Rubies and sapphires in the sand by the road: how precious stones are mined in Cambodia

The countries of Southeast Asia are not only the richest historical and cultural heritage of human civilization and world-class resorts, but also a center for the extraction of high-quality precious stones that have been mined here since time immemorial. Myanmar and Thailand are known for their rubies and sapphires, which, along with East African stones, are in incredible demand among jewelers. Well, in the neighboring Kingdom of Cambodia, the era of extraction of large sapphires and rubies has already passed, with the exception of one area - Pailin Province. Here you can still find high-quality and valuable stones, but the most interesting is that almost anyone can do this, because in order to find them, you just need to sift the sand well.

Ruby, like sapphire, is a natural variation of corundum, with a slight difference in chemical composition. Stones of blue shades are attributed to sapphires, and burgundy red to rubies. High-quality transparent corundums with a uniform color belong to gems and are highly valued in jewelry.

High-quality Cambodian sapphires are mined in the west of the country, in the province of Pailin. Pailin sapphires are highly rated by experts, as they have all the characteristics of high-quality stones: deep blue color, luster and transparency. In addition to such valuable specimens, violet shades and rubies are found in Pailin Province, among which you can also find worthy specimens. But there is no full-fledged development of the Pailin deposits, since this region still stores traces of the civil war in the form of huge minefields, so in the world jewelry market, Pailin sapphires are a real rarity that wealthy collectors hunt for.

Precious corundums in Pailin Province are found in alluvial sand and loamy deposits. The layers rich in precious stones have a large area and are concentrated in the vicinity of Pailin. These are rather loose sedimentary rocks, the search for stones in which does not require special skills or sophisticated mining equipment. This circumstance is used by local residents who look for precious stones everywhere - from roadsides to their own piece of land around the house. Simply sift the sand and select stones, if any. Well, where the upper layers have already been worked out, enthusiasts dig wells and with the help of simple equipment they extract new portions of sand to the surface.

Of course, truly valuable corundums that can go down in history and fall into the hands of world-famous jewelers are not found every day. But good quality rubies and sapphires that go to local jewelry markets and are bought up by tourists with pleasure are met regularly. For this reason, many residents of the province are ready from sunrise to sunset to sort out the orange sand in the hope of finding a stone that will make them happy and turn their whole life upside down.

Watch the video: Heat Treating Rubies (May 2024).