Since finding his first sapphire 25 years ago, the mining, gem-cutting, and jewellery making have become part of Peters life long passion. Rubyvale Gem Gallery was started by Peter and Eileen Brown in 1988 as a venue to present for sale the sapphires that Peter mined in his underground sapphire mine, and facetted to designs that he developed to enhance the special qualities unique to Australian sapphires.

Peter and Eileen began their business from their home, with a sign on the road directing the odd passersby down a dirt road to their hand built billy boulder and timber house. After a few years, more and more visitors commented that the Brown's sapphires looked better than anything in the shops, so why didn't they have a shop? They decided that having a shop was a good idea, so they bought an old vacant miner's house in the middle of Rubyvale and began to renovate.
The result is what you see today!

Winners:

2006: Central Queensland/Southern Reef Regional Tourism Awards - Tourism Retailing, and highly commended for Significant Tourist Attraction

2005: "Best Attraction" and "Tourism Retailing" TRAVELTRAIN Holidays Central Queensland & Southern Reef Tourism Awards