GLEN INNES N.S.'W.

SEPTEMBER1995 TOPAZ THEME MINERAL FOR MINERAMA 1995 MINERAMA GLEN INNES N.S.'W.

Collection of Topazjewellery

SEPTEMBER1995 TOPAZ THEME MINERAL FOR MINERAMA 1995

I Publishedby

MineramaInc P.O.Box 309 GLEN INNES NSW 2370

rsBN 0 64625599 |

Minerama Edited by John Paix

Printedby

a PiirLrD- 303 Grey Street,Glen InnesNSW 2370,Phone (067) 32 3267 INTRODUCTION

The MineramaCommittee is pleasedto bring area.However, apart from the massivedepos- ou our fourthsouvenir book to coincidewith its at Torrington,references to topazin the lit- we haveexamined eratureare few and usuallyincidental to the Minerama1995. Previously - molybdenite,beryl and cassiterite - all minerals mineralswith whichit is found wolframite, wellknown in NewEngland. The 1995theme cassiteriteand alluvial sapphire. mineralis topaz, another mineral found through- Forthat reasonit has not beeneasy to find out the region. materialon whichto basethis book.However, It is pleasingto reportthe increasednumber likethe earlier members of thisseries, itwill pro- of contributionsby peoplewho appreciate what videa valuablereference for years to come.We we are attemptingto do by bringingout these hope it adds to the enjoymentof your stay if souvenirbooks. By buildingup a libraryover a you are one of thosewho come hereto find periodof years,the mineralcollector or simply specimensof thisbeautiful mineral. a visitortothe regionwill haveaccess to a wealth As in previousyears, our sources have been of informationnot easily obtainable in anyother acknowledgedin the Bibliographywherever way. possible.We regretthat this has not always I wouldespecially like to thankGrahame beenpossible and apologise for any references Brownfor hiscontribution, which provides valu- whichhave not been recognised. able informationon the origin,properties and Mineramawill be heldin 1996on Friday30th structureof tooaz. andSaturday 31 stAugust and Sunday'l st Sep- It is a longterm goal of the MineramaCom- tember.WOLFRAMITE will be ourtheme min- mitteeto establisha trustto promotethe reten- eral and we expectto be ableto recordlots of tionof finemineral specimens in Glen Innes and informationon wolframiteoccurrences in the to makethese available for studyand display. NewEngland district, as wellas someof itsmin- Any profitsfrom the saleof Mineramabooks is ing historyAll contributionsare welcome! Please directedtowards achieving that goal. addressthem to me at PO Box309 Glen lnnes Topazis widelydistributed in the GlenInnes 2370. JohnPaix, Editor GlenInnes SevernShire MunicipqlCouncil Council to isproud to support Mineromo welcomesJou MINERAMA 1995

Seq.,ernSbire -- a. gem our office is locoted of the fossickersParalise: topaz, beryl, TownHoll, Grey St,Glen /nnes sappbire,Tircon, emeraldand manyquartz varieties Phone(067) 32 26t t Plwre: (067) 32 2555 CONTENTS lntroduction ...... '...... 3 lllustrations .....'...... 5 Colourin Topaz...... 7 lncfusions...... 7 AustralianOccurences ...... --.-..7 Torrington...... 8 TopazAround the World ...... 8 Topaz- Birthstonefor November..,...... '..'...... 12 TopazLore '...... "12 TheGemmological Features of Topaz...... 13 TopazDeposits inthe Glen Innes District...... 19 PrimaryDeposits ..--..-.-...... '.19 1.The Mole Granite '...... '.....19 2. OtherPrimary Deposits ...... 26 SecondaryDeposits l.AfluvialDeposits Derived from the Mole Granite ...... 26 * ScrubbyGully and Surface Hill ...... --..-..-.-.26 ' Blatherarm...... 26 l 2.OtherAreas NearTorrington...... -.-..-26 3.Guyra - Backwater...... 26 q 4. OtherLocalities...... -.-..-27 FieldTrip Information ...... 30 ' SurfaceHill topaz fossicking ...... 30 " HenryRiver topaz and sapphire fossicking ...... 31 * PinkettSapphire fossicking ...... 31 * Kingsgatequartz crystal fossicking ...... '...... 31 * Dwyedssapphire fossicking ...... 31 " Wellingrovesapphire fossicking ...... 31 The1995 Minerama Participating Dealers ...... 32 ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Frontcover: faceted blue topaz, 117.6gct. (ReddestoneSapphires collection)

2. Back cover:alluvial topaz from the Henry River.(J. Hume collection)

3. Titlepage:collection of topazjewellery ...... 1

4. Waterworntopaz crystal,locality unknown. Weight 151.75 ct. (P.Klingbeilcottection)...... 10

5. Topazcrystal, Moredun. 67 mm x 45 mm x 1g mm. Weight67g.5 ct. (A.Lark collection)...... 10

6. Facetedtopaz from Torrington.Weight 117.6gct. (ReddestoneSapphires collection) ...... 11

7. Selectionof facetedtopaz from Oban. Scale in inches. (AustralianMuseum collection) ...... 11

8. Structureof topaz ...... 13

9. Alluvialtopaz from the HenryRiver, with facetedstones. scissorscut 14.2 ct, doublebrilliant 11 .4 ct, emeraldcut 6.2 ct, barionrectangle 4.5 ct, navette3.8 ct (J.Hume collection)...... 14

10. Alluvialtopaz from the HenryRiver. The largeststone weighs 767 cl. (J.Hume collection)...... 14

11.Collection of topazjewellery ...... 15

12. Topazcrystal from Mursinka, Ural Mountains, Russia...... 15

13.Topaz crystal forms...... 17

14. Torringtonsilexite deposits. Map from reference 6, p 6...... 20

15. Map showinglocalities mentioned in the text...... 27 Schmidts Jewellers for total jewellery lnsuranceFor repair service,ring rePairs, * House ring remodelling, ring alterations P-s{ * Contents and ring make-uPs. * Car repairs and clock rePairs. NRIwl * (Greenslip) Watch : CTP Pearl restringing and watch batteries * Caravan Valuation work discussed. Phone today for * Boat htted. * a quote Life SchmidtsJewellers 832 3020 9;S1""".i:6:Entnn", 264 GrevStreet, Glen Innes Ph: (067)32 3095 018 669326 24Hours Favleles hafm acy (ThriftChemist) Supporting Minerama

