The Gravelotte emerald mine, which was in operation from 1929 to 2002 and was reportedly the world’s biggest emerald mine in its heyday, is once again in production, albeit initially on a very small scale. The company behind the revival of the mine is LSE-listed junior GEM Resources (previously URA Holdings). ARTHUR TASSELL recently spoke to its CEO, DR BERNARD OLIVIER, to learn more about the operation, which is South Africa’s only producing emerald mine.
The mine is located near the town of Gravelotte in Limpopo Province, approximately 50 km west of Phalaborwa and close to the well-known Consolidated Murchison antimony/gold mine. The emeralds are primarily found in biotite schist, which is part of the Gravelotte formation.
The two main deposits are Cobra and Discovery and these have historically been the main source of the Gravelotte emeralds.
Activity at the mine peaked in the 1960s, when it reportedly employed over 400 sorters. According to the historical records, total emerald production from the mine (and the surrounding area) has totalled nearly 113 million carats (Mct). In 1966, a production high of 21 Mct was recorded.
For the rest of this article: https://www.miningreview.com/magazine-article/coloured-gemstones-historic-emerald-mine-returns-to-life/