Inverell Pioneer Village - Inverell NSW

The Miner's Hut and Sapphire Fossicker. Inverell has long been recognised ss a gem centre. Diamonds were first mined in the Copeton area in the 1880's and sapphires, zircons, quartz and topaz have all been found in the area since the l870's but the importance of Inverell as a sapphire centre was not realized until the 1960's. The first sapphire mine on a commercial basis was established by Mr C. L. Smith on his property "Argyll" at Sapphire. The gems occur in the water channels that intersect bassalt country. Stones of all shades of blue and yellow have been won.

The tinfields of the Tingha area produce some diamonds, cornelians, zircons, topaz, sapphires and grass stones. The latter results from needle like inclusions of rutile oxide penetrating clear or straw coloured quartz giving up the appearance of stems of grass. Grass stone in this form is peculiar to the region.