| The traditional sources for colored gemstones are | | | | gemstones have been found, including tourmaline, |
| in Asia and South America, especially Burma, Sri | | | | aquamarine, chrysoberyl, andalusite, apatite, citrine, |
| Lanka and Brazil. But these days Africa is | | | | iolite and kyanite. Tanzania has enormous potential |
| generating most of the the excitement in the | | | | and gemstone mining there already employs more |
| gems world, with about 70% of colored gems in | | | | than a half of million small-scale miners throughout |
| the market originating from Africa. | | | | the country. Tanzania is especially famous for |
| Everyone knows Africa as the source for | | | | tanzanite, but this year we've bought very fine |
| diamonds, but the colored gemstone business is | | | | Tanzanian spinel in large sizes, marvelous rhodolite |
| increasingly important, even though colored gem | | | | and tsavorite garnet, and some unique colors in |
| production is spread across small mines in more | | | | unheated zircon. |
| than half a dozen countries. The main gemstone | | | | Mozambique is producing excellent tourmaline in a |
| producing countries are in southern and eastern | | | | wide range of colors, and we have also bought |
| Africa, stretching from Namibia in the southwest | | | | fine spessartite and red garnets in impressive |
| through Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and | | | | sizes. Mozambique has recently become famous |
| Tanzania to Kenya in eastern Africa. Madagascar, | | | | for its high quality paraiba tourmaline, and most of |
| the large island off the coast of Mozambique, is | | | | the world supply of paraiba is now coming from |
| geologically part of this same gemstone-rich area, | | | | Mozambique since the Brazilian supply is so limited. |
| known as the Neoproterozoic Mozambique Belt. | | | | Nigeria, the large west African nation, is the one |
| Colored gemstone production from the African | | | | important gemstone producer not in the |
| mines is constantly changing and smart buyers | | | | Mozambique Belt. Nigeria has produced respectable |
| have learned to "buy it while you can" since gems | | | | blue sapphire as well as large quantities of fine |
| that are plentiful one year may hardly be found | | | | tourmaline. Nigeria is also known for pyrope and |
| the next year. This happened with the fine | | | | almandine garnet, aquamarine and topaz. Mali, also |
| spessartite garnet from Namibia, for example. | | | | in west Africa, is famous for the rare Mali garnet, |
| While there is still some supply from Namibia, it is | | | | a hybrid of grossularite and andradite garnets. |
| difficult to find and most of the better spessartite | | | | Given the state of development in most of the |
| is now coming from Mozambique. | | | | producing countries, we expect African gemstone |
| The most important producers recently have | | | | production to increase in the coming years. But |
| been Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar. | | | | the supply from most of these mines is very |
| Madagascar is famous for recent discoveries of | | | | limited, and in our experience one has to be an |
| ruby and sapphire, though a number of other | | | | opportunistic buyer when supply is plentiful. |