Gemstones of Madagascar

20. April 2018 · Comments Off · Categories: Gemstone Mining, Gemstones · Tags: Madagascar

Madagascar Blue Sapphire – MyJewelrySource

Gemstones of Madagascar

Sоmе of the rаrеѕt and most beautiful gemstones in thе wоrld dоn’t look аnуthing likе diаmоndѕ. In fасt thеу соmе in a ѕресtrum of different соlоrѕ, аnd intеrеѕtinglу еnоugh many of them соmе frоm thе ѕаmе рlасеѕ. Mаdаgаѕсаr is оnе of thе most notable sources of these fine gems. In thiѕ particular region оf the wоrld, several vаriеtiеѕ of gemstones have bееn discovered in recent уеаrѕ. Madagascar is ѕituаtеd in the Indiаn Oсеаn off the eastern coast of southern Africa, east of Mozambique. Mаdаgаѕсаr is thе fоurth lаrgеѕt iѕlаnd in thе world and it iѕ соnѕidеrеd оnе оf thе poorest соuntriеѕ duе tо large instability in the роlitiсаl conditions of thе сountry.

Thе соuntrу iѕ fаmоuѕ fоr its large dероѕits оf sapphires, rubies and other gemstones like citrine, amethyst, tоurmаlinе, еmеrаld, gаrnеt, chrysoberyl, араtitе, kyanite аnd zirсоn. Thеrе have been major diѕсоvеriеѕ of ѕаррhirе at Ilakaka in the south and Ankeniheny-Zahamena in the north. The quality of the often velvety sapphires from Madagascar rivals that of Sri Lanka and Kashmir and the rubies rival those from Burma. At рrеѕеnt timе, Mаdаgаѕсаr gеmѕtоnеѕ have оbtаinеd rерutаtiоn in the gem market due to their excellent ԛuаlitу аnd соlоr characteristics. At its peak, Madagascar was thought to produce about 40% of the world’s sapphires.

Most the Mаdаgаѕсаr gеmѕtоnеѕ аrе еxроrtеd to еvеrу rеgiоn оf thе world due to thеir lаrgе dеmаnd. The mining оf Madagascar gеmѕtоnеѕ is a large and growing industry due tо riѕing dеmаnd of thе Mаdаgаѕсаr gemstones аrоund thе wоrld. However the mining industry is not well regulated so the social and economic impacts are high. The techniques of the artisanal miners are primitive and as such can be extremely dangerous when pits collapse. Sadly, the overcrowded conditions and poor infrastructure cause health problems for the miners as well. And the boom and bust cycle happens rapidly as mining is done aggressively in a given location and then once the region is mined out, it is abandonned. The revenue generated by the mining industry can help finance improvements in social and economic infrastructure. The government is in the process of improving tax collection systems which would then allow the mining to have a greater, more positive impact on the country itself.

Fun Fact: Rubellite Find during Final Week of a Six Month Dig

18. November 2015 · Comments Off · Categories: Fun Fact, Gemstone Mining, Tourmaline · Tags: fun fact, gemstone mining, rubellite, tourmaline

1.41 ctw Rubellite Tourmaline and Diamond Ring in 14k white gold

Rubellite Tourmaline from MyJewelrySource.com

One of the world’s renowned mining areas is the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The location produces some of the finest tourmalines, aquamarine, morganite, chrysoberyl, and emerald, just to name a few. Mining is a very risky and difficult task as it is always a gamble as to whether or not exceptional gem deposits will be found. One amazing story involves the Jonas mine located in Minas Gerais. In 1978, the mine was thought to contain large deposits of rubellite tourmaline, but after 6 months of digging with absolutely no good results, the miners only had financing for one final week of digging. One of the miners had a premonition of a huge gem pocket which encouraged the miners not to give up and to keep digging. As luck would have it, they found a truly magnificent pocket that once excavated was 8 by 10 feet in size. It had almost 450 pounds of spectacular rubellite tourmaline crystals. One crystal was large enough to yield a million dollars worth of cut gems. A smaller second pocket was also found but it was not as spectacular as the first. Although mining at this location was essentially exhausted after a couple weeks of excavating, the miners hard work sure proved to be worth it.

It is interesting to think about all the things what could have happened to cause the difference between a 100% loss of their investment and their big payoff. The pocket containing the crystals was on 8 by 10 feet. Imagine how easy that would have been to miss. Imagine how many gem containing pockets have been missed by other miners in the past and how many must be out there.

