Yes Pauly,
I always wear my Australian Sapphire from Tomahawk Creek (near Emerald in case you didn't know).
Mum and Dad got me into the whole fossicking thing although I haven't done it for a few years now. I love being "on the dig" as they called it with zero facilities. Guess that's where I got my love of bush camping.
The last gem that they got was a yellow Sapphire which we dubbed The Rock. It was HUGE! Mum had it cut and set along side some WA diamonds and it's just gorgeous! Just a tad HUGE on the finger for my liking though.
We've panned for gold here and there, been to Mud Tank NT (zircons and garnets), tried our hand for opals, topaz, amethyst, quartz, and fossicked the odd fossil (trilobites) or mineral oddity (maltese crosses) here or there. I've spent alot of time "specking" and found the odd beauty. I've still got to do anything with my finds.
Although it's hard work, I think it's good fun to come home with something (read: Anything) that shows you've been somewhere other than suburbia!
Kit_e