(via ICA Gazette, April 1990) E Julius Petsch writes:
“We have no rough stones available.”
“There is no more rough.”
“This is the last lot from this mine.”
How many times have I heard these arguments? And in almost every case the people using them were wrong.
There have always been rough gemstones available. I can look back on thirty years of experience in the rough colored gemstone business and during each buying trip those years I found that were more rough stones available than money to pay for them.
During these years I have also collected a great deal of experience in mining and it is very rare to hear about a mine that is actually depleted. What most often disturbs the steady flow of rough is the lack of long term planning and lack of capital to finance proper mining. In fact, even today, only a very few mines are being exploited with the expertise and knowledge of experienced mining engineers and geologists. Many mining enterprises are also handicapped by lengthy quarrels about mining rights or legal possession of the claims. Mines are invaded by prospectors who only dig holes in the ground instead of carrying out a proper mining plan. There are also unrealistic or exaggerated price demands from inexperienced mine owners or prospectors which discourage buyers from trying to create a market for a product.
It also must not be forgotten that in some gemstone producing countries the existence of very rigid laws concerning the export of rough constrains the market. In other producing countries, the uncertain political situation impedes the production of rough gemstones or the government interferes with free trade and mining, often imposing unsupportable conditions on those who would be willing to work in this industry.
Most of the mines and mining areas which are producing today are not recent discoveries. Many mines have been producing for decades without interruption, some even for a century. The number of genuinely new discoveries of gemstone deposits is very small.
If research and prospecting for gemstone deposits were carried out more systematically, we would find that there are still vast reserves available. Most of the mining areas I know are rich with gemstone deposits. The Carnaiba emerald mine in Brazil, for example, has been proven to extend for 12 kilometers. The tourmaline bearing pegmatite of the Cruzeiro area, also in Brazil, in the State of Minas Gerais, measures many square kilometers in area. This deposit has been exploited steadily for more than fifty years. I could give very many more examples of the richness of existing deposits, not only in Brazil, but also in Australia, Africa, and the United States.
No gemstone mine produces only the best and finest qualities. The majority of the production is always the lower qualities. But this does not mean that this material is not beautiful or useful to the jewelry industry: this is a matter of taste and fashion. Cabochons, beads and tumbled stones are very often cut from the lower qualities. Although they are not clean and show inclusions instead of being transparent, they are often of beautiful color and show interesting layers, veins, and patterns. These stones are not as valued primarily because they are found in large quantities. Very often, jewelry set with a cabochon cut stone can be as fashionable, attractive, and impressive as jewelry set with its faceted counterpart.
If we could adjust the demand from the designers and manufacturers of jewelry to fit the availability of the various qualities of rough gemstones, we would always have sufficient material at our disposal to cover the demand for cut gemstones. Demand determines the price for each quality.
If however, we insist on only selling clean gemstones with intense pure colors, the availability of suitable rough is artificially decreased. I am convinced that the concentration of demand in narrow range of material has been created unnecessarily. The consumer always appreciates the natural beauty of a gemstone, be it transparent or translucent, faceted or cabochon cut, bead or tumbled. It is the gemstone itself with its natural beauty that the buyer loves, even more when that beauty is complemented by a fine gold or silver setting.
I am sure that colored gemstone rough—and therefore cut colored gemstones—will always be available, provided we can finally accept the wide range of qualities naturally produced by the world’s gemstone mines.
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