Subera refers to a now-closed sapphire mining project located in the Central Highlands of Queensland, Australia — within the gem-rich Anakie province, a region long regarded as the heart of Australian sapphire mining. While you won’t find Subera marked on a map, it sits among the volcanic and metamorphic formations that have, over millions of years, produced some of the world’s most distinctive sapphires.

The Subera Sapphire Project operated as a private mining venture, drawing from sapphire-bearing basaltic gravels characteristic of this part of Queensland. During its active years, it yielded a remarkable concentration of gem-quality rough — stones known for their vivid natural colour, size, and clarity. The material extracted from Subera was considered among the top few percent of all sapphire recovered from the Australian gem fields, with striking blues, greens, yellows, and parti tones that came to define the region’s reputation.

Today, Subera is no longer in operation. When the project closed, one of our long-standing suppliers was in the fortunate position to acquire one of the largest and finest collections of rough sapphire ever to come from the site — a parcel of material that represents a moment in time unlikely to be repeated. These stones are not only geologically rare but geographically finite; there is no new production, and parcels of this calibre can no longer be sourced, regardless of means or connections.

Every Subera sapphire we work with is part of that original acquisition — a limited archive of Australian gem history. Once these stones are cut and set, there will be no more. Each piece serves as a quiet reminder of where it came from: a remote, once-active mine in Queensland that produced beauty so striking it became impossible to replicate.