Travel Channel 

Kirsten is in Australia, hunting for blue and gold sapphires. She spends some time with koalas, kangaroos, and crocodiles and visits a public fossicking area. She finds sapphires in many colors and has one special green stone fashioned into a ring.

Sapphires are mined from alluvial deposits or from primary underground workings. The finest specimens are mined in Sri Lanka and the disputed territory of Kashmir. Both the Logan sapphire and the Star of Bombay originate from Sri Lankan mines. Sapphires are also mined in Australia, Madagascar, Thailand, and Myramar. Madagascar leads the world in sapphire production (as of 2007) specifically in and around the city of Ilakaka. Prior to Ilakaka, Australia was the largest producer of sapphires (as of 1987). Ilakaka is prone to violence, but sapphires are found everywhere including on the ground and in the river mud. Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Tanzania and Kenya also produce sapphires. The US state of Montana has produced sapphires from both the El Dorado Bar and Spokane Bar deposit near Helena. Well-known for their intense, pure blue color, yogo sapphires are found in Yogo Gulch, near Utica, Montana. Gem grade sapphires and rubies are also found in and around Franklin, North Carolina, USA. Several mines are open to the public.