People have been decorating themselves with precious stones since ancient times. Then the extraction was of a spontaneous nature. Specially mine natural stones people have learned not so long ago. Development of deposits and sale jewelry bring in a lot of money to businesses.

What are the types of deposits

Jewels include rare, beautiful minerals. There are not so many of them, the most famous are diamonds, sapphires, topazes. big group make ornamental minerals that look no less beautiful and are used to make jewelry.

Each mineral has its own deposit, depending on the composition of the surrounding rocks. As a rule, the development of these deposits has been going on for several hundred years, new deposits are rarely discovered. Known mining sites for gemstones:

• Yakutia and Namibia - diamonds;
• Iran - turquoise;
• Pakistan - rubies;
• Sri Lanka - sapphires and rubies;
• Ural - topaz.

There are three types of deposits: mine workings, open pits, placers. AT last case minerals are separated from rocks in the process of erosion, they are carried away by water flows. The extraction of stones in placers is carried out by manual washing.

Mine workings are underground mines in which precious stones are mined with the help of manual labor. First, an exploration working is built to determine the quantity and quality of minerals.

is the development of minerals and minerals in rock layers. As the quarry develops, they dig deeper and deeper. The largest quarry is located in Chile, its size is 3x4 m, depth is 850 m. The largest diamond deposit in Russia is located beyond the Arctic Circle, this is the Udachnoye quarry.

Mining enterprises

As a rule, a deposit is discovered by accident, without the use of technical means or a scientific basis. Specially, scientists are looking for only the most expensive stones - diamonds. A mining enterprise is being built on the site of deposits of precious stones.

Types of mining enterprises:

• Mines - large enterprises for the extraction of minerals underground or open pit;
• Mines - mines and quarries for extracting gems;
• Mines are hand-dug mines for the extraction of minerals.

Available ways to mine gems

The methods of extraction of semi-precious stones remained practically the same as in ancient times. With the help of shovels they dig a mine, rocks are lifted in baskets on ropes. Usually, work begins next to a river in which rocks can be washed. During the washing process, workers find 1-2 gems per rock basket. After that, the process is repeated from the beginning. Finders sell their finds at auctions or local markets. Specialists process them and hand them over to stores.

Gems without impurities are valued on the market. Only a specialist can determine this. He carries out preliminary processing and faceting of minerals. For example, sapphires are heated to give a beautiful shade. The master must know the properties of stones in order to distinguish a jewel from a fake.

Mining in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, stones are mined by hand. Of the automatic means, only pumps are used that pump out groundwater. Mines are dug right in the rice fields. Excavators and other equipment are not used, as they leave behind lakes and swamps.

Sri Lanka is known for the fact that the entire island contains great amount minerals. Half of the known types of stones that are used for jewelry are located here. The development is carried out by private searchers under a special license, it must be paid annually.

Primitive mining methods

The easiest way to develop gemstones is to collect placers along mountain rivers. Growths of crystals are on the surface, they can be seen in the crevices of rocks. They are knocked down with a hammer and a chisel, in some cases jackhammers and explosives are used. Explosives are rarely used because they can damage valuable minerals.

Another way is mining at the mouth of the river. It is specially accelerated so that the water flows faster. Workers stand in the water and muddy the bottom with long poles. Light sandy components are carried away by water, and semi-precious stones remain at the bottom.

The most difficult way to get gems is to build deep mines. They are dug with special equipment, ceilings are built so that the walls do not crumble. The entrance is covered with a rain cover. Ground water is pumped out. Natural stones lie in the sandy layer, and mining is carried out in it. Horizontal workings occupy several meters underground.

Use of explosives

Mining adits are built in hard rocks using explosives. This method is costly in time and effort, so they resort to it if there is confidence in the deposits of precious stones. Usually, gem mining is combined with geological exploration and mining of other minerals.

The main problem of all mines and mines is theft. They not only bring losses to prospectors and mining enterprises, but also reduce the price of gems on the market. Therefore, serious companies carefully guarded their mines.

The development of precious stones is carried out in rocks, estuaries and in open ground. In some countries, independent mining is prohibited; only industrial enterprises can do this. Other countries allow such fishing with the purchase of a license.

Video: Gem mining in Sri Lanka

At all times, precious stones, due to their rarity, retained their attractiveness for humans. In ancient times, magical, mystical power was attributed to them, and they attract us with their beauty, with the joy that the unusual transparency of crystals and the magnificence of their colors give us. Many gemstones are formed in the depths of rocks in the process of primary crystallization (for example, diamonds) or filling cracks in newly formed rocks (for example, beryls and topazes). Opals belong to the sedimentary type of rocks.

