Leslie Massey
Australia has over 30 emerald mineral deposits located throughout New South Wales, Tasmania, and Western Australia. The New England area of New South Wales has yielded most of Australia's gem-quality Beryl, which includes emeralds and aquamarines. The largest deposit is found near Emmaville, but they also occur near Inverell, Dundee, and Glen Innes. Emeralds were discovered in Western Australia near Poona in 1912, with small-scale mining and prospecting occurring sporadically, including the notable Agha Khan Mine in the 1940s. The Poona deposit has always been considered the most productive in the region, with several other much less significant deposits discovered in the Emerald Desert in Western Australia.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Colour | Grass-green, emerald greens, milky-green |
| Composition | Beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6), chromium oxide, chromium, vanadium |
| Notable Mines | Poona emerald mine, Emerald Mine (Clive Co.), Emerald Proprietary Company |
| Notable Regions | New South Wales, Tasmania, Western Australia, Emmaville/Torrington area, Yalgoo Goldfields |
| Sources | Australia, Zambia, Colombia, Nigeria |
| Hardness | 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale |
| Cut | 'Emerald cut', cushions, ovals, pears |
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What You'll Learn
New England, New South Wales
New England, a geographical region in the north of New South Wales, has produced most of Australia's gem-quality beryl, emerald, and aquamarine. The largest deposit of emeralds can be found near Emmaville, with other deposits occurring near Inverell, Dundee, and Glen Innes.
The New England region is traversed by five major highways and a network of minor roads. The New England Highway, which links Tamworth, Uralla, Armidale, Guyra, Glen Innes, and Tenterfield, is a major route connecting New South Wales and Queensland. The region is also home to the New England New State Movement, which campaigned for New England to be separated from New South Wales in the 1930s and 1960s.
In 1890, emerald and green beryl were first mined near Emmaville by the Emerald Proprietary Company. Over 53,000 carats of pastel to bright green crystals were produced over 20 years. However, only a small proportion of the beryl extracted was of good quality, and the mine closed in 1897. Small-scale mining and prospecting continued until 1963 with little success.
Commercial mining was attempted in the early 1990s at Torrington, but it was not viable due to the low quantities of gems produced. The New England area also has rich gem areas along the Fossickers Way tourist route, which runs from Nundle to Warialda and then east to Inverell and Glen Innes.
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Emmaville, Inverell, Dundee, and Glen Innes
Emmaville
Emeralds were first mined near Emmaville, New South Wales, in 1890. The largest deposit of emeralds in Australia can be found in this area. The mining town is located 649 km north of Sydney, 353 km southwest of Brisbane, and 43 km north of Glen Innes. The town is home to a mining museum, which has impressive rock collections, including minerals collected from the local area. The area surrounding Emmaville is known for its sapphire, garnet, topaz, arsenic, beryl, quartz, and fossils.
Inverell
Inverell is a town located near Emmaville in the New England region of New South Wales. Inverell is known for its deposits of emeralds and other gems.
Dundee
Dundee is another town in the New England region of New South Wales, near Emmaville and Inverell. Dundee is known for its deposits of emeralds and other precious stones.
Glen Innes
Glen Innes is a town in the New England region of New South Wales, located near Emmaville. Glen Innes was gazetted in 1852 and named after Scottish early settler Archibald Clunes Innes, who owned several properties in the area. The town experienced a mining boom in the late 19th century with the discovery of tin, gold, and other metals nearby. The area has produced emeralds, sapphires, topaz, garnet, zircon, aquamarine, citrine, and quartz. The renowned deep blue Glen Innes sapphire gained international recognition in the 1920s. The Glen Innes Severn Local Government Area spans 5,487 sq km of World Heritage-listed National Park wilderness, farmlands, and diverse landscapes.
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Fielders Hill, Torrington
Australia has over 30 emerald mineral deposits located throughout New South Wales, Tasmania, and Western Australia. The New England area of New South Wales has yielded most of Australia's gem-quality Beryl, which includes emeralds and aquamarines. The largest deposit is found near Emmaville, with other deposits occurring near Inverell, Dundee, and Glen Innes.