230 GreyStreet Ph (067) 32 3172 UHF Channel 7 Phone: (067)32 3066 For the very best in Fruit & Veges at the Welcome to

Open 7 days aweek Glen Innes! Free home deliverv ;'i;;; ; ; 4'i ;7'' -,,s,'i\ "'":1iJ"gr\" For free and confidential ASA FiIm Kodak Gold 100 relocating to our 24 exposure only $3 advice on beautiful town, this ad at arry of the followi Eastmon Kodak ExPress Storesat contact John Paix on * " Lismore * Casino Glenlnnes * (067) 32 5t77, write to P.O. * Grafton * Armidale " Tamworth ' Dubbo Box 97, Glen Innes 2370 * Bathurst * Lavington or call at our offi.ce at the Visitor/Coach Centre on the Thefilm is yours for only tr# $3 with film processing.Expires 30/10/95 highway TOPAZ AUSTRALIAN OCCURRENCES Chemicalcomposition: Al"(F,OH)^SiO. " Campbeil,MA, FGS, FCS, wrote Crystalstructure: . "Simple,/9seph orthorFbmbii' in Testsfor Minerals',exacily Specificgravity: tO0 3.5 to 3.6 yearsago the followingabout topaz: Hardness: 8 on "This the MohsScale - stoneconsists of silica,alumina and fluorine.lt is commonlycalled by jewetteri the_occidentaltopaz to distinguishiifrom the COLOUR IN TOPAZ yeilowsapphires which are called oriental topaz. Natureproduces all differentcolours and The value of the Australiantopaz, hues in topaz and while the most preferred which.in colour is generallywhite wilh a greenish coloursare purplishpink to pink,reddish or_ tint,is for stonesweighing about an ounce..andupwards from .10/_ angeshades ("imperial" andi,sherry" -colourles6colours) to 20l- per andblues, pale brown, yellow and ounce" N. ,,Australian are the more commonones found.In addi_ &. R. Perryreported in Gem_ stones", tion,straw yellow,wine yellow, golden brown, 1967,that facetedtopaz insteadof orowntshyeilow diamondswere used in a and light shades of qrev. "eueencoronet made in greenred and blueare alsofound. sterlingsilver for the of the North,'at a B.eloHorenzonte, Minas Gerais,Brazil, Cairnsfestival. The otherstones in the coro_ net producesnatural champagne pink topaz, bui wereQueensland agates and South Aus_ tralian generallyspeaking, most pink topaz h'as been opals. Thg heat treated using the naturallvoccurrino ^ largesttopaz producing area is at Mt. )urpnse, sherry brownishor yellowishvarieties of tol etct,a smalltownship on the stock paz from Ouro Preto.Brazil. route betweenMt. Garnetand Georoetown. It is curiousto note that stonesirradiated 200kmsouth-west of Cairns.lt is alsdknown to achieve ,,imperial" for its lovelyblue topazwhich often "sherry"the more sought after showsa or colourwill fade over the years deeperblue than aquamarine when faceted. or In particular more quicklyif worn for long period6of time the O'Brien'sCreek area is well known in strongsunlight, whereas the blue colour for blue topazamong the fossickino seemsto be permanent. traternity.The earliest referenceto the disl covery of topaz can be found in Dunstan's publication"The INCLUSIONS 1913 eld MineralIndex and Guide"which mentionsthat it occurswith Whereassome inclusionsin gemstones cassiteriteand beryl. used for jewellery are undesirabld,it is a dif_ Otherlocalities iir eueensland areAnakie, lerent matterfor - the specimencollector. for Stanthorpe,Mt. Garnet,Gilberton, Etheridge as the noted Swiss Gemmologist,Dr. and Chillagoe. Guebelin,has so pointed ,,inclu_ often ou-t: best specimensof topaz ever found sions can be quite . Jh" useful indicatorsas to rn Australiacame from alluvialdeposits wherea particulargem at comesfrom". Backwaterand Oban near Glen fnnes.in This particularlyapplies . to a topazwith a northernNSW Colourlessand light blue distinctive3 phaseinclusion foundnowhere stones,often large in size,were found there else.butat Scrubby Gully,near Torrington in in the form of waterworncrystals and peb_ NorthernNew South Walils.These inci-usions bles..The largest cut stone from this consastof a jagged drei, contourwithin which one weighing184 carats,can now be found or morecrrbic crystals ai and liquidor gas bub_ theAustralianMuseum. Topaz has also oresare tound. been recoveredfrom pegmatiteveins in the Morecommon though , . arenative bismuth, tmmavllle area.Other NSW occunences are bis.muth.inite,platelets of green mica, Gulsons,. wolframite,and 31JYldpS", G_undas_ai,Lisntnins more rarelyl sphalerite, Kroge,uln^gara,. Inverell, Rocky River (Uralla), cassiterite,arsenopyrite and ihalcopyrite. Bathurst, ahd Cudlegong River. TOPAZAROUND Victorianlocalities: Beechworth, Bacchus Marsh,Maldon. THE WORLD SouthAustralia:Kangaroo lsland, Barossa Topazas a gem is mentionedin various Ranges. ancientrecords but its hardnessof 8 on the Tasmania:Coles Bay, Derby,Gladstone, Mohsscale does makeit ratherquestionable Mt. Cameron,Weldborough, Beaconsfield, whetherpeople in ancienttimes had the nec- Lefroy,Mt. Bischoff,Rossarden, Stanley essarymeans to cut and polishthem, and it River, KilliecrankieBay (Flinderslsland), must be assumedthat softer gems were Mathinna,Moina, Thomas Plain. meantby it. The very name,from topazius("to seek") TORRINGTON refers to ah ancient Red Sea island called of There is probablynot sufficientgem qual- Topazuswhich was actuallythe source green Pliny,the ity topaz for the miningcompanies to exploit peridotsoryellow serpentine. in the 37th commercially;however, the massivevariety, Elder,who died in 79 A.D., wrote "Natural entirely Silexite,has been of interestboth to the book of his History",and precious a statuefour CSIRO and the GeologicalSurvey of NSW devotedto stones,that "cubits" high)had been both of whom assessedthe possibilityof ex- high (68 to 84 inches went on to say that tractingsilexite from the manydeposits of the carvedfrom topazius. He that the Torringtonpendant. These deposits are the colour was similar to leek and quite be dam- uniquein that Torringtoncan boast the larg- stonewas softand couldeasily est reservesin the world, totallingapproxi- aged by wear. not quite mately6 milliontonnes. Althoughnumerous ancient and The QueenslandGovernment Mining so ancientrecords mention the word topaz' that the mineralwe Journalof Jan.rary1995 reported that mullite it is by no meanscertain The name would be produced at Waraluck Pty Ltd's know today as topaz was meant. mainlyas- Kilkivanmineral processingplant, 200km topaz has throughthe ages been green yellow, north-westof Brisbane,in a joint venture sociatedwith the colours and or mineral. agreementwith Aust-Asia lndustrial Minerals ratherthan with a specificstone to- NL. For some unknownreason, no actual however Mullitewas first discoveredin artificial paz has survived from antiquity, B.C.not melts and in porcelains.lt also forms when writersfromthe 3rd and 2nd century them kyanite,andalusite or sillimaniteare heated only mentiontopaz but also describe were collected td high temperatures.lt is used in glass and as clear,yellow stones which over to art- smeltingindustries as a refractory. on behalfof the King and turned Reservesof more than a milliontonnes istsfor engraving. Dionysiusde- are available to Aust-Asia at Torringtonin Inthe secondcenturyA.D., journey the in- NSW wherethe companywill producetopaz scribes a throughAsia and gemstones in concentratefor transportto Waraluck'smin- crediblewealth of encountered got there with eralprocessing facility at Kilkivan.Waraluck's India. Blue topaz a mention the assump- chairman. Ted Benson, said that the Tor- sufiicientdetails to strengthen well known ringtontopaz had gone throughthree years tion that not onlywas the mineral yellowvariety. of successfulpilot plant testing in conjunc- but also its relationshipto the topazgot a more tion with the CSIRO. Recentmarket studies Duringthe MiddleAges, on the indicatedthat between 10 000 and 20 000 frequentmention, often with emphasis lesscol- tonnesof mulliterefractory material could be priceand comparingit to a cheaper, the sold at a currentprice of $1 500 per tonne, ourful stone.As mineralogydeveloped' quartzand to althoughinitial production for 1996was only latterwasrecognised as citrine "Oriental plannedto be in the order of 2 000 tonnes. make a distinctiontopaz became topaz"whereas the quartzwas eitherrefened "yellow" "citrine" to as or quartz. Today,the main coloursof topaz are col- ourless,-blue,a brownytint, an orange yel- low and a very rare pink.A naturalpink topaz was found in the valleyof the SanarkaRiver in the SouthernUrals. Although the deposit

