When Amber Betteridge moved her family to Queensland’s Gemfields to hunt for sapphires, she never imagined she’d become locked in a “David versus Goliath” fight against the Queensland government.
Soon after she arrived, the state government put forward a proposal to limit small-scale mining claim tenures to 15 years to crack down on people living on claims without mining them. It was a nightmare for Ms Betteridge, who wanted certainty for her young family.
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A rush for Madagascar’s gemstones is exacerbating destruction of critical wildlife habitat.
AMBATONDRAZAKA, MADAGASCAR — Indris, at two feet tall the largest of Madagascar’s lemurs, are big sleepers. The primates awaken two or three hours after sunrise, forage for leaves high in the canopy during the day (amid frequent naps), and choose their spot for the night well before dark.
On our trek into the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor, a protected area known by its French acronym, CAZ, photographer Adriane Ohanesian, translator-guide Safidy Andrianantenaina, and I often heard their calls. The sound, a bit like someone blowing a trombone for the first time, can carry up to a mile through the dense forest.
Gem- and jewelry-themed tours and excursions mix treasure hunting with adventure and cultural experiences.
Last year, when Roberto Ruiz visited the Carbonera mine in Querétaro, Mexico, he cracked open a grapefruit-size piece of rhyolite with a hammer. When he looked inside, “it was like finding a fire fossil,” he said during a recent phone interview from his home in San Antonio. Inside was an orangey-red fire opal that he likened to a flame, forever preserved in the sphere of igneous rock.
Mr. Ruiz and his wife, Erika Rodriguez, are among the few people who have traveled to the mine, a desolate spot located in Carbonera in central Mexico, a destination that’s well off the beaten tourist track, some 20 miles from the nearest city.
Precious gemstones miner Gemfields (LON: GEM) warned on Friday that it expects to swing to a loss of $2.8 million in 2023 from a $74.3 million profit the previous year due to a write-down in its platinum group metals investments, lower output and the cancellation of an emerald auction.
The London-based company, which has a 6.54% stake in South African platinum group miner Sedibelo Resources, said that plummeting prices for platinum group metals (PGMs) has affected its bottom line.
Known today for their vast resources of copper ore, the Little Burro Mountains of Grant County were first famous for their deposits of turquoise. For countless generations, until interrupted by non-Indigenous visitors, Native Americans operated shallow mines to extract the decorative blue-green stone.
The name of the first white man to discover turquoise here is unknown, but it is said that anyone who entered the area before the early 1870s was never seen alive again. The Apache were thought to blame. But by 1879, prospectors had staked out workable claims and, perhaps due to safety in numbers, were less prone to disappearing. The turquoise found here, just a dozen or so miles southwest of Silver City, was judged to be at least equal with the stones from the best mines in Persia — and good enough to gift President McKinley during his tour of New Mexico in 1901.
The Thai life: A steady gem supply and a history of expertise continue to attract cutters and dealers to the Asian hub.
Thailand has long served as a center for colored gemstones. Its ruby and sapphire deposits and its strategic location — neighboring the gem-rich nations of Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia and Vietnam — have enabled the Thai gem industry to develop multigenerational knowledge and skills in mining, treatment, cutting, polishing and trading.
Political turmoil in Myanmar — starting with the Japanese invasion in 1942, and later a nationalization spree by the government — led to an influx of ruby merchants and miners from Myanmar to Thailand, further enriching the latter country’s gem industry. Among the arrivals was the family of fifth-generation gem merchant Santpal Sinchawla, managing director of Sant Enterprises.
Consumers can’t get enough of fine colored stones and cultured pearls, but the spiking demand is driving up prices and squeezing supply. Industry insiders weigh in.
Afshin Hackman is used to incremental price increases on the rubies and sapphires he seeks out on buying trips to Thailand. These jumps are usually 5% to 10% — but not 40% in 10 months.
As of press time, the principal at gem wholesaler Intercolor had just returned from a trip after last visiting in early 2023; it was a frustrating and expensive ordeal. “I spent two weeks there and bought from 18 different companies,” he says. “In fine qualities, the merchandise was outrageously overpriced.”
Keeping the green clean: Treating this precious stone is common in the industry. Five experts offer some clarity on the process.
Rubies, sapphires and emeralds form the most valuable trifecta in the colored-gem universe. But unlike the first two, which measure 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, emeralds rank at 7.5 to 8 and therefore require more care in handling. Due to various formation and extraction factors, it is natural for an emerald to contain fissures and fractures, which is why eye-visible inclusions are more acceptable in an emerald.
