Release date: 30 March 2017 Throughout history, gemstones have been used for personal adornment, ritual practices and as status symbols. During this time the cutting of gemstones has evolved from a limited practice using simple tools into a complex art that uses sophisticated technology to reveal a mineral’s hidden beauty. To be transformed into gemstones, minerals need the following qualities: hardness (resistance to scratches and general wear), beauty (colour, clarity and lustre) and rarity. The minerals must be large enough for cutting and the deposits rich enough to warrant the costs of extraction. As well as widespread mineral deposits, Australia has so far provided more than 200 new minerals, discovered and named for the first time. Australia’s best-known gemstone is precious opal, which was officially designated the national gemstone in 1993. Around 95 per cent of the world’s opal comes from Australia and it is one of the few countries where precious black opal is found. Australia is also known for its diamond industry, which supplies most of the highly valued pink diamonds in the world market. These come from the Argyle diamond mine in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. Operating since the early 1980s, Argyle has for some years mined the greatest volume of pink diamonds in the world. Sapphires are also significant for Australia’s economy, with several mines in the eastern states contributing to the world market.

The stamps

The four gemstones shown in the stamp designs are held in the mineral collection of the Australian Museum, Sydney. Two of these – the golden sapphire and the pink diamond – represent precious gemstones that are cut and polished as possible centrepieces for exquisite jewellery. The rhodonite and the fluorite exemplify stones that are valued as “collector stones”, rarities that are transformed by lapidaries into singular specimens for the pleasure of gem specialists. $1 Golden sapphire $1 Rhodonite $2 Pink diamond $2 Fluorite

(50933)

SKU 50933
Shipping Weight 0.0100kg
Shipping Width 0.100m
Shipping Height 0.010m
Shipping Length 0.100m
Assembled Length 10.000m
Assembled Height 1.000m

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