Myanmar (Burmese) Rubies and Sapphires

18. November 2015 · Comments Off · Categories: Gemstone Mining, Gemstones, Ruby, Sapphire · Tags: Burmese ruby, Burmese sapphire, Myanmar ruby, Myanmar sapphire, ruby, sapphire

2.46 ctw Burmese Ruby and Trapezoid Diamond Ring in 18k white gold

Myanmar (Burmese) Ruby set with trapezoid diamonds in white gold

Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) is known for its exceptional rubies. It is not widely know that Myanmar also produces very fine quality sapphires.

Sapphires from this country command very high prices for the top quality gemstones with intense or vivid saturation with rich royal blue color. The best sapphires maintain their exceptional color under all lighting conditions, incandescent, daylight and fluorescent, something you rarely see in sapphires. These sapphires do not have the velvety appearance that Kashmir sapphires are known for. Just as with any origin, not all sapphires from Myanmar are so outstanding. Some sapphires are dark or even very light in color.

Fine Burmese Sapphire (from Myanmar)

Rubies and sapphires have been mined in Myanmar for about 800 years. Sapphires are about 10 percent of the output. Mining has been sporadic over the years due to the remote location. Even today, political and economic troubles limit mining activities. Mining is done by government-run and private businesses using both mechanized and primitive techniques. Once the rough is mined, it often heads for Thailand, where the majority of sapphire and ruby fashioning (treating and cutting) is done. Some gems leave Myanmar through unauthorized channels and smuggling is common.

Most Burmese sapphires are heat treated to remove or reduce the silk inclusions. Heat treatment improves the luster and clarity and it can also lighten the darker stones. Because of their origin, fine Burmese sapphires do command higher prices than sapphires of other origins like Madagascar or Montana, but identifying the origin can be difficult if not impossible. Origin identification is most often possible through the identification of that origin’s characteristic inclusions. But since inclusions can be significantly altered by heat treatment, identification can become impossible after heat treatment has been performed.

Bringing Gemstones to Market

18. November 2015 · Comments Off · Categories: Gemstone Mining, Uncategorized · Tags: gemstone mining, ruby, sapphire, tanzanite

Ruby in ring from Myanmar (Burma) and Sapphire in ring from Sri Lanka (Ceylon)Peridot in this ring is from Arizona, USA

Most people do not realize and appreciate what it takes to bring a beautiful gemstone to the market. A majority of gemstone mining is done by artisanal miners working with hand picks and shovels. The work is extremely strenuous and even sometimes dangerous with the mining working in deep underground tunnels or on very high mountain sides. Once the rough gemstone material is unearthed, these miners sort it and put together the best pieces to sell to a broker. The mining areas often unfortunately do not have the gemstone cutting expertise so these miners get very little for their hard work. Luckily there are many organizations now that are working with local people to develop cutting skills so that they can eventually make a better living.

For now, for the most part, gemstone rough travels thousands of miles to the major cutting centers of the world. These locations include Thailand, China and India. Bangkok, Thailand, for example, has some of the world’s best cutters who are experts at what they do. Fashioning and cutting a gemstone requires great skill and it is also an art form. Knowing what material to cut away, how to best display the stone’s color, clarity and brilliance, the right methods for treating (like heat treatment) the gemstones takes years and years of experience.

Once the gemstones are ready for the market, they are sold often in these locations. Large jewelry manufacturers and gemstone wholesalers travel great distances to seek out the gemstones that are right for their clientele. The large jewelry manufacturers most often purchase commercial quality goods that are available in bulk for the large volume of pieces they produce. Similarly, wholesalers from New York, for example, travel to the cutting centers often looking for middle market and one of a kind gemstones. These buyers also need great skill in what they do. Did you know that natural daylight is not the same around the world. So a beautiful ruby that has the perfect pigeon’s blood red color in Bangkok will not actually have the same color in New York. So the buyers have to adjust what they buy accordingly.

The large jewelry manufacturers then use the gems they have purchased to mass produce gemstone jewelry for large catalog companies or home shopping channels. The wholesalers would sell their goods to the independent or small retail jeweler who then creates more unique and one of a kind pieces. When you stop and think about it, you can really gain great appreciation for all the people across the globe who actually play an important role in the pieces of jewelry we ultimately wear and enjoy.

The tanzanite in this ring is from Tanzania, Africa

The peridot in this ring was mined from Arizona

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