The Capricorn Sapphire mine, located in Queensland, is owned and operated by Perth-based company Richland Resources. Described by Richland as one of the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, the 490-hectare site comprises two mining leases with a measured sapphire resource of approximately 109 million carats.
Richland CEO Dr Bernard Olivier said the operation had “huge potential”, claiming analysts believed that once the mine was in full production, it could be the largest single source of sapphire in the world.
The mine reportedly has the capacity to produce up to 200 loose cubic metres per hour of sapphire-bearing ore via its purpose-build alluvial processing plant. Material from the plant is processed and sorted at the company’s facility located in the nearby town of Emerald.
Consistent, ethical supply
A Richland spokesperson told Jeweller that the mine contained large quantities of blue sapphires, in addition to yellow, green and parti-coloured sapphires (those exhibiting combinations of more than one colour), which she said were currently in demand by the fancy coloured gemstone industry.
A Richland spokesperson told Jeweller that the mine contained large quantities of blue sapphires, in addition to yellow, green and parti-coloured sapphires (those exhibiting combinations of more than one colour), which she said were currently in demand by the fancy coloured gemstone industry.
“Sapphires make up a significant part of the global colour gemstone market, but extraction remains generally artisanal – and small scale – with a fractured and variable supply,” she explained. “As a result, large manufacturers struggle with sourcing a consistent supply of quantities of sapphire for their production.”
The spokesperson pointed out that having source-assured, ethical gemstones was also becoming increasingly important to discerning jewellery consumers.
“Richland believes the strength of the Capricorn Sapphire project is in the ability to consistently and reliably supply sapphires of verifiable origin in large quantities in the sizes, grades and colours used by major manufacturers the international jewellery market,” she stated.
According to a company statement, a “staggered ramp up” to full-scale production will occur over the coming months, with Richland to offer rough s