Aussie Sapphire

Half the fun of rock tumbling is in the search for suitable rocks that will polish beautifully.  You can find these in a variety of places such as the beach, rivers and creeks, etc.

In short, whenever you are in the Great Outdoors, you should be keeping your eyes open for good tumbling rocks.  However, we have been asked many times if we can supply tumbling rocks for those just starting out in the hobby.

So in response to this demand, we are now very pleased to announce that we offer mixed colour rocks for you to try your hand at tumbling. Offered in 2 convenient sizes suitable for the most popular 3 pound barrels:

These rocks are randomly selected from a mixed unidentified lot but will include a variety of quartz type rocks with colours ranging from white, green, pink, orange, grey, etc as shown in the photo above.

Just letting everyone know that our website AND the forum will be down for a short while.

We’ve just moved over to the new dedicated ip so it may appear as though our website has disappeared until the DNS updates across the web.  If you are in a hurry to access the site, you can flush your DNS to force your computer to look up the revised ip by following these instructions.  Otherwise, your ISP should clear the DNS cache within a few hours and we’ll be visible again without you having to do anything.

We’re working in the office, so you have queries or want to make an order, just give us a call on 1800 50 21 40.

cheers
Leah Lane (Aussie Sapphire)

Please note that our website will be down for maintenance on Friday 2nd June while we preform a software upgrade.  We expect the site to be down for a period of 3 hours or so.

We will be available to take orders by phone if you call 1800 50 21 40 if you have an urgent requirement.

The new website will not be significantly different in appearance but is being upgraded to the latest version software featuring improved security – we have also taken the opportunity to improve usability for our customers by making a few small tweaks here and there.

thank you from Aussie Sapphire

Rock Tumblers are one of our most popular products at Aussie Sapphire and we’ve been thinking of ways to improve our service to customers even more.

For beginners to rock tumbling, our Starter Kits are a great way to get the most suitable grits/polish so you can get up and running quickly.

Previously we packaged these in plastic bags but these can be fiddly and messy to handle when you are spooning out of the bag.  Therefore, we are now moving to plastic screw-top jars for easy and convenient storage – with lids in our distinctive Aussie Sapphire blue and informative labels on each jar so you know exactly what to do.

So far only Kit A has new photos but we’ll be doing new ones as we transfer over.

What about value for money?

Even better than before with a bonus 250 gram pack of plastic pellets now included.  If you are using a 3 pound barrel rotary tumbler such as the Lortone 3A or 33B, our starter kits should do about 3 to 4 batches of rock.  Remember, the Lortone 4-step kit includes less silicon carbide grit, does not include plastic pellets and uses aluminium oxide (grit size unknown) as the pre-polish and polish steps.  We believe that cerium oxide is a better choice for the kind of rocks most people start out with.  Lortone tumblers are fantastic but we reckon we can do a better deal on Grit and Polish.

Stay tuned for news on tumbling rock – heaps of people have asked us whether we can supply rocks to go with their brand new tumbler.  Up till now, we have not been able to help but we think we have finally cracked this one.  We’ll announce the details here when we get these listed online.

Bye for now from Aussie Sapphire

It has been quite busy with lots of new and interesting products arriving.

Talked about our new industrial/commercial tumblers in the last post but we have some new smaller items that may be of interest:

• New tweezers, pliers and scoops in the Jewellery Making category.
• Two styles of Ring Cutters for safe removal of rings from swollen fingers.
• Estwing Rock Picks – pointed end or chisel end with optional leather sheath
• New stock of Inland Lapidary saws, spare parts and accessories
• Some new stock of red and orange synthetic corundum – hopefully more coming.
• New stock of Lortone tumblers
• Dopping Supplies – green or brown dopping wax plus new stock of Gem-Tite dopping glue.

Plus we have more stock on the way…

Look out for new bandsaws and glass grinders for those looking for something a bit stronger than the Inland Lapidary machines.  We also have new stock of diamond wheels on the way including polishing flex wheels – #8k, #14k and #50k.

We have a new book order in transit from the USA – hopefully should be here any day – some old favourites which had been out of stock plus a few new ones.

And probably lots of other stuff I have forgotten about until it turns up.  So keep checking the website because there is sure to be something new there for you.

We are working on the new catalogue – it is a big job so we expect it will take a couple of months but will announce it here when available.  Remember though, the website always has up to date prices and stock levels – if you have any queries at all, we’re just a phone call or email away.

cheers for now from Aussie Sapphire

Our range of tumblers has just expanded with 2 new commercial models now in stock.

