Outback Australia
Queensland landscape, close to the sapphire mines in outback Australia.
Queensland sapphire mining
Outback Australia sapphire mining, excavator machinery.
Rough Australian Sapphires
Selection of rough Australian sapphires hand picked and sustainably sourced blue, teal and yellow parti sapphires by goldsmith and lapidary artist Mark Nuell.
Sapphire mining equipment
Queensland sapphire mining, excavation process and cleaning machinery.
Rough parti sapphire
Beautiful raw blue and yellow parti sapphire hand picked in outback Australia, ready to be cut in Mark’s studio in London.
Australia sapphire mine
Down in the sapphire mine in outback Queensland, Australia. Digging for rough sapphires.
Outback Australia
Queensland landscape, near the gem fields.
Sapphire mines
Down in the mines in Queensland, Australia. Excavating rough sapphires.
Raw parti sapphires
Australian rough parti sapphires. Bright blue, green, teal and yellow colours.
Sapphire mining equipment
The rough Australian sapphires are excavated and sorted using specialised equipment.
Australian landscape
Queensland Australia, near the sapphire mines.
Artisan miner
Mark Nuell has a longstanding relationship with the sapphire miners in outback Australia.
Queensland gem fields
Australia sapphire mines, hand picking and sustainably sourcing sapphires.
Sapphire mine
Down in the sapphire mine in Queensland Australia with local artisan miner.
Mark Nuell in the mines
Mining for sapphires in Queensland, Australia. Mark has a close relationship with the miners, hand picking and sourcing blue, teal and yellow parti sapphires directly from the mines.
Rough sapphires
Close up of a selection of rough sapphires hand picked and chosen by lapidary artist and goldsmith Mark Nuell.
Queenland mine
Mining process and equipment in outback Australia.
Parti sapphire
Australian parti sapphire showing multiple colours, ranging from blue to green, to teal, to yellow.
Raw parti sapphires
Rough parti sapphires showing bright blue and green colours, hand picked and chosen by Mark.
Looking out on nature
Beautiful view on the landscape in Queenland, Australia.
Rough green-teal sapphire
Australian raw sapphire, hand picked from the mines by Mark.
SAPPHIRE - Thames & Hudson
Mark Nuell and his family are featured in Thames & Hudson SAPPHIRE book written by Joanna Hardy.
Sapphire book by Joanna Hardy
Published by Thames & Hudson, written by Joanna Hardy. Featuring Mark’s journey and jewellery designs.
Sapphire mining - a family story
Mark’s father mined sapphires in Rubyvale for nearly 30 years. The story of his parents mining in outback Australia is featured in SAPPHIRE - Thames & Hudson - written by Joanna Hardy.
Sapphire Mining
Mark has a close and long-standing relationship with sapphire mines in Australia. He inherited his fascination for sapphires from his father, who mined sapphires in Rubyvale for nearly 30 years.
His family emigrated to Australia from the UK in the 1960s with the promise of adventure. His father loved the Australian bush and fossicking for garnets, opals and chalcedony until he heard of the incredible sapphire finds at the Central Queensland Gemfields.
His childhood adventures inspired Mark to pursue goldsmithing and lapidary.
Mark regularly goes back to Queensland to source and hand pick rough sapphires. He has a longstanding relationship with local miners, giving him unique access to rare and beautiful sapphires.
The gemstones are then hand cut and polished in his London studio.
Mark and his family are featured in Thames & Hudson SAPPHIRE book written by Joanna Hardy. Featuring Mark’s journey and the story of his parents mining in outback Australia.