Sapphire bombs

[KarlS]

Forgive me for asking stupid question. I know quite bit about the opal, but sapphires are new game for me. On my last trip to Vulcan forest I got three sapphire bombs. 170 carats biggest one. All three are olive green partly translucent. Question is, what do you do with such a stone. Also, about the star sapphire. Can you see the star before you polish the stone?
Karl

 

[Twapster]

Got any pics Karl? 170 carat is sensational, just a shame its a bomb. Im wondering if bombs can be cut up to find good smaller bits. My biggest bomb is 7 carat so thats a tiddler compared to yours!

 

[KarlS]

I will try to post pic, but I never try before. I was very doubtful that it is sapphire, but scratch test and SG indicate it is sapphire or rather corundum.
Karl

 

[KarlS]

I will try to post pic, but I never try before. I was very doubtful that it is sapphire, but scratch test and SG indicate it is sapphire or rather corundum.
Karl

 

[Varts]

170 ct bomb!!!
Got a pic ?

From the Vulcan state forest???

Man that is cool

 

[Goldpick]

Here's an older thread on the same topicm if that helps:

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=921

 

[Guest]

Hey All,

We found a 98 carat Sapphire bomb on our honeymoon almost 20 years ago.

It was found in the wash we bought from Pats Gems in Sapphire, Nth QLD. Is Pats Gems still going????

There are no clear sections in the stone for a cutter.

I clearly remember the day it rolled onto the shovel from the dirt pile.

 

[KarlS]

This is with my cell phone . I will try tomorrow with Penta, I have to recharge batteries. It does not look like sapphire, but if you try to scratch it with quartz crystal, the crystal point just crumble. The bomb cuts clean scratch in the quartz. And SG comes to 4 03.

 

[KarlS]

Sorry it doesn't accept the picture

 

[Kingsolomon]

I will try to post pic, but I never try before. I was very doubtful that it is sapphire, but scratch test and SG indicate it is sapphire or rather corundum.
Karl

Easy to post pic mate ,.. Just resize/ crop it a little then click this button in centre...

And if you have taken it on your phone ... Choose existing photo ... Then insert .. Then you have it . If you need to resize your pic .. Press edit , then crop it Smaller and it will work.
I understand ... I'm not too computer savvy myself.
Barney

 

[Twapster]

Hey All,

We found a 98 carat Sapphire bomb on our honeymoon almost 20 years ago.

It was found in the wash we bought from Pats Gems in Sapphire, Nth QLD. Is Pats Gems still going????

There are no clear sections in the stone for a cutter.

I clearly remember the day it rolled onto the shovel from the dirt pile.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1817/1401358820_saphhire_bomb_2.jpg

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1817/1401358846_saphhire_bomb_1.jpg

Now that's a big bomb! Well done

 

[KarlS]

I finally figured out how to resize pic on my Android tablet.

 

[KarlS]

Beside this chunk of rock I got 8 very small sapphires from 3 buckets of wash. It would be nice to find blue sapphire of this size. Well, maybe next time.
Karl

 

[Lefty]

Hey All,

We found a 98 carat Sapphire bomb on our honeymoon almost 20 years ago.

It was found in the wash we bought from Pats Gems in Sapphire, Nth QLD. Is Pats Gems still going????

There are no clear sections in the stone for a cutter.

I clearly remember the day it rolled onto the shovel from the dirt pile.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1817/1401358820_saphhire_bomb_2.jpg

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1817/1401358846_saphhire_bomb_1.jpg

Pretty sure Pat was still open last time I was out there a couple of months ago

 

[Lefty]

I finally figured out how to resize pic on my Android tablet.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/2409/1401408549_sappbomb.jpg

Hmm - bit difficult to be certain what that is by the photo.

170 carats is a pretty epic-sized stone. My father found a couple that went around 200 carats near Rubyvale but they were all bombs.

 

[Wally69]

Nice...it would certainly be in my brag-tin even though it probably has no intrinsic gemstone value.

Is there any hope in heat treating these bombs to get some better colour/clarity??

 

[Heatho]

No chance really Wally with heat treating bombs. Had a 700ct bomb in my hand the other week, was nearly the size of a tennis ball.

 

[KarlS]

No chance really Wally with heat treating bombs. Had a 700ct bomb in my hand the other week, was nearly the size of a tennis ball.

Just out of curiosity I will try with smaller one 27 carats and bit clearer. I'm going to put it in home made charcoal kiln I use to smelt scrap aluminium and see what will happen.
Karl

 

[richo966]

I hope to hear how it goes mate

 

[Lefty]

No chance really Wally with heat treating bombs. Had a 700ct bomb in my hand the other week, was nearly the size of a tennis ball.

Yeah, it's not always effective on better stones either.

I took that 155 carat one of mine to the faceting teacher at the local club - it's very dark blue with a green cross. There's some material in it that would cut but the stones would still come out extremely dark. Could possibly cab it into a big men's ring or get it carved.