as those minerals often associated with China, such as fluorite & stibnite. Amongst the hundreds of stalls, he needed the five days to allow time to view what was on display. He was amongst approximately 350,000 people who attended the event. At such large events, it can be hard to select from all that is on offer.  

We now have available, some fine new minerals from China, both at our showroom at Lune River, or at our stall at Salamanca Market. Photos will be posted on our website over the next few months, though we invite you to enquire about any of the specific minerals listed below that may interest you, and we can send photos to you via e-mail. Please find a list of these new minerals as follows:

 

• Chalcopyrite/siderite
• Calcite 
• Quartz with hematite
• Stibnite
• Pyromorphite
• Kesterite
• Fluorite – incl. large octahedrons & combinations of fluorite with calcite and/or quartz
• Smoky quartz/Spessartine
• Hubeiite
• Plumbogummite
• Veszelyite
• Crocoite – from the Type locality, where Crocoite was first described, in Russia.
• Uvarovite – chrome/garnet, from Russia.

All that glitters. May 12 2015

At last we have some Tasmanian gold! Whilst they are small nuggets, they are very bright, and affordable - prices are either $22 or $30 each. We also have a couple of larger nuggets (W.A.), including an unusual gold crystal(Qld.). We have them at both Salamanca and at our rockshop at Lune River. In our jewellery area, we now have a small but varied range of designs of 9ct. gold rings, made by a friend of ours here in Tasmania. There are opals set in sterling silver rings, to compliment the Australian theme. On the Tasmanian front, we have some beautiful new specimens of Crocoite from the Adelaide mine, either in plastic boxes or on their own, with prices ranging from $20 - $300. The colour is a vibrant orange-red; very showy.

Amber in Poland June 18 2014

Amber

Amber. That intriguing fossilised resin, with its golden colours, its molten ways and its ability to bring the past into the present. Described as an organic gem, amber is the result of a natural wound or cut that occurred in certain trees, usually pines, millions of years ago. In response to the damage, resin would seep from the site, in an effort to seal the wound and prevent disease developing. It was this resin, in descending, that sometimes encased insects, pollen or fragments of surrounding plants that may have lodged in the bark. Poland is perhaps the best known location for amber, often referred to as Baltic Amber. It is on a very recent trip to Poland that I saw two very good displays of this interesting material. In Krakow, a store with amber jewellery showcased in the first room, also had a small museum in an adjoining room. There seemed no limit to the crafted amber jewellery, with a good range of both contemporary and more classic designs. In the adjoining room were many pieces of amber, either natural or polished or crafted into decorative items, each seeking to bring out the best in each piece. Intricate silverwork might embellish a rich, honey-coloured, translucent amber piece, whilst another polished specimen, in soft yellow opaque colours, might be carved into a beautiful three-dimensional ornament. All of these showcased the beauty and form of amber.
The other place I visited was the Museum of the Earth in Warsaw. Here, they too displayed a wonderful variety of crafted jewellery and carvings. Polished amber, often larger than a hand would sit alongside a natural, untouched piece, with its orange, red or yellow runnels and ‘frozen’ flows somehow fleshing out its ancient story. No amber display would be complete without showing the insect, plant and sometimes vertebrate inclusions, illuminated or backlit, the better to view the life forms from the past. I had only ever seen small pieces of amber before, so to go to Poland and see these wonderful displays was a special part of my journey.

Our Lune River Shop March 25 2014

Lunaris Gemstones shop is located between Hastings Caves and the Ida Bay Railway in the Far South of Tasmania. Featured are rare fossil ferns, found locally, and the rare mineral Crocoite (from Tasmania 's west coast) - which is the mineral emblem of the state. Also for sale are rough rock, minerals, and crystals from all over the world.

Also there is a fluorescent display.

Fossicking information is provided.

Monte Cristo Mine March 19 2014

This mine began in the 1890's, in the search for silver, lead and zinc. It never developed any significant levels of production and no records exist to give further detail to its history.
The lease is now worked by us for the fossils contained with in the bell shale though the occassional piece of sphalerite, galena and pyrite are found. The shale (lower devonian) contains trilobites, corals, brachiopods and other marine species.
It is slow and demanding manual work - firstly to remove any overburden, usually a button-grass/heath mix, extract rock in sizeable pieces and then further reduce the rock with crack-hammers, hoping to reveal some hidden fossil within.  Whilst no complete specimens of the trilobite (digonus zeehanensis) have yet been found, we plan to continue the search.