8 itselfis insignificantfrom a commercialpoint Frenchmineralogist. 50 years later,a British of view,the pink colourof the crystalsis said mineraldealer visited the area and was ex- to be absolutelymagnificent. tremelydisappointed at not havingbeen able Heat and X-ray treatmenthave been ex- to find doublyterminated crystals. tensivelyused with topaz.The brown tint of Some excellenttopaz crystalscome from pegmatitetopaz, heat treated,will make it a Russia,or to be moreexact from Mursinkain rich amber colour, but exposure to strong the Ural Mountains.Their appealdoes not sunlightwill affect the colour and the stone so much lie in the size of the crystals- much fadesto a very lightblue which is permanent. largerones are availablefrom Brazil- but in Heat treatmentwill also change an orange/ the depth of their blue colour and clarity of. "pinked" browntopaz into a stone. the crystal.(See photograph 13, page15.) From a jeweller'spoint of view,there is a The oldest known localityof vein topaz, smallmarket for the precioustopaz of a deep, so called becausehigh temperaturealtered rich ambercolour, a much smallermarket for the rockwhich resultedin the development the bluevariety which is sometimesused in- of veins in which topaz crystallized,occurs "Schneckenstein" stead of the much dearer aquamarineand at (Snailstone)in Vogtland, practicallyno commercialmarket at allfor the Saxony.Schneckenstein got its name in rec- colourlessvariety. The exceptionis the hobby ognitionof the slightlyspiral aspect of the facetter who prizes good clear crystalsfor rockyoutcrops of an alteredbrecciated, mica they do end up as magnificentstones with a schist.Mining of the Schneckensteindeposit brilliantsparkle. was first reportedduring the earlypart of the True topaz is almost exclusivelya gem- 19thCentury and continuedright up to World stoneof cavitiesin graniticpegmatites, often War 1 after which no furthermining was al- associatedwith cassiterite, and this holdstrue lowed as the whole area became part of a for all topaz producingcountries. However, forestwhich was declareda NationalPark. there are some small depositswhich occur This mine suppliedthe stones for the in rhyolitesand in certain high temperature Saxon crown jewels, which before the war veins. were displayedat the Green Treasury,in The topaz generallyused in jewelleryto- Dresden.The pale, straw-colouredtopaz day comes from Brazil and Mexico.These must have been highlyprized at that time for crystalsoccur mainly in smallpegmatite veins by today'smodern jewellery standards, one nearOuro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. These wouldhave been hard pressed to finda buyer crystalsare elongatedand slender,termi- for them. However,the crystalswere said to nated by a simple bipyramidand are a rich be at least 1Ocmlong, reasonenough to be "precious" golden brown, hence the name consideredfor crownjewels! topaz. Unlike the brown topaz of granitic Not far from the Schneckensteindeposit pegmatiteorigin, this colourdoes not fade in is a smallquarry which produces a totallydif- sunlight.Associated minerals are very rare ferent topaz. In fact it has been given the euclasecrystals (pale blue, pale bluish/green name of pyonite.lt occursin veins with long and colourless)and specularhaematite (me- bladed masses and their matrix is a tallicdark grey to black in colour). porphyriticgranite with fine feldspar The largestcrystals from the Ouro Preto phenocrysts.They can easily be separated area can reach up to 200mm to 250mm in fromthe hostrock and it was foundupon test- lengthand 50mm in width,however 75mm ing, that they had been transformedinto to- to 100mmand 35mmto 50mmare morecom- paz in perfect pseudomorphs(the original mon.They are notvery cleanand oftenshow materialcomposing it havingbeen altered or a seriesof verticalcracks which may be su- replacedbut retainingthe form of the original perficialleaving the corequite clear. Because species). the crystalsare long and relativelythin, em- Thereis a thirdmineralogically distinct type eraldand long oval cuts are more likelyto be of topazwhich is found in cavitiesin rhyolite. favoured.Moreover, this shape helpsto em- The best localityfor thistopaz is at Mt.Topaz phasisethe directionalcolour difference giv- in the Thomas Range of Utah. These cavi- ing the desirableeffect of precioustopaz. ties are often lined with tiny quartz crystals The Ouro Pretodeposit, previously known and sometimeshave a topaz lyingflat in the as Villa Rica,has been knownabout for over pocket.The colouris a paleamberyellow but 200 years and was first documentedby a the crystalsare not always clear. Upon ex- Pictured above: Waterworn t*d topaz pebble, locality unknown. Weight151.75 ct. { ( P. Kl ingbeil collection). o*

I

Pictured left: Tbpazcrystal, Moredun. 67 mm x 45 mm x I8 mm. Iileight678.5 ct. ft. Lark collection). Faceted topaz from Tbrrington. Weight117.68 ct. (Reddestone Sapphires collection).

Selection offaceted topazfrom Oban. Scale in inches. (Australian Museum collection).

| | | | I | | | t3i| il t l | | I t4lI l l t l t il t6ltJAtpLl,

tl posureto light,the yellow colourfades away, naturalor heattreated, but being blue makes leavinga glassclear colourless specimen. it unsuitableas a Novemberbirthstone! Mexicoalso produces a topazin conjunc- tionwith cassiterite in rhyolite.However, there thetopaz lie on the surface of seamsthat cut the rhyolite.The locationis the San Luis TOPAZ LORE Potosiarea and the colouris lightbrown to Being one of the 12 stonesin the high colourless.The crystals can sometimes have priest'sbreastplate mentioned in the Bible,it reddishhaematite inclusions adding colour standsto reasonthat mythssurrounding to- to an otherwisecolourless specimen. X-ray paz havearisen, ascribing to it variousmagi- irradiationenhances these crystals greatly cal powers.lf hung aroundthe nec.k,it pro- andgives them a richdark amber hue which tected the wearer from falling under evil if notexposed to toomuch sunlight will resist spells.Insomnia and asthmacould be helped fading. or cured, howeverthe phases of the moon were most important.A waxing moon in- creasedthe healingpower whereas during a TOPAZ- waningmoon, people had to relyon the crys- tal alone. BIRTHSTONE FOR It was also believedto be a powerfulally NOVEMBER in conqueringsudden death, nightmares and "Who first comes to this world below, bad dreams.An ancientrecipe required the with drear November'sfog, and snow, topaz to be soaked in wine for 3 days and Shouldprize the Topaz'samber hue, nights,then rubbed very gently across the Emblemof friends,and loverstrue" eyeballsjust before going to sleep for dim- ming vision to be arrested or cured. A fif- :from a rhyme poPular in 19th teenth-centuryRoman doctor claimed that a century England. topazwhich had belongedto two popeswas There is no other gem in the world that able to stop the plague. has had an identityproblem lasting at leasta Topaz,being rather rare, has alwaysbeen coupleof thousandyears. Being the Novem- a gem associatedwith rich and influential ber birthstone,everything but the actual to- people.So it is not surprisingthat if a long paz is sold and worn in its name.And since life, intelligenceand beautywere desired,a so much confusionhas surroundedthe gem topaz was the stone to help fulfil this ambi- everyoneseems to be in agreementthat the tion. A topaz engravedwith a falcon was a name topaz referredto a colour which was popularcharm to attractthe goodwillof rich more often than not yellow rather than the patrons. mineralwhich is so well knowntoday. Anotherattribute of topazwas believedto Yellowglass, yellow syntheticspinel and be the abilityto instantlycool liquids,for un- for moreexpensive pieces of jewellerycitrine like ruby,which could bring water to a boil, or pale smoky quartz have been offered to topaz cooled it instantlyor so Adamus the customerwhowanted to purchasesome Lonicerusclaimed in the seventeenthcen- jewellery in the birthstonerange. Precious tury. topaz, which refers only to the rich amber Monksor perhapsabbots liked the topaz also as a coolingstone as they believedthat yellow/browncolour, sometimes also called "cool "sherry'topaz, it could the passionsof the flesh" and is very expensiveand almost "extinguish alwaystreated to enhance its colour.More- the carnaldesire of lecher/. Last over,since the crystalsfound determinethe but not least, it was believedthat like ruby, cuts, precioustopaz is simply not available topaz also could make its own light. in all the sizes and cuts to satisfythe birth- Going further east, in India, Burma and stonemarket. Being either heat treated or ir- Ceylon,the topaz broughtwisdom and cau- radiatedwith X-rays, precioustopaz has a tion.Moreover. itwas believedthatthe stench tendencyto lose its rich amber colour over of the plague could be dispersedby it and time,particularly in strongsunlight. All in all it some people very strongly believed that its is not a gem particularlysuited to Australian powerscould be greatlyenhanced by setting conditions.Fortunately, the blue topaz does it in gold! seem to retain its colour much better,whether Today, literature on healing with crystals t2 assignsto topaz slightlydifferent but none- topazbelongs to the orthorhombiccrystal theless potent powers. For sharpeningthe system,the Herman-Manguinspace group mind, lesseningexhaustion, easing of vari- Pbnm,and symmetryclass 2/m 2lm 2lm. cose veins, pancreasand liver complaints, Whenthese data are interpreted,they indi- enhancingtaste and curing sleeplessness, catethat topaz's: theseare allwithinthe crystal'srealm of pos- ... spacegroup (self consistent array of sibilities.Topaz aids lungsand the nervous symmetryelements in space)consists of a system, detoxifiesthe body and assists in primitiveorthorhombic lattice that contains a throatailments. For those experiencing sleep (diagonal)glide to (010) along the b-axis; and lessnessit helpsto calmthe person,forthose that understress it will balanceemotions, reduce ... in its pointgroup symmetry each of to- tensionand providea peaceful,harmonious paz'stwo-fold axes of symmetrylie at right and relaxedoutlook. On anotherlevel topaz anglesto a mirrorplane. will assist in understandingone's own Theunit cell of topaz Ia 4.65,b 7.79-8.83 strengthsand how bestto applythem. lt aids (increasingwith OH -> F),c 8.39Al con- in developingcharacter and confidencein tains4 formulaunits (Z = 4) perunit cell. oneself,fosters contact with one'shigher self and developspsychic perceptions. lt also STRUCTURE assistsin controllingundesirable habits. Topaz'skey structural units are crank-shaft Practicaladvice given suggeststhat in like chains orderto reapmaximum benefitfrom the crys- of edge-sharing[AlO"] octahedra and negative tetrahedra,pbrallel to the tal for physical,emotional and mentalwell- [SiOo] c-axis,that are cross-linked,in a-axis being, it be worn around the neck, near the the di- rection,by positivetetrahedra. spleenor carriedin the pocket.Yellow topaz These chains are relatedto those in the will affectthe crownand heartcharkra points next lowestlayer by n-glideparallel whereasthe brownvariety will affectthe so- an to (1O1)114 along the b-axisdirection. lar plexus.Cleansing of the gem is to be done The structureof is undertepid runningwater, but if an oceanor orthorhombictopaz ef- fectively a streamis nearby,this would be preferable. basedon: While immersingit in the water for several minutes,a steadystream of positivethoughts shouldbe directedtowards the universeand askingforany negativeenergyto be removed and dispersed. While topaz is the stone for Novemberit also belongsto the: ApostleSt. Matthew planetJupiter nameofThomas 16th weddinganniversary number3 AngelAsmodel

