Nearly monodisperse NaGdF(4) and GdF(3) nanowires/nanorods as well as GdBO(3) microplates/microflowers have been successfully prepared by a designed chemical conversion approach using Gd(OH)(3) nanowires/nanorods as precursors via a facile hydrothermal approach. The Gd(OH)(3) nanowires/nanorods precursors were prepared through a simple hydrothermal process, which then served as sacrificial templates for the fabrication of NaGdF(4) and GdF(3) nanowires/nanorods as well as GdBO(3) microplates/microflowers by a hydrothermal process. The possible formation mechanisms for the corresponding Gd(3+)-based various products are presented in detail. We have investigated the magnetic properties of the NaGdF(4), GdF(3), and GdBO(3) samples. The as-obtained Eu(3+) doped NaGdF(4), GdF(3), and GdBO(3) samples show the strong characteristic red emission of Eu(3+) under ultraviolet excitation. Moreover, the luminescence colors of the Eu(3+) and Tb(3+) co-doped GdBO(3) samples can be tuned from red, through orange, yellow and green-yellow, to green by simply adjusting the relative doping concentrations of the activator ions under a single wavelength excitation, which might find potential applications in the fields such as light display systems and optoelectronic devices. More importantly, this simple method is expected to allow the large-scale production of other complex rare-earth compounds with controllable morphologies and sizes, and exploration of the morphology and phase-dependent photoluminescence properties.