If you need a rotary tumbler with more capacity than the standard offerings, check out these options from Lortone:

The Lortone C300-12 features three 12-pound barrels driven by a strong 1/3hp Baldor motor.

This one is excellent if you need a tumbler that will handle more than one stage of processing simultaneously.  Ideal for mass finishing, metal deburring and polishing or just large volume rock tumbling.  The 3 barrels means triple capacity compared to our QT12 tumbler.

If you are looking for maximum strength and capacity, the Lortone C40 tumbler may be the one for you:

A massive 40 pound capacity – the hexagonal steel barrel features a removable rubber liner, handle and easy to remove lid.  A great tumbler for single process metal polishing (perfect for reloaders polishing brass cartridges in bulk) or other mass finishing applications.

Remember, we can set you up with the appropriate plastic or ceramic media as well as other media and consumables (eg. walnut shell for brass).

If you have any queries about these or our other tumbler options, please contact us any time at www.aussiesapphire.com.au

Lots more new products on the way – stay tuned…

Hard to believe we are now running up to Easter when we’ve only just got over the Christmas rush.  It’s been nice and busy over the past few months and we’ve got lots more good stuff in store over the coming year so thought we’d better outline a few highlights for you in this newsletter.

Firstly, time is running out for our Customer Survey – return the survey with a valid email address for your chance to win a $50 gift voucher.  Be quick – the prize will be drawn 5:00 pm 31st March 2010.  We’ve had some great feedback already but we’d love to hear from you!

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS

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As we now have containers of supplies arriving on a regular basis and need to order many products months in advance, good stocktaking is essential to good customer service.   Call or email to arrange your exclusive shopping visit – would make a great outing for your Gem Club ?  (Please note we do require advance notice of visits so we can give you our undivided attention).

New and Best-Selling Products

Auscut-303 Diamond Saw Blades for Lapidary - these have been a while coming but after testing, we are thrilled with their performance.   These premium continuous rim blades are exclusive to Aussie Sapphire – we are so sure of their quality, we will fully refund anyone who finds Auscut doesn’t perform as well or better than a comparable 303 type such as Barranca or MK.

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In the Auscut range is the new 7″ x .050″ x 1″ Diamond blade to suit almost all tile saws.  We’ve had many enquiries from customers wanting to use the cheaper tile cutting saws for lapidary work – great idea except that the commonly available blades are too thick for lapidary work and the larger shaft on the saws mean standard lapidary blades wont fit..

It took us a while but as the development work on the Auscut Saw Blades allowed us to make some custom ones specially designed for tile saws.   If you would love a Trim Saw but just cant find the cash, you now have the option to mount a Lapidary blade on the cheaper Tile Saws.    These Auscut-303 blades have a 7″ (180mm) diameter, thickness of 0.05″ (<1.5mm) suitable for most lapidary work and an arbor of 25.4mm (standard inch shaft).

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Auscut Laps: We have been producing our own Diamond lap now for some years and continuing to improve our quality.  Out in the market, the difference in Diamond quality, cost and bonding procedures is vast – my old saying “Diamond aint Diamond” still applies.  We have supplied many lapidary clubs with our Auscut laps and they keep coming back – try them today and wont be disappointed.

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Loupes: We have several new options in this section – one of our most popular is another Aussie Sapphire exclusive – the 10x LED loupe with white and uv lighting incorporated.  A great quality little unit and a must have for your gem toolkit.  Remember, most of our loupes come with a free Aussie Sapphire lanyard.

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Gearloose products:  We have continued to receive great feedback from hundreds of customers now polishing on the Darkside and BATT Laps and are proud to be the exclusive Australian dealer for these great laps along with other innovative products from Gearloose.    We also now have BATTstiks in Cerium, Aluminium and Chrome Oxide as well as DIAStiks in 3k, 60k and 100k diamond – an easy, no mess way of applying lapidary polish.

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Aussie Sapphire is the exclusive Australian Dealer for these and other fantastic products – if your supplier hasn’t got them, ask them why?

POSTING NOTICE

Everyone have a great Easter break.  We certainly look forward to trying our best to look after your Lapidary Needs through this year and beyond.

Seems like we’re getting busier and busier but am scrounging a few minutes to dash off a quick update for Aussie Sapphire:

A)  The big event of the year for us is Minerama – our annual gem show at Glen Innes.  Always a good one and this year will be no exception.  Check out the Minerama website or chat about it on ALF where you can arrange to catch up with fellow ALF’ers or ask for advice if you intend travelling this way.