Global wealth expansion and the increased awareness and appreciation for emeralds have increased demand for top-notch stones in the face of limited supply. At the same time, connoisseurs of top-grade emeralds are developing less tolerance for inclusions, seeking an unnatural perfection from a natural gem. The result is that miners, lapidaries and merchants have increasingly been using clarity enhancement to meet the burgeoning demand.
I. Introduction
In the enthralling realm of gemstones, the emerald reigns supreme with its lush, verdant hue, symbolising not only beauty but a rich tapestry of history, luxury, and mystery. The allure of authentic emeralds has captivated hearts from ancient royalty to modern collectors, transcending time and geography. This article embarks on a journey, exploring the enchanting world of these genuine, green gemstones, unveiling their royal status, historical significance, and the mystical aura that surrounds them.
II. The History of Emeralds
Ancient Civilizations and Emeralds
Since ancient times, Emerald Stone has been emblematic of both strength and elegance.. Cleopatra, the final sovereign to actively rule the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt.”, was famously infatuated with emeralds, using them to signify power and eternal beauty.
The country plans to use a trade show in Bangkok this week to remind the world of its expertise in processing and perfecting natural stones.
Thailand’s history is rich with gemstones, beginning in the 1400s when its mines first produced the sapphires and rubies that adorned the crowns, swords and even the footwear of the country’s royalty. And as recently as May, jewelry fans took note of the glittering sapphire and diamond necklace and earring set that Queen Suthida of Thailand wore at King Charles III’s coronation in London.
But since the 1970s, Thailand has mostly been known as a global hub for cutting, polishing, heating and trading stones, doing business with its gem-rich neighbors Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, along with countries far beyond.
A vast stretch of mountains in Padder Valley nestled along Kishtwar district’s border with Ladakh is believed to house sapphire reserves worth Rs 10,000 crore, which could possibly change the fate of one of the most backward districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Gulabgarh (Kishtwar): Mohammad Abbas recalls with excitement the days of yore when he would join the hunt in the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district to search the world’s most precious sapphires.
Kishtwar’s sapphire mines are sepulchered in the inaccessible mountains towering at an altitude of nearly 16,000 feet, around Sumchan and Bilakoth areas of Padder Valley in Machail – which is one of the most remote regions of Jammu and Kashmir.
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The aim of this article is to explain the most common enhancements or treatments for the ‘big three’, which are acceptable and within what parameters.
Most of the ‘big three’ gemstones – emeralds, rubies and sapphires – are in some way enhanced or treated. Only the very pure, perfectly coloured and flawless can escape any type of enhancement, and this is reflected in their record-breaking prices. Perfection comes at a cost; the most valuable untreated ruby, the 25.59-carat Sunrise Ruby (below) fetched $30.3 million, which is just over $1 million per carat at Sotheby’s in Geneva in May 2015, far outstripping any price paid for a colourless diamond.
The same is true for top quality emeralds and sapphires, the more naturally perfect, the more valuable. But as not every stone is perfect, I explore the range of treatments and within which parameters they are acceptable to make the right choice when buying an emerald, sapphire or ruby. As gem treatments vary considerably and though sellers are ethically obliged to disclose if a gemstone has been treated, here is my advice on red flags to look for when buying a gem.
The $34.8 million auction price for a gem discovered in the East African country has the jewelry industry buzzing.
Rubies are like caviar: Their origin is an important part of their market value. Until a month ago, anyone interested in buying a big ruby knew with certainty that Myanmar, formerly called Burma, produced the most valuable stones.
For eight centuries the gems in a deep red shade known as “pigeon’s blood” found in the legendary Mogok mines had reigned supreme, attracting prices far higher than rubies from Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam or East African countries such as Madagascar, Tanzania and Kenya.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/
“On May 17, 2013, a 19.88 carat cushion-shaped sapphire from Paddar, called Starof Kashmir, had smashed all records after it was sold for $3,483,017 (nearly ₹20 crore)at an auction in Geneva.”
The mining department of Jammu and Kashmir has finalised a strategy for detailed and scientific exploration of world-famous sapphire from the mines of Paddar in Kishtwar district.Hitherto, the scientific exploration of the mines had not been possible for varied reasons.
On Tuesday, mining secretary Amit Sharma chaired a high-level meeting wherein a pointed strategy was finalised for conduct of detailed exploration study of the sapphire in Paddar area.
Coloured gemstones have long been an investment class for the discerning individual, particularly women. A recent trip to Bangkok has proved that not only is the rare coloured gemstone industry going strong – it has also rebounded post-covid and been in more demand than ever.
Those in the industry will be familiar with the name Gemfields, owner of Swiss luxury jewellery brand Fabergé and operator of some of the world’s most important coloured gemstone mines. Early humans’ fascination with colour, and desire to own lasting examples of it made them fall in love with gemstones, for their beauty was unwavering.
