staying tuned

As i said in my previous post, system to this fossicking...... firstly scrape off the dirt and larger rounder rocks on the surface and discard these. secondly , using a pick and shovel, work down to the clay base, in our case about 6-10 inches 15-25cm. This rubble once it is dried is placed through two different sizes of sieve and any large pieces of rock/stone that look red or white may also be discarded. Now we are getting down to the nitty gritty. The remaining stones are then washed in a large bucket with a side to side motion, turning the sieve through 90 degrees to once again wash in a side to side motion. Sapphires are heavier than the rocks and should congregate in the bottom middle of the washed stones, the sieve is then turned upside down onto a sorting table covered in some cloth, hession bag or some surface where the rocks will not fly off when turned over. Any sapphires then should appear on the top, middle of the washed stones. If not, try again and again and again...there is also a system to living here, Sunday is Sapphire market, so it was off to Sapphire for that this morning. An unusual market that has the more usual junk/garage sale types of wares but also a great number of exhibitors selling sapphires and gemstones in all sorts of configurations and prices. You can also purchase the requirements to begin that sapphire hunt yourself with picks, shovels, sieves buckets and also free advice. Then lunch at the next town, Rubyvale. On our two visits there so far, we have been astounded by the style of architecture in the area. The Hotel at Rubyvale does meals as does Poppys cafe on the opposite corner. There is a small supermarket,several gem stores, a strudel house and coffee shops. All around the area are mines open for the visitors to inspect and tour. There are also several places that sell buckets of sand/gravel to wash and retrieve the small sapphire chips or stones for those lucky enough.