I arrived in Broome airport, which was essentially one room, to a tropical climate distinctly different to anything else I had observed in our time in Australia. Here I was driven to the pier (the bay of this tropical turquoise sea was shaped like a pearl) where i had to hand over my passport for...
When it comes to Quartz, Brazil reigns supreme. However ever since the global recession in 2008, Brazil has been a casualty that has never fully recovered. Brazilian Amethyst and citrine created a demand that is now struggling to supply, which has caused many in the industry to turn to the steady supply from East Africa....
The stone that made me a mineral collector and got me hooked in this field was Fluorite, a school trip to the famous Blue John Fluorite mine in Derbyshire, England when I was around 10 years old lit a fire within me that has been burning ever since. I probably own more Blue John Fluorite...
I think one of the greatest injustices currently plaguing the gem market is idea that all Topaz is born equal. Whilst it’s true that Topaz is an abundant gemstone by many people’s standards being found in Burma, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, USA and the Ukraine, there is one mine that needs distinction....
To understand our journey to Morocco we first have to understand the reason for this epic expedition. The catalyst for this burning fire within us wasn’t just a spark, it was flare. The discovery of Moroccan Amethyst sent shockwaves throughout the gemstone industry and we were eager to find out more. I came across...
This jewel in the heart of North America has gone through such unique tectonic activity over millennia that its distinctive geology has seen this state blessed with buried treasure that differs significantly from similar deposits around the world. Oregon is richly diverse in the variety of rock types that penetrate this ancient land; this has...
We have made some recent discoveries that have changed the way we think about the coloured gemstone landscape. These most recent deposits of exquisite quality Tourmaline and Sapphire were found in and around Nigeria and we are also prospecting for other significant coloured gemstone deposits along the West of Africa. Africa has, over the past...
Sphene is a Gemstone that I have come to love over my career, I still remember my first encounter with the Californian material, that Baja deposit is coloured by Chromium and as such has an incredible emerald green saturation with bags of fire in eye clean stones. This Californian material is extremely rare, in fact...