Fielders Hill, near Torrington, is another site where emeralds can be found. Emeralds occur here as strongly defined green zones in colorless Beryl crystals. Cutting these crystals perpendicular to the c-axis yields a standard emerald, while cutting them in parallel produces uniquely striped gems. Commercial mining was attempted in the early 1990s but was not viable.
The New England area of New South Wales, where Fielders Hill is located, has produced a relatively large quantity of emeralds. Over 53,000 carats of pastel to bright green crystals were unearthed from this area over 20 years, starting in 1890 when the Emerald Proprietary Company first mined the area. Small-scale mining and prospecting continued until 1963 with little success.
Emeralds are one of the world's most valuable gemstones due to their rare and beautiful greens. They usually grow slowly within metamorphic rocks, which limits their size. Cleaner, larger emeralds are worth more because of their geological scarcity.
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Poona emerald mine, Yalgoo
Poona, located in Cue Shire, Western Australia, is home to one of the best-known emerald deposits in the state. The Poona emerald mine, also known as the Aga Khan Emerald mine, is situated about 150 km from the town of Cue and 70 km beyond that on an uneven track. The mine was named after a member of the Iranian royal family, Sultan Aga Khan III.
Emeralds were discovered in Western Australia near Poona in 1912, and small-scale mining and prospecting have occurred sporadically since then. The most significant mine in the field is the Aga Khan Mine, which operated in the 1940s. The best emeralds from Poona were found during the active mining period from the 1960s to the late 1970s in a mica schist adjacent to the quartzose beryl-bearing pegmatite. Some crystals were gem quality, and huge boulders of perfect quality snow-white quartz were also found in the area.
Poona's crystals are generally gem quality, but they are usually undistinguished in size. However, in 1971, a notable exception was discovered: a 138-carat transparent emerald that received widespread attention in the Western Australian press. Despite the efforts of gemmologists Perry and Levinson, the stone cracked and split into two uneven parts of 118 and 20 carats during the extraction process. This type of matrix makes emerald extraction challenging, reducing the commercial attractiveness of mining in Poona.
The Emerald Reward Gold Mine, located in Yalgoo, Western Australia, also has a fascinating history. In 1892, William Pearse led a group of prospectors to a site where the local Indigenous people had shown him gold in white stone. The discovery led to the establishment of the Emerald Reward Lease and the subsequent growth of the town of Yalgoo nearby. Mining at the site continued intermittently over the years, with various companies taking over operations and encountering challenges such as increasing mining difficulties and liquidation.
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Tasmania
The New England area of New South Wales has yielded most of Australia's gem-quality Beryl, including emeralds. The largest deposit is found near Emmaville, but other deposits occur near Inverell, Dundee, and Glen Innes. In the early 1900s, over 53,000 carats (10 kg) of beryl and emerald were produced in this area over 20 years. An attempt at commercial mining took place at Torrington in the early 1990s, but it didn't continue due to the low quantities of gems produced.
Nearly all emerald production in Western Australia has come from a deposit at Poona. There are also beryl and emerald deposits at Menzies and in the Pilbara region, south of Port Hedland. Mount Isa in Queensland has beryl-bearing metamorphic rocks, and small volumes of aquamarine have been found near Mount Surprise in Queensland and Olary in South Australia.
While Colombian emeralds are considered the most valuable, Australian emeralds possess unique qualities that contribute to the global emerald market. They display classic 'emerald greens' with a desirable medium to medium-light saturation and an attractive translucent to semi-transparent opacity, resulting in a beautiful 'green fire' brightness.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia has over 30 emerald mineral deposits located throughout New South Wales, Tasmania, and Western Australia.
The Poona deposit in the Emerald Desert of Western Australia has always been considered the most productive in the region.
Emeralds can be found in the Yalgoo Goldfields, near Mount Magnet, and in the New England area of New South Wales.