THE GEMMOLOGICAL ... closestpacked monolayers of oxygen FEATURESOF TOPAZ anions, alternatingwith monolayersof [(F,OH),O,]in a mixedhexagonal-cubic close Contributedby GrahameBrown G.A.A. packedselquence;while, (Qld.Division) ... oxygenatoms are co-ordinatedby 1 Si and 2 Al atoms Gem qualitytopaz [Al,(SiO)(F,OH),]is ... F,OHare co-ordinatedby 2 Al atoms. classifiedas a mono-, neo- or orthosilic-ate; for its constituentsilica tetrahedra, of (SiO)4- CHEMISTRY composition, independently are bondedto its The chemicalcomposition of topazis fairly Al3- Mineralogical indicate cation. texts that constant,the only majorvariations being: ffi r€.. qfi 'lr*"v

1#

Itry { ato'Tr^tx'rp'c Alluyial topazfrom the llenry River,withfaceted stones. scls.sorscut 14.2ct, doublehrilliant ll.1 ct.emerald cut 6.2 ct,barion rectctngle1.5 ct, navette3.8 ct (J Hume collection)

767 ct. (J Hume collection) Alluvial topa: from the Henry River. The largest stone weighs

l4 r& 4. -*p

Picttrrcd ahova; (.'ollectiott o/ toptt:.f ev,eller.v.

Pic'tttredright: Tbpa:.cry:51u1 from Mursinkt, Urul lllounlains. Russia. For all your requirements Greg, Glendo &Stoff of whilst in Glen Innes call at Mclnerney's SIades Newsogency 276Grey Street, Ph & Fox(067) 32 2lEl Cash and Carry welcome oll visitors& porticiponts just outside the Showground to Glen lnnesfor Mineromo'95 right oppositeHigh School Openfor your convenience OPEN UNTIL 7.3OPM Soturdoyond Sundoy mornings

Halliday Toyota Sfu & Suzuki g4rlf PASTRYcooK: dl E \ 176Bourke Street, {F-.-ag} Glenlnnes 2370 I-argerange of new E used *, P.o.Box 166 x4 vehiclesincluding4 -gNl- Phone(067) 321108 Ifl (067)ZZ 2366 Fresh pies, sausage rolls 65 East Avenue, GIen Innes cakes & bread Glen Innes Bourling Cluh t Welcomes a,ll aisitors to Mineratna I ! Visit our Club for the finest of Tooh'eysAles andW on Tap I and haue a flutter on the Pokies. I Wltilst here sample the sun'I'ptuoustLeals in our widely acclaimed ChineseRestaurant. Specialising- in Cltinese,Australian and Children's Meals. A good,selection of wines is auailable and serued at bar prices in the restaurant "The friendliest CIub in the bush" Join us for dinner during Minerama Phonez 321930, Restaurant3 32 2987 substitutionsof (<0.04wt%) Cr3. presence yellowcolour cen- ... minor 0/o bv the ioint of a andFe3. forAl3-; and up to 30 mol substi- tre andCf. substitutingforAl3.. tutionof OH-for F-. HARDITESS 8 (Mohsscale) CLEAUAGE Perfect,easilydeveloped HABIT basalcleavage; as the (001) plane is the only adoptsa olanein the topazstructure that may oe Orthorhombictopaz commonly the.Si-O to the predominanceof bassedthrougfr -basalwithout breaking orismatichabit, due directionin to- of edge-sharingAlOu octahedra and bonds.In the cleavage itschains AI-F,OHbonds are brokenin corner-sharingSiO" tetrahedra parallel to me paz,Al-O and structure. equal' numbers. c-axisof the topazcrystal conchoidally' formscommonly observed on TENACTTYBriftle; fractures Tvpical GRAVITY euh6draltoPaz crystals include: SPECIFIC Specificgravity decreases with increasing (110) m subdtitution-ofF: by oH-. Thisdecrease in orthorhombicPrism the OH-is lighter,and brachyPinacoid (010) b SG occursbecaus6 hasa largerefiective volume than the F- ion' basalpinacoid (001) c-.. - brachydomes (011)'(021)f'Y Note: (l!t) o. 1. OH-rich sherry-brown Brazilian topaz' bipyramid by itsheat treatment' matrodome (201) d the oinktopaz derived and'naturilcoloured Pakistani pink topaz' andan F-content of about Rarecontact twins, and extremelyrare havean SG of 3.53 intergrowthsoccur on (010). 15wt%. 2. F-richcolourless, blue, yellow and brown topazhave an SG of 3.56. REFRACTIVEINDEX Dueto thehigher polarizability of OH-' re- fractiveindices 5f topaz increase with substi- tutionof F-bYOH. Note: 1. OH-richsherry-brown and pinktopaz has refractiveindices of: a = 1.62911.633(1.630) b = 1.631/1.634(1.632) c = 1.638/1.642(1.640) 2. F-richcolourless, blue, yellow and brown topaz' have refractive indices of: a = 1.608/1 .612 (1 .610) b = 1.611/1.615(1.614) c= 1.61711.623(1.619) BIREFRIGENCE OH-richsherry-brown,pinktopaz -0'^{^9 F-richcolourless, blue, yellowtopaz ..' 0'008/ 0.009 GEMMOLOGICAL AXIALITY B* PROPERTIES D IAPH AN EITY Tra nsPa rent * Usuallycolourless, but may LUSTRE Brightvitreous COLOUR Moderate(0.014) be yellow,brown, blue, green, red-brown, DI/SPERSiION PLEOCHROISII|Distinct, but not strong' oranqeor Pink. huee.g. i Yellow,brown, blue, green, and Varieswith the intensityof the 'sherry'(red-brown) topaz colours are caused colourless... none ... honey-yellow,straw- by radiaiioninduc6d colour centres of vary- sherry-brown Yellow,Pink Yellow inocolour stability. pink' " is causedbY crystal blue ...colourless, pale blue PinktoPaz yellow,colourless resultingfrom Cf. replacing vellow ...shades of fieldtransitions shadesof green,colourless Al3.in octahedralco-ordination' lreen ... * Orange(lmperial) topaz is caused t7 LUM I N ESC ENCE (LWUV) colourless/blue ... a slowlyformed colourstable brownish greencolour centre, that convertsto a stable sherry-brown/pink .'..'#:;5J-i'1"' il;y'""' blue colourfollowing annealing at 200-300. (SWUV)weaker than LWUV C. lt is the commercialgeneration of this ABSORPTIONSPECTRUM Not identify- colourcentre that forms the basis is today's ing;but heattreated pink topaz, and natural vast suppliesof blue topaz. pink Bluetopaz, of quitediffering hues, can be topaz,may display a vagueCr3' spec- produced trumof finelines in the redat 682nm. by irradiationand subsequentan- nealingof colourlesstopaz usingeither: CHARACTERISTIC Negativecrystals . INCLUSIONS Partly'healed'internal gamma rays generated by a Co-60 fracturesand cleavages gamma cell at 5 megarads/hr--+steelyblue 'tubes' topaz; GroMh parallelto the c-axisthat .high may contain2-, 3-, or multi-phasecavity speed (10-12mega eV) electrons generated by a linear acceleratoror linac infillings. --+sky OCCURRENCE blue topaz; .thermalneutrons of 1,000megarads gen- Gem qualitytopaz primarily occurs in 'London" pneumatolysedacid (silica-rich) rocks, such erated by a nuclear reactor-dark blue topaz; AS: Note: ... late stage hydrothermalveins associ- Enclosingthe topaz in cadmium lined ated with graniticpegmatites; iron containersallows additional colour centreforming gamma generated ... in cavitiesin graniteand rhyolite; rays to be - and ... in greisens micarich pneumatolysed .combined rocks reactorand linacirradiated to- formed by the actionof F-richva- paz --+'California' pours on granite; blue topaz. Note: ... in sedimentsthat havebeen Artificallyirradiated and annealed blue pneumatolysedby an intrudinggranite; topaz can have detectableresidual ra- and dioactivity;depending on the topaz'scontent of radionucleides(eg. ...inalluvial gravels derived from these Sc-46,Ta-182\. For example,some deposits(the most common sourceof sky blue topaz exceedsthe gem qualitytopaz). acceptedintemational limit of 75 becquerels per gram. Gem qualitytopaz is commerciallymined from such localitiesas: Note 2: Thermoluminescencemay detect naturalbluetopaz ..thealluvial gravels of Sri Lanka,Burma, dueto its broadexothermic emission Brazil,Jos (Nigeria), and the Mala- at 350"C. Artificiallyinadiated blue gasy Republic: topaz does not displaythis emission. Note Brown ...sherrycoloured to red lmperialtopaz is 3: topazwill decolourizebe- hydraulicallymined from pocketsin remnant tween 200 and 400" C while blue topaz will hydrothermalquart-potassium feldspar veins decolourizeat about450" C. In a recent report withindeeplyweathered country rock in which Ashbaugh& Shigley described new'Ocean-green' topaz has been emplaced by F-rich a topazcreated by irradiating pneumatolyticsolutions; Sri Lankan colourlesstopaz without ...naturalcoloured pink topaz is currently water coolingin the nuclearreactor of TexasA & M being mined from calcite veins intrudinga University.This colour en- hanced smallhillock of recrystallisedlimestone, north topaz had the followingcharacteris- of Katlang(Pakistan). tics: COLOUR Bluishgreen to green. REFRACTIVE COLOUR MODIFICATION INDEX 1.610-620 ABSORPTION Almost all topaz tums brownwhen it is ir- SPECTRUMNo identify- ingabsorptions radiated,either naturallyor artificially.This whenexamined with the hand held spectroscope. colour is due to the creation of two colour Examinationby spectrophotometerrevealed green centres (of unknowncomposition) in the to- that the paz:. colourwas caused by the cumulativeefiect of ...arapidlyformed, and rapidlyfadingred- ... a broad (centred browncolour centre. or a slowerformed and absorption at 600 nm) typicalof irradiated slowerfading dark browncolour centre; and bluetopaz. ... increasingabsorption from 500 nm into