B)  Of course on the world stage, the biggest gem show of them all is Tucson.  Not everyone can make the trip to Tucson so check out this blog for a virtual taste of this event:  http://tucsongemshow.blogspot.com/

C)  We’ve just done a big re-organisation of the website with categories and products moving around quite a bit in an attempt to make it all a bit more logical and easy to navigate.  Still a bit of minor tweaking to go but we’re hoping this will make the site a lot easier to use.

D)  Got some great new products online – we encourage you to take a good look through everything.  For jewellers and silver/goldsmiths, we’ve got a new category specially for cleaning and polishing which has everything you need in this area from Ultrasonic Cleaners, Tumblers, Polishing Cloths and Jewellery Dips as well as our usual range of buffing supplies (including Dialux in White, Red, Blue and Green).

E)  Our range of loupes has increased even more with one to suit every possible job.  We’ve just had lanyards made for us so all hand loupes now come with an Aussie Sapphire lanyard to make them even more convenient.  Of course, our lanyards are suitable for lots of other jobs so you can also buy them separately.  Lanyards are 2cm wide for comfortable wear and feature a swivel lever metal clip for attaching to a range of items.

Cheers for now from Aussie Sapphire
and remember, if you want to stay in touch with what is happening in the Aussie Lapidary world, just  ask ALF – the friendliest forum around for anyone interested in rocks and gems.

Just unpacking our latest shipment and have some exciting new products to offer.

We’ve been asked a number of times about electronic gem testers – while these have their limitations and should be used with caution, there is no doubt they are a very useful tool to have around when working with gems.  We’ve tried some cheaper brands but for this job, you need guaranteed quality so we have sourced 2 of the most versatile Presidium testers:

• The Presidium Multi Tester is used to test diamonds against moissanite and other simulants.  Special introductory price of $395.
• The Presidium Gem Tester is used to test a range of coloured gems as well as diamonds.  Includes 6 Volt power adaptor (220 Volt, 3 pin plug to suit Australian customers).  Fantastic deal at $450.

We aim to provide a complete range of loupes and now have a couple of new ones to add to the list.

First up is a good quality linen tester or folding loupe with etched reticle on the base (ie. ruler marks in 1/8″ and 1mm increments along each side).  We have been finding that more are using this type of loupe as you can rest the tweezers or dop holding the gem against the base and keep it steady and in focus at a comfortable distance from the eye.

Also have a larger diameter 20X loupe coming to give a larger option to the double butterfly loupe.  This way you have choices from 1.5X to 3.5X (in the headband magnifier), through 6X (linen tester), 10X, 20X and 30X magnification (jewellers loupes).  Something for every job as well as specialised darkfield loupes and portable polariscopes for gemmology work.

Got some more dialux rouge in as well as 4″ and 6″ polishing mops (white and yellow) – now stocking white, red, green and blue dialux for any metal polishing need.  See here for a range of metal polishing media and compounds.  We also have a fantastic range of tumblers in both rotary and vibratory types as well as buffing machines – Abbot & Ashby grinders with tapered spindles.

Still unpacking so there might even be a few more goodies to come – stay tuned…

cheers from Andrew and Leah at www.aussiesapphire.com.au

Thanks to all for your continued and increasing support over 2009 – what a year and we’ve got even more planned for 2010 !

It’s gift-giving time again whether we like it or not, so why not get your orders in now to prevent the last minute rush.
Aussie Sapphire is ready to help with heaps of stock and some great special offers to give you all that little bit of extra Christmas Cheer. We’ve picked out a random lot of 10 fantastic offers – there is sure to be something of interest in this lot but remember, the whole website is chock-full of great deals.

Andrew’s Top Ten

1. Facetron Faceting machine at just $3,300 delivered to anywhere in Australia
2. All the Lortone range of machinery shipped free anywhere in Australia
3. A free gift with every Christmas purchase over $200
4. 6″ Darkside Polishing Laps at just $99 delivered and only $135 for the 8″ version
5. Free shipping on any Gem scales and selected Kits
6. Easy Layby option for any purchase over $2,000 (there is no charge but conditions do apply: 3 equal payments over 3 months)
7. 40% off all Gold Jewellery – a great deal with Gold at over $1100 a ounce !
8. Gyroc Model B Vibratory Tumbler for for Just $395
9. Gift Vouchers tailored to your needs – buy a gift voucher from $10 or talk to us about putting something special together for you
10. Individual Package Deals. If you have been considering any major purchase email me direct and we will try our best to offer you a extra special Package Deal for Christmas ( shop@aussiesapphire.com.au )

Have a happy festive season and stay tuned for more news from Aussie Sapphire.
Cheers from Andrew and Leah