Aussie's 'magical' $3,000 discovery in deep hole after digging for months

Yahoo

4 days ago

For more than 20 years, Cherië and Michael have spent countless hours searching for 'elusive' treasures on a rural piece of land they also call home. Through rain and sweltering heat, the Aussie couple have 'dug deep' in the hope of unearthing their 'next brilliant find' in Queensland's Sapphire Gemfields.
And it appears their persistence is paying off, with Michael recently discovering a roughly $3,000 'beauty' glimmering deep inside in a 2.5 metre hole he had been chipping away at for months.
Video footage capturing the 'magical' moment shows the fossicker hone in on 'something that just popped out'. After removing rock chucks and dirt using his hands and a pick axe, Michael exclaims 'holy dooley' as he pulls the 183-carat sapphire from the ground.
Speaking to Yahoo News, Cherië explained that the couple have multiple off-grid mining claims about six kilometres from Rubyvale, a precious gemstone area that attracts both commercial interest and amateurs.
'We live on the mining claims, and we have done for a bit over 20 years with our five children,' she said, adding they leased the area where the gem was found about two years ago.
'About two months ago we started that hole, and we have found little pieces but that one he ended up catching on camera. You just never know… you see a glint and you think 'oh is it one?''
183-carat gemstone revealed to be a parti sapphire
While the large gem is 'nice stone', Cherië admitted it's 'not perfect' and does have some issues. In its current state its worth about $3,000.
'It looks like a bit of a parti sapphire,' the mum said, meaning it has a natural blend of multiple colours. 'I think it has a little bit of yellow, blue, maybe green.'
For now, the stone will be tucked away, but the couple hope to be able to retrieve a couple of five to 10-carat pieces which will then be sold at Cherië's shop Sapphire Gem Cuts.
'I'll get Michael to saw it up into little pieces, and then just take the parts off that aren't gem quality,' she told Yahoo, noting buyers often like knowing the origin of where and how the stone was found.
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Aussie couple still hoping to unearth 'retirement stone'
Since moving to central Queensland, the couple's dedication to the thrill of the chase hasn't waned, with the pair even delivering their two youngest children on one of the mining claims.
'You might hit a patch where you get stones, and then you might go for six months or nine months without getting much at all,' Cherië, who grew up camping in the gemfields with her family, told Yahoo.
Last year Michael unearthed a very clear 123-carat parti sapphire worth up to $12,300 while fossicking, she added, but they have also found 300 to 500-carat 'bombs', meaning they are 'not good quality whatsoever'.
'We're still waiting for the big one. We're still hoping to find that retirement stone,' she said. And they're not the only ones.
While travelling families and their young children were once a rare sight in the gemfields, the demographic has changed since Covid, Cherië explained. 'It's great to see the families come out. I think it's an experience that you can't get anywhere else. It's very special.'
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