Gemstone Corporation Australia

A local farmer by the name of Harry Schiller discovered jade at Cowell in 1965 on his eastern Eyre Peninsular Mount Ghearty property. Mining jade on the property began in1976 by a company called Cowell Jade Pty Ltd, which, on becoming a public company in 1987, changed its name to Gemstone Corporation of Australia.

The jade deposits at Cowell on the Eyre Peninsular in South Australia are regarded as being the largest and oldest known deposits of nephrite jade in the world and there are over 100 known outcrops in the Cowell district, all found within an area no larger than 10 square kilometres. These deposits are known as the Cowell Jade Province. Gemstone Corporation of Australia Limited hold 23 leases covering the entire province.