l8 ... increasingabsorption from 500 nm into from theserocks by weatheringand erosion. the ultraviolettypical or irradiatedbrown to- Typically, topaz occurs wherever paz,and, cassiteriteand wolframiteare found.This is ... a weak broad absorption(centred at becauseof theircommon origin. Schorl tour- 425 nm) seen in naturally coloured yellow malineand fluorite,along with the ubiquitous topaz. quartz,are also found with toPaz. RESIDUAL RADIOACTIVIIY Some Topazand corundum do notgenerallyform specimenswere found to be above present in the same geologicalenvironment, despite NCR releaselimits. the fact that they often accumulatetogether COLOUR STABILITY Faded when ex- in alluvialdeposits because of their great posed to direct sunlightfor 1 day to a blue hardnessand higher than average specific colour. gravity. As this greentopaz fades,this character- There has been much debate about the istic shouldbe disclosedto purchasers. origin of ore depositslike those in the Tor- Sherry-brownto orange Cf- containing ringtondistrict. The processescannot, of lmperialtopaz can be'pinked' by heat treat- course,be observedin actionas they occur ment at 500"C,thus bleachingits yellowcol- deep beneaththe Earth'ssurface and over a our centreand leavingits residualcolour sta- longperiod of time. ble pink Cf. inducedcolour. It appearscertain, however, that in the last stagesof the crystallisationof granitemag- mas, volatilecomponents - in which water, TOPAZ DEPOSITSIN THE boron and fluorine compoundsare particu- GLEN INNES DISTRICT larlyabundant - migrateupwards and intothe It is necessaryto commencethis section rocksenclosing the graniteand into fissures with a shortglossary of some key geological in the alreadysolidified granite itself. place terms which appear frequently,othenvise Here chemicalreactions take lead- much of what follows will be difficultto un- ing to the depositionof the mineralstypically derstand. found in greisens,pegmatites and what are oftenjust calledveins, lodes and ore bodies. GREISEN- A pneumatolyticallyaltered Theseare the places,which in the course graniticrock composedlargely of quarE, mica of time, are exposed by erosion and where and topaz.The mica is usuallymuscovite or primarytopaz crystalsare found. lithiummica, and tourmaline,fluorite, rutile, cassiteriteand wolframiteare common ac- PRIMARY DEPOSITS cessories. 1.The Mole Granite. PEGMATITE- A coarse grainedigneous . rock found usuallyas dykes associatedwith Reference13,p72. a large mass of plutonicrock of finer grain "Upon emplacement, the phenocryst-bear- size. ing magmachills at its roof,producing a porphyriticgranite, and coolingproceeds PNEUMATOLYSIS- The alterationof downwardproducing a moreseriate granite. rocksand the formationof mineralsduring or Quiteearly, fractures above the roof were as the resultof the emanationof gases and mineralisedto producethe vein-swarmoc- vapoursfrom solidifyingigneous rocks. currences,such as at Tarongaand eastof Emmavilleat the GreatBritain mine. The SILEXITE - A greisen found particularly sameforces which allowed the magmato rise aroundthe marginof the Torringtonpendant producedNE trending fractures in the cooled where the Mole granite intrudes ?Permian outercarapace. Some of the blocksmoved roof rocks. lt consists largely of topaz and enoughto allowmagma to injectand chill, quartz. formingmicrogranite both above and below the roof,but mostly in thetop 100m or so of Topazin the New Englanddistrict is found thegranite. in two maintypes of environments- greisens Becausebroken blocks of a complexto- and pegmatitesassociated with the Mole and paz-bearingpegmatite are occasionallyin- other granitesand alluvialdeposits derived cludedin the microgranite, there is obviously t9 \,4ff:-

t Hill r t %--^

'Torrington Silexite Deposits'from Reference16, page 6.

