Jeweller - August Issue 2018

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MOST OF THE SAPPHIRES WERE RECOVERED
FROM GRAVELS BY DRY HAND PICKING. IMAGE
COURTESY ANDREW LUCAS/GIA
THERE WERE MANY BROKERS IN THE MINING
AREAS BUYING STONES. IMAGE COURTESY
ANDREW LUCAS/GIA
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the pit. They may also have to continually
remove water during the entire day to
keep mining.
We only saw two diesel pumps being used
to remove the water as the cost for the
pump and fuel was likely prohibitive for
most of the artisanal miners. At one crowded
mining location, we saw an ingenious foot
pedal powered pump to remove the water.
Camels were commonly used as beasts of
burden to haul material, while cows were
commonly seen wandering through the
mining areas.
BUSINESS AND SOCIAL ASPECTS
The Government issues six-month licences
for exploration. After the exploration licence,
the parties can apply for a mining licence
with the Ministry of Mines by showing them
the results from the exploration, which
includes the amount of material recovered.
If the Government approves, the parties are
issued the mineral rights for the property.
The mining along the gorge by artisanal
miners is considered legal, however, the
mining that moves up the hills, and is on
agricultural land, is not legal at this time.
Even with permission from the landowner,
the mining operations are not lawful
because the landowners do not own the
mineral rights for their land.
The landowners usually make an
arrangement with the miners that the
proceeds from any sapphires found while
mining on their property would be divided,
usually 50/50. Many farmers are also getting
involved in sapphire mining, especially the
younger generation helping their family’s
farming business.
We saw no foreign buyers in the sapphire
fields or in the local trading town Chila.
Foreign buyers are not allowed in the
sapphire bearing area. In fact, it is difficult
for any foreigner to come to the area.
When travelling to the mining sites, we saw
soldiers monitoring who was accessing the
sapphire mining areas.
Since we were with the Ministry of Mines, we
had permission. We were provided an official
letter allowing us into the area and into the
mining sites, while being accompanied by
someone from the ministry.
Foreign buyers are not allowed to buy
directly from artisanal miners, even in the
trading town of Chila or in the nearby larger
city of Aksum. Foreigners must buy from
licensed brokers in Addis Ababa that have
a permit to export. Most of the foreign
buyers for sapphire in Ethiopia are Sri
Lankans and Thais.
GEMMOLOGY
A preliminary study of the Tigray sapphires
by GIA provides some technical information.
Chemical analysis has shown that all
sapphires have high Fe-content and no
detectable Be or Cr concentrations. The
high Fe-content, certain inclusions and
a typical UV-VIS-NIR spectrum show that
the sapphires are related to alkali basalt
extrusions. This type of deposit commonly
produces blue, green and yellow sapphires,
all of which are found in Ethiopia.
Blue stones are dominant, with yellow and