We're standing on the edges of a deep mine pit in the middle of Zambia, Africa. There's a dynamite blast scheduled to happen in a few minutes, and the open mine itself is a vast, cavernous pit of dirt and blasted rocks, with visible schists or veins (in mining terms), that contain the rough emerald beryls, running through it. This is Kagem, the world's single largest emerald mine, yielding an annual production of a whopping 30.1 million carats of emerald and beryl. And Gemfields, the mine's owner, is currently setting in motion a process of pioneering change in the way the world buys and deals in emeralds.
Conflict stones to transparent gems
In the last couple of decades, ever since the world woke up to the reality of where their stones were coming from - especially the deadly supply of blood diamonds, mostly from Africa - there has been a mass public consciousness and awakening about the ethical sourcing of their precious stones. Now, even the ordinary buyer (that is, those of us who'd probably buy a single solitaire or pair of stud earrings in a lifetime) wants to know that their bling isn't blood-splattered, didn't cost lives or come from conflict zones.
The resulting controversies and loss of lives in war-torn African countries has actually dampened the demand for diamonds over time, despite the fact that we see more of it in stores now (and shoved into our faces through advertising; remember, diamonds are NOT rare, and the supply was highly controlled in the 20th century by the big name monopoly cartel).
But the 21st century heralded the shining new era of greater transparency in the precious stones business, with conscious customers armed with greater awareness thanks to the great leveller that is the internet and a revival in the demand for coloured gemstones in the older tradition (believe it when people tell you the diamond engagement ring was one of the biggest marketing ploys of the 20th century).
The age for the monopolistic control of highly staggered supply of stones is also over. Stepping into the field is Gemfields, a UK-based multinational that specialises in the mining, processing and sale of coloured gemstones. They own the Kagem mine, which currently churns up around 20 per cent of the world's emerald production, and other mines in neighbouring Mozambique for rubies.
Ethical mining
Gemfields positions itself as the world's leading supplier of responsibly sourced coloured gemstones, an approach they're especially proud about. They're pioneering the brave new marketplace for gems where mining, marketing and ethics meet. The aim is to set the world's best practices for ethical, sustainable and transparent gemstone sourcing and trading, making it fair trade, environmentally-sound, social- and safety-friendly in all aspects.
Part of their mission statement says, "We aim to turn the coloured gemstone business into a transparent industry, allowing inves-tors, local communities and national economies to benefit. Our mining ethics go beyond mere compliance and we have consistently set new standards within the coloured gemstone sector." But how do they accomplish this? For starters, the Gemfields philosophy is simple: they tell the story of the stones to the end consumer. When you buy a Zambian emerald today, you can be assured that not only was the stone was sourced sustainably and ethically, but the entire custody chain through which it went, after being dug up, complied with good business practices.
They like to create and monitor this whole process from "mine to market", as they call it. This translates into: supplying professionally graded, uncut coloured gemstones (all done at the mine) to the world markets through a programme of private auctions, where the buyers are again selectively handpicked by Gemfields. With the growing demand for coloured gemstones now (there's been a fashionable revival of retro-inspired classical statement jewellery featuring big necklaces, earrings etc, as opposed to the minimal, solitaire pieces of the 90s and 00s), Gemfields also started a division specialising in the sale of cut and polished gemstones, which has been welcomed by the trading market.
Rupak Sen, regional managing director for Asia and the Middle East, says, "We pick only 40-50 companies we believe to be the best, for auctioning, from traditional cutting and polishing markets like India, the US, Germany and a few others. We want buyers who are involved in manufacturing the end pieces, not reselling the stones."
So while taking the ethical route to the market, the supply route is also made very selective and protected. All of the rough coloured gemstones sold are natural gems, and sold in lots. These lots are made up of meticulously graded rough gems - and only after several days of viewing do the participants submit their sealed bids. The lots are then sold to the highest bidders, provided their bids have exceeded the undisclosed pre-set reserve prices.
The human touch
The mostly young miners here at Kagem show one very obvious quality - they're deeply passionate about their work, as they can only be when spending months away from their home countries and families, in African isolation, digging deep in the pits and segregating ore for gems and cleaning and sorting them out. Many of them are second- or third-generation sons of families from traditional mining areas in the UK and India. This is what they do best, and the miners are like family to each another. There's a great sense of camaraderie and togetherness, and the local Zambian miners are now a part of that culture.
The sorting house at the Kagem mine is another sight to behold: hundreds of different emerald grades, classified by hue and inclusions and a variety of other parameters. We get to hold rough emerald beryls worth millions (not kidding), and marvel at prize pieces that are perfectly formed and coloured. The Zambian emeralds are known for their bluish green shades, compared to their Columbian counterparts that are mostly a brighter yellow-green.
The specialist emerald sorters - who identify the good grade, high value emeralds from the lesser ones - do it with the passion of artists, and travel the world along with the marketing team to identify the best locations for auctioning and trade. Gemfields is choosy about who they supply their emeralds to, and it's not about controlling supply, as much as about putting these precious stones in the right hands, and ensure that the brilliant green gems go down as the heirlooms of history.
marypaulose@khaleejtimes.com
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