BEFEREI{CE % S/r.rrl. E ,tol. Grutrt n taxtalona, tar'ditrda ffi Cogtnat.,a n tln a Tn.0'ral Ptnl Sttlldlng nod .-_ frrct( Cnr - On F*. ;,; f.6ual

SC^LE r012:- K i |6.traa

20 N/f, A @The Gem-Centre NY/C wstal C off ^se lft(\ilJ v lnverell \Y NZ Prop.charles Berkenyi * GemMerchants & Cutters 155Church Street, Glen Innes, Ph: 06732 1536 * Amethvst specimens,Ag- QualityNew England SaPPhires Soecialisins in * - cite,Kings{ate Quarti and Molybdenitb. JewelleryAll Priceranges * Lapidary,Fossicking EquiPment Also Minerals,Crystals, Gifts, Jewellery, polishedrocks. 108Byron Street, Inverell AskCharles aboutfossic king at Kingsgate' Phone:10671 22 1290,Fax: QOn 22 3272 HI- AY Gem Hunters HsYen THE New England Highway, P.O. Box 470 DINEFI Glen Innes NSW 2370 Dine-inor Takeaway . Fossicking Equipment eVecialieinqin homecooked . Lapidary Supplies mealS . - Gemstones Gem Rough ?tr,Glen lnnee . Jewellery - Specimens 2OOChurch . Camping Equipment ThoneTauline or Dixie wilh your orderon Ed & Barbara Kneuett (ProPs.) Phone: 06782 4176,Fax (067)32 4100 32178i5 Saltt's Plzza & Spaghetti Flouse NewEnglond H'woy Ph 32 l915 SAPPHIREIS PIT LTD OPEN7 DAYSA WEEKSPm-9Pm Visitors Ccntrc, 152 Church Strect, Glen lnnes GEM MERCHANTS a,A,FREEHOME DELIVERIES convenience ) o Supplyingthe finestcut and polisbed GJNSU) for vour SaPPbiresfrom the weIIl

Glen Innes Rest *** Caravan Park Poplar Caravan Park NRMA **** ChurchSt, G/en lnnesPh:067 32 1514 A top tourtst park, Netu England. The Friendlypark . g2 Cabins with ensuite & colour TV Htug, GIen Innes (OGZ) 24Ig o . On-site Caravans . Free Gas BBe Cabins, on site vans, tent & van sites o Drive thru powered sites . o Sapphtre& gemdisplay/sales -souvenirs. Well kept amenities/Laundrv . DiscountfuEl . . Camping area with camp kiichen kiosk . . Fossicking gear for hire 10 minutes walk to RSL and shops . Pets allowed - under shict controi o Pets welcome under control Kiosk supplies, squash courts, saunas CRAIGIEBURN TOURIST PARK (The one with the rocks) ^ Forbrochure & details,write to p.O.Box 4gl GlenInnes 2370 PHONE (067)32 1283 Craigiebum The natural placeto stayin Glen Innes TouristPark sites;avaitabte ail year roundin 9:.:f:,:!,:r12,:- ::!:!"ttered a uniqueparHand envronment acres to relax in and enjoy,.safefor children. . Away from highway noise- still ctose . to town. Sorry,no dogs . Fossickinghelp and gear available Residentfamilyowners - Des & Jan Bowlav

23 - "At .Smith'sMica Lode. ML's 65 and 97' the Bismuth mine (GR 468373), ParishRock Vale. Grafton1:250,000; about I km northwestof .Hawkins'Cut. ML 20, Parishrock Vale Torrington),topaz is associatedwith native .MoleyardLodes MLs 36,58,75, bismuth,bismuthinite, black mica, fluorite, and ParishBates. beryl... in a complexsiliceous lode within the .Mount EverardMine. ML s 20 and 25, Torringtonroof pendant. ParishHighland Home. At Tungsten,near Torrington, well-formed .New HopeMine. ML's 22,23and2OO, crystals,commonlywith a lightsherrytint, are ParishRock Vale. foundassociated with beryland bismuthmin- .WildKate Lodes. ML 140,Parish eralizationin a siliceouspegmatite. Topaz is HighlandHome. also found at Fielder's Hill with crystals of .WoiframHill. ML's 8 and 28, Parish ferberiteand quartz. HighlandHome. At the Emeraldmine (GR 467362, Grafton 1:250,000);about 10 km north-northeastof Reference 20 pp 38-39. Emmaville),small, well-formed,colourless 'The wolframand bismuthdeposits of Tor- topazcrystals up to 10 mm in lengthoccur in ringtonare situatedon the Mole Tableland cavitiesin a cassiterite-bearing,topaz-kaolin about12 to 15 milesnorth-east of Emmaville. vein." Here a large mass of Permiansediments, 5 1/, 2 3/" miles wide, occurs Reference 18 p 45. miles long and "The surroundedby granite.lt is con- Emerald Mine which was originally completely 'island' sideredthat the of sedimentaryrock workedfor tin and laterfor emeraldwas situ- representsa pendantfrom the originalmass ated approximately6 miles north-north-east throughwhich the graniteforced its way,and of the townshipof Emmaville.Although there is nofa-large block detachedby the stoping has been no productionof topazfrom this lo- action of the granitic magma. Close to the cality,the countryrock of claystoneis intruded junctionof the granite and sedimentsa pe- by numerousquartz and topaz veins.At the rock is developed.This rock, known 50 feetlevel the vein,which was beingworked culiar 'Quartzose locallvas the Ore-rock'and for emeraldwas 4 to 6 incheswide and com- 'Quarfzite'is composedessentially of quartz posed chiefly of topaz rock with arsenical In all probabilityit representspartly pyritesand a littlequartz. David (1891) states, andtopaz. 'A an end productof the intrusionof the granite small bunch (of emerald)is, however,still material, and partly an alterationof the to be seenat the 20 feet levelwhere the vein sedimentsproduced by the vapoursand so- is 8 incheswide, composedalmost entirely lutionsaccompanying the intrusion." of topaz crystals."' "BismuthMine. The ore depositsare con- greisenand pegmatiteat the junc- Reference 17. tained in "Gulf tionof fine-grainedgranite and slate.Bismuth Stream Lode (Portion60, Parish is the mainore mineral,but wolframalso oc- Lands End, County Gough;GR 450374, curs. The gangue consists of fluorspar, Inverell1:250,000). quartz,greisen, pegmatite, monazite, biotite A fissurevein up to 2 m wide, but averag- and topaz.' ing0.6 m, wasworked fortin. ... Topaz is also presentin this vein. Reference 18 pp 97-99 Garth'sLode ML 4 in Portion11, parish "Colourlesstopaz crystalsare commonly Flagstone,County Gough; GR 458371, found in the New Englandarea in acid Grafton1:250,000). pegmatites,siliceous lodes, and in.quartz- This is a fissure lode about 1 m wide in topaz rock (silexite)associated with tin, tung- graniteabout 50 m from the sedimentarycon- sten,and bismuthmineralization, especially tact. Cassiterite,biotite, chlorite, ferberite, aboutthe Mole Graniteand in the Torrington chalcopyrite,arsenopyrite, tourmaline, roof pendant in the Emmaville-Tonington monazite,topaz, quartz, green and purple area. Much of the topaz in the silexitede- fluorite,and torberniteare present.The de- positsnearTorrington is fine grained,cloudy, positwas workedfor tin." flawed and milky-whitein colour;gem qual- ity materialis restrictedto vughswhere clear crystalsmay have formed." 24 [,' , Glen Innes & District t,.., l* Services Club Ltd \*:' a,,--,,,,+ CentrafMotef I I ne Entetlatnment Lentre or tne laolelanos a MeadeStreet, GLEN INNES 2370 - (opp.P.o.) C-aming Your choiceof the latest Poker Machines YourHosts: Ent€rtalnment David,Rosemarie, Kylie & Tuesday &Thursday - Bingo, MarkBryant Friday Night - Live entertainment Featuring the best bands + local artists Saturday Night - Live entertainment Family owned & operated Indoor Sports for friendly, personalised Carpet Bowls, Table Tennis, seruice Billiards. Snooker. Darts

. Nonsmoking rooms available Crystal Room Restaurarrt . Modernremote control Open for lunch& dinner heating& cooling 7 days per week Lunch - Dinner {cs* 6 pm iE PHONE 2 noon Telephone: 10671322200 B#iT (067)32 1355 Cnr Grev & Lang Sts Glen lnnes. NS$'-2370 for the Inbrmation of Membe6 ild C{6ts GLIN 6f,Vf,RNHOLDf,N 167Grey Street, Glen 'nn?:.t_::,Xrft.7, 322888, Fox 32 33e4

New Holden Cors& Commerciols Quolity UsedVehicles . LicencedRepoirer with Fully Troined Technicions . AuthorisedInspection Stotion . Genuine& NonGenuine Spore Ports . Finonce& InsuronceAvoiloble

Troding7,30 om to 5.30pm Mondoy - Fridoy 8,30om to 12,00noon Soturdoy

25 tertiarygravel. The deposithas an extentof 2. OtherPrimary Deposits. 1 acre and a thicknessof from 1 to 2 feet. The pebblesof whichit is composedare prin- cipallyquartz, from 1 to 6 inchesin diameter, Referencesto topaz in ore depositsasso- and as smoothas eggs.A greatdeal oftour- ciated with other granites in the New Eng- maline,as wellas topazes,beryls, emeralds, land area are few. One of these is on the and streamtin, are mixedthrough these grav- marginof an unnamedgranite near Gilgai. els, which from their higherposition appear to be olderthan the similargravels underly- Reference 19 p 383. ing two neighbouringoutliers of basalt." "At the Leviathon(sic) lode or stockwork (GR 40843044)tin occursin thin veinsasso- Blatherarm. ciated with greisen in two varietiesof gran- "granulitic' "porphyritic' ite, and (Carne, Reference 11 p 70. 1911).Also presentin the veins are topaz, "The sandand clay in these alluvialwork- wolframite,arsenopyrite and chalcopyrite." ings,in portion42, parishof Bates,county of Clive,are from 10 to 15 feet deep, and con- Reference 18 p 98. sist of subangulargranite sand, with "Topazhas been found in situ in well- subangularand roundquartz pebbles up to formed crystalsin a cassiterite-bearingvein 6 inchesin diameter.and reston a bottomof nearElsmore." granite.White topaz and sapphiresare very Similargreisens are found near Newstead, abundant." but no referencecan be foundto topaz in the literature.lt is, however,found in alluvial 2. Other Areas Near Torrington. cassiteriteworkings around the general Tingha area and is certainlya primarymin- Reference 18 p 98. in some of the cassiteritelodes. eral "Topazis mainlyfound,sometimes in great As topaz is quite abundantin the Oban, abundance,as fragmentsup to 35 mm in di- Backwaterand Kookabookraareas (east of ameter,in Holocenealluvial deposits (which Guyra), where cassiteritehas been mined have formerly been worked for tin) in the from numerousalluvial deposits, it is rather NorthernNew Englanddistrict. Localities at surprisingthe mineralhas never been re- whichtopaz has beenrecorded include: near corded there in situ. Cassiterite-bearing Boonoo Boonoo; Emmaville(Vegetable pegmatitesare the probablesource. Creek); The Gulf; north of Torrington in BlatherarmCreek (mainlycolourless), ScrubbyGully (often a sky bluevariety); Glen SECONDARYDEPOSITS Creek;and BaldRock Creek at Binghi(about 16 km northwestof Torrington).The topaz 1. Alluvial DepositsDerived From the from these localitiesis usuallywell rounded MoleGranite. and colourless,though some fine stones of bluishor yellowishtints have been recovered. ScrubbyGully and Surface Hill. The principalsource of this topaz is the cassiterite-bearinglodes of the region.How- Reference11 pp 4-45. ever,a proportionof the topaz may have been "Theoldest tertiary gravels in the district derived from silexite (quartz-topazrock) probably smalloutliers present are thoseforming "Surfacetwo which is aboutthe Mole Granite." at "ScrubbyGully' and Hill".At 'ScrubbyGully" this gravel occurs in a bare 3. Guyra - Kookabookra. patchhaving a superficialextent of 11acres anda thicknessoffrom 2to 14feet, the av- Reference 18 pp 98 - 99. "The eragedepth being 3 feet.The beds are com- best quality topaz in New South posedof fine clearyellow quartz sand, not Wales is found in the Oban-Kookabookra muchwatenvorn, with well-rolled quartz peb- area (eastof Guyra)where much of the ma- bles,pale blue topazes, beryls, and stream terial is pale blue (alsocolourless, or in yel- tin. ... At SurfaceHill a flat-toppedridge of lowish and greenish tints) and completely claystoneis cappedby a bareoval patch of flawless.The largeststone obtained from this 26 areaweighs 184carats in its cut state,and is boughtfor a sum of €20 at a very low rate displayed in the Australian Museum perpound." (Chalmers1956 p 100).Many stonesrecov- ered weighed over 30 g each, though fairly Reference2 p79. "About unabraidedwedge-shaped crystals have 60 oz. of topaz was obtaineddur- been obtainedfrom the dumps of old alluvial ingthe year,in the Kookabookradivision. The tin and goldworkings. ... parcel "The was only valuedat f4.' best qualitytopaz has been recov- ered from the Ann (Oban) River, Sara 4. Other Localities. (Mitchell)River, Nowland'sCreek, Snake Gully (near the Backwater),Paddy's Gully, These locationshave been mentionedin The Backwater,and Rooney'sGully." variousreferences as placeswhere topaz is found.The occurrencesare probablyall allu- Reference 1 p 69. vial. "These gems were got during the year, Copeton,Dundee, Mann River, Rocky nearOban in the GlenInnes Division in con- River (Uralla),Red Range, Copes Creek, siderablequantity, but the onlysale that could Staggy Creek, Bendemeer,Maryland, be tracedwas one wherea small parcelwas Wilson'sDownfall.

Bald Nob To Grafion GLEN INNES

To Armidale Map showing localities mentioned in the text

27 270Grey Street Ph: (067)32 3I7L Ratl S.a4zL'o 74e El."* GlenInnes 2370 A/FI:32 3008 1Vw & 7o

& muchmuch more Thonal(067) 336 743 1ooklnqo: Glen lnneeVieitore & CrottyRoad (5km South on NE CoachCentrre Thonet(067) 322 397 ALL.WAYS HIRE ProfessionalPrinting . Marquees in Glenfnnes . Tables . . Seating BusinessStationery . Staging . Annual Reports . Lighting . . WeddingInvitations

HeadOffice CoffsHarbour (066) 52 3933 establishedin Glen lnnes12 years Grafion (066) 42 5588 notjust a nameon paper PortMacquarie (065)81 1400 NambuccaHeads (065) 68 6600 FaxNo (066)515251 Ph=323267 BIBLIOGRAPHY

The following referenceshave provided 11. DAVID T.W.E. (1887). Geology of much of the informationin this book. We the VegetableCreek Tin-Mining gratefullyacknowledge the contributionthese Field,New EnglandDistrict New authorshave made.References quoted spe- SouthWales. Mem. geol. Suw. cificallyin the text are numberedfor easier N.S.UY., Geol.l . 169 pp. location. 12 GARDINERB. (1993).Crystals: 1. A. Rep.Dep. Mines N.S.W. for 1895 It'syour turn to heal. (18e6). 13 KLEEMANJ.D. (1984). Features 2. A. Rep.Dep. Mines N.S.W. for 1899 of the Roofof the Mole Granite. (1e00). 1984 FieldConference. Geological Societyof Australia,Queensland 3. ANDREWSE.C. (1905). The Geol- Division.112 pp. ogy of the New England Plateau, with special referenceto the Granites 14. HURLBUTCornelius S. Jr.,re- of NorthernNew England, Part lll;The visedby (1959).Dana's Manual of Genesisof the Ore Deposits.Rec. Mineralogy17th Ed. John Wiley & geol. Surv.N.S.W.8(2), 129-152. Sons Inc. New York.

4. _ (1902).The Geotogyof the New EnglandPlateau Part V; 15. Lapidary Journal of America, AdditionalNotes on the Originof the November,1964. New EnglandOre Deposits.Rec. geol. Surv.N.S.Uli 8(3),239-251. 16. LISHMUNDS.R. (1974). TheTor- ringtonSilexite Depostits. Q. Nofes 5. AREM J.E. (97n. ColourEncYclo' Geol. Suw.N.S.t4l 17, October paedia of Gemstones. Van Nostrand 1974. Reinhold:New York. pp 120-122 17. MACNEVINA.A. and DAWOOD 6. ASHBAUGHC.E. (1988). Gemstone A.D. (1973). Fluorite (Fluorspar). lrradiationand Radioactivity.Gems & Min. lnd. Geol. Suw.N.S.y1| 16. 30 Gemology.24 pp 196-212. pp.

7. ASHBAUGHC.E. & SHIGLEYJ. 18. MACNEVINA.A. ANd HOLMES (1993). Reactor-irradiatedGreen G.G.(1980). Gemstones. Min.lnd. fopaz. Gems & Gemology.29, Geol.Surv. N.S.W.18, 2nd Edition. pp 116-121. 119pp.

8. BRACEWELLH. (1993).Healing 19. MARKHAMN.L. and BASDEN H. Stones,Birthstones and otherthings. (Editors)(1974). The Mineral Depositsof NewSouth Wales. Geol. 9. CARNEJ.E. (1911). TheTin Mining Surveyof N.S.W.682 pp. Industryand the Distributionof Tin Ores in New South Wales. Miner. Resour. 20. KENNYE.J. (1924). Antimony, geol. Suru.N.S.t/Y., 14.378 pP. Arsenic,Bismuth, Molybdenum, Tungsten. Bulletin No.S.Geological 10. CHALMERSR.O. (1956). Some Surveyof N.S.W.47 pp. Aspectsof New SouthWales Gem- stones. J. Proc. R. Soc. N.S.t/V.,89 (2), 21. NASSAUK. (1984).Gemstone 90-108. Enhancement.pp 164-166. Butterworths:London BIBLIOGRAPHY 26 ROSSMANG.R. (1981) Colourin 22. NASSAU.(1985). Altering the Gems;New Technologies. Gerns & Colourof Topaz. Gems & GemologY. Gemology.17, pp 60-71. 21,pp 26-34. 27. TheAustralian Gemmologist, 23. RASMUSP.L. (1969). Tungsten volumes12 (No.1), 13 (No. 8), 14 Min. lnd. Geol.Surv. N.S.t4l (No.12), 15 (No. 1), 16 (No. 12). 41,50pp. 28. WALKERB.G. The Book of 24. RIBBEP.H. (1982). Reviews in SacredStones - Fact& FallacYin Mineralogy:Orthosilicates. Vol 5 2nd the CrystalWorld. ed.,pp 21 5-230. M.S.A. Washington. WEBSTERR. (1973). Gems.3rd 25. ROSEG. (1960).Gemstones. Ed.,pp 118-125.Butterworths: Min.lnd.Geol. Surv. N.S.t/y.18, 1st London. Edition.119 pp.

FIELD TRIP INFORMATION

Thereis a chargeof $5 per headfor the mens. threeguided trips. This coversMinerama's There is a charge of $5 per adult and $2 costsand a donationto thelandowners con- per child aged 10-15, PaYableat the cerned.lt is mostimportant that people tak- Mineramainformation desk. ing part in thesefield trips respecl !h9 fgct thatmost of themare to privateland. All holes must be filled in and all rubbishremoved. Permissionto returnat a laterdate can only be obtainedfrom the landowner and failure 76e V"az Sdldd to dothis willjeopardise future Minerama field ?, trips. fr&ee l. Private Land at Surface Hill (The Gult). (guided) Thisis analluvial topaz area and informa- Qara'4arat7 tionabout it can be obtainedin the textun- der"Secondary Deposits". Yourguide will leave the Showground at 9 AM,arriving at the GlenCreek bridge "\flillowon the GulfRoad at approximately10 AM. Amazingmulti-grarted ffees ! Creek"property, where Surface Hill is located, 10 dffirentfruits on is about15 minutesfurther along the Gulf Up to Road. theone tree! Takethe Emmavilleroad from Glen Innes (CoronationAve.), which goes past the_air- James& Kerry West port. Emmavilleis about40km from Glen 'Willow innes.At Emmaville,take The Gulfroad. Creek'Gulf Road "WillowCreek' is onthe left, about 22 - 23km EMMAVILLE NSW 237I pastthe endof the sealedroad. Phone(067) 34 7204 Bring:Food and drink,sieves, pick and shovel.tweezers and containerfor speci- Fax: (067)32 5175

JU l- 2. PrivateLand on the Henry TheMines may be visited at anytime. An River (Mt. Slow).(guided) entryfeeis payableto StJude's Priorywhich administersthe property. The upper Henry River has produced Youare advisedto bringfood and drink, many fine topaz specimens,some of which spade,fork, crow bar (if possible),wrapping have weighedin at over 1 000 carats.Good paperand carrying bag. qualitysapphire and zircon,as well as quartz crystals,are also found there. 5. Drvyers (Yarrow Creek). The area is 40 km south east of Glen Innes.Take the New EnglandHighway south (unguided) to Glencoe,where your!uide wiiicott6ct pii- Situatedapproximately 40km south west ticipantsopposite the Red Lion Tavern.The of GlenInnes on Yarrow Creek, Dwyers con- guidewill be leavingthe showgroundat 9.15 tinuesto bea goodproducer of sapphireand AM and expectsto be at Glencoeat 9.30AM. zirconfrom alluvial deposits along the creek. FromGlencoe it is a further20 km to the col- Someexcellent stones have been found there lecting location,on the eastern side of Mt. in 1995. Slow. Accessis via the PinkettRoad to a point Bring:Food and drink,sieves, pick and severalkilometres beyond the YarrowCk. shovel,wrapping paper, carrying bag, tweez- bridge.The turnofi from the PinkettRoad is ers and containerfor specimens. clearlymarked on the right (Costello's Road). There is a charge of $5 per adult and 92 The finalstages of the roadcan be difiicult per child aged 10 - 15, payableat the afterwet weather. Mineramainformation desk. Thereis a chargeof $4.00per day per personfor entry to thisprivate fossicking area. Thisis payableat the Mineramainformation 3. Private Land at Pinkett. deskor theTourist Centre. (guided) Youare advisedto bringfood and drink, Manystreams to sieves,spade, tweezers and a containerto theeast and south east putyour finds in. of Glen Innes have produced quality sap- phiresand zircons. The area beingvisited is renownedfor its beautifulcrystalline sapphire, 6. Wellingrove Fossicking Area. much of which is scarcelywaterworn. The (unguided) associatedzircon is usuallypale pink or col- ourless. TheWellingrove fossicking reserve is an The areais 40km old favourite.There is presentlyno entry southeast of GlenInnes. chargeinto the Takethe Pinkettroad and wait at the Yarrow Reserve. Creek bridge. The guide Youare advisedto bringfood and drink, will be leavingthe sieves,pick and showgroundat 9.1 5 AM and expectsto be at shovel,a crowbar(if possi- YarrowCreek at 9.45. ble),tweezers and a containerto put your Bring:food findsin. and drink, sieves,pick and Route: shovel,wrapping paper, carrying bag, tweez- turnoffthe New England Highway ers and containerfor specimens. ontothe Gwydir Highway (lnverell road). Tak6 the Emmavilleroad (Coronation Ave.). After There is a charge of $5 per adult and $2 per 1km 1km,turn left intothe Wellingrove child aged 10-15, payable at the (Bonshaw) Mineramainformation desk. road.The Fossicking Area sign is easyto find('14km). Turn left, then righLinto theFossickingArea after2km. There is a fur- thersign at the reserveentrance. 4. Kingsgate. (unguided) Kingsgateis situated30 km east of Glen lnnes. This is one of the best mineralcollecting localitiesin Australia,producing quantities of quartz (various colours), molybdenite,bis- muth and a host of other minerals.

3l LIST OF DEALERS

NO. NAME SELLING

NEW PAVILION

1 CrystalEncounters Fossils,minerals 2 QualityGem Rough Facetingrough, cut stones,carvings 3 J. & R. Schey Sapphirerough, cut & set 4 B.K.Minerals Qualityfossils, minerals & crystals 5 CresthavenGems Gems& minerals 6 CrystalCottage Amethyst,agates, minerals 7 B.D.& J. Burton Slabs,polished faces, thundereggs jewellery 8 BlueRibbon Gems LapidarysuPPlies, oPal, I NorthernLaPidary Findings(sterling silver) Supplies 10111 BrilliantGems Gems& opalsand OPals 12 WildashGlass Works 13 The Gem Centre Facetedgems, machinery jewellery 14 Daddow'sRock ShoP Lapidary(general), boxes 15 CrvstalHabit Minerals 16 chiistine's Gem World Rare& unusualgem rough 17 Greg's Showcase Sterlingsilver material & findings 18 R. Warren Minerals 184 CreswellEngineering Gold concentrationequiPment 19 Vanek's Rough& cut gems, oPalrough 20 Gem HuntersHaven Gems& minerals 21 L.A.Gems Lapidarysupplies 22t23 CelesteLaPidary SuPPlies Lapidarysupplies OLD PAVILION

lnformationDesk Coffee ShoP and hot food Topazspecimen disPlaY SpecialFine Arts Exhibition

OUTSIDE

TAILGATERS Sapphirewashing and Picking Stake-a-claim

3Z