Deposits of precious stones are often secondary, formed due to the weathering of rocks. Due to the processes of weathering of primary (primary) deposits, precious stones - more stable than rock-forming minerals - accumulate in loose deposits of rivers and the coastal strip of oceans and seas - in the so-called placers, from where they can be relatively mined by washing. In primary bedrock, stones must be artificially separated from the host rock. Since their density is generally higher than the density of quartz and other rocks, they are deposited and concentrated in certain layers. Since antiquity, the unit of mass of precious stones has been the carat. Currently, carat weight is standardized worldwide, and 1 metric carat is 200 mg. The mass of less valuable jewelry and ornamental stones - for example, such as minerals of the quartz group - is measured in grams, ornamental jasper - in kilograms.

Precious and ornamental stones are found in many parts of the world, sometimes in the form of individual finds, sometimes in larger quantities. Accumulations of precious stones suitable for mining are called deposits, and the places where single finds were made are called manifestations or points of mineralization. According to the origin of parent rocks, igneous (having a magmatic source), sedimentary (formed in the process of sedimentation) and metamorphogenic (arising by the transformation of other rocks) deposits of stones are distinguished.

Often, especially from a practical point of view, it is more appropriate to subdivide deposits and manifestations of precious stones into primary (occurring in the place of their formation) and secondary (redeposited elsewhere). In primary deposits(primary deposits) gems retain their original connection with the parent rock. Their crystals are well preserved. The productivity of such deposits, however, is not very high: during their development, a lot of waste rock has to be removed, which sharply increases the cost of production. So today, diamonds are mined from bedrock kimberlite pipes - with the loss of cement, clay, terracotta.

In the process of formation secondary deposits gemstones are transported from their place of origin to another place where they are deposited again. Hard and durable crystals are then rolled, less durable ones are crushed into pieces or even completely abraded. According to the method of transportation and material transfer agents, river (alluvial), marine and eolian (wind) deposits are distinguished.

Rivers are capable of transporting rock containing precious stones for hundreds of kilometers. When the flow of the water stream - and thus the carrying force - is weakened, the gems, which have a relatively high density, are deposited first, ahead of the lighter quartz sand, due to which rich accumulations of gems are formed in places. As a result, the development of secondary deposits is much easier and more productive than primary ones. In the photo of the middle of the 20th century - washing of diamonds in basins (prospecting work in Angola).

Accumulations of precious stones washed with water are called placers (they talk about diamond placers, placers of other precious stones) or alluvial deposits. In a similar way, placers of precious stones can be formed in the wave-cut zone along the sea coast. In Namibia, diamonds are very successfully mined from such deposits. And even the wind is able to move small precious stones; such "eolian" sorting of sediments leads to the formation of their accumulations in favorable areas.

An intermediate position between primary and secondary deposits is genetically occupied by weathering deposits, or eluvial deposits. Placers are formed at the foot of steep cliffs and high mountains. Precious stones accumulate in such areas in small gravel of weathered rocks, the lighter components of which are carried away by rain or snow water and wind, while gems remain in place and can be rolled into silt, clay, cement, kimberlite.

The most dangerous hallucinations on kimberlites and color distortion perception colors precious stones
Example - blue "Atomic tornado", brain death (left) and finishing palette of nerves, electric shocks (right)
GOK is colorographically modeled - sinking of the upper level of kimberlite, stalactite harvester (color model)
A complete palette range - an imitation of the biological perception of a person, modern. 32-bit PC, author's algorithms
palettes of biological perception different colors human senses (author, 2014)

Specificity and problems of Ukraine

In Ukraine and the CIS, the extraction of precious and ornamental stones is carried out both by specialized mining and processing plants and by small enterprises; quite often, mining is combined with geological exploration and is carried out directly by exploration parties. At some deposits, the labor of prospectors is still used, paid according to the final result. In a number of cases, precious stones are mined along the way during the development of deposits of other types of mineral raw materials.

The main task in Ukraine today should be the impossibility of illegal export of, leakage and illegal receipt of especially valuable stones from the domestic market of Ukraine to the world market - this applies primarily to both Ukrainian amber (burshtine), beryls (heliodors) and topazes, as well as valuable stones and rare mineralogical samples (sapifers, rubies) brought to Ukraine , topaz, emeralds, diamonds, etc.). The issue is within the competence of customs, law enforcement agencies and state security agencies. Collecting rare samples of minerals and especially valuable stones by citizens within the country should be encouraged by the state, as this contributes to the well-being of citizens and the nation as a whole - and hence the enrichment of the Ukrainian state. A careful attitude to natural resources, many of which are irreplaceable, should be encouraged, the secondary development of dumps, the suppression of the “black” mining of stones and rocks (agates, burshtin, sand, etc.) destructive for nature, the provision of real associated extraction of valuable samples and minerals from own and imported raw materials.

An equally important problem for Ukraine is the selection, revision and preliminary processing of mineral raw materials supplied to factories and enterprises for processing, in order to identify samples that are especially valuable from a mineralogical point of view. For example, fluorite is delivered to Ukraine by carloads from Mongolia for the needs of the steel-smelting industry. Fluorite wagons are carefully guarded and dumped into smelting furnaces without prior inspection. Rare valuable samples of jewelry and ornamental fluorite, which occasionally come across in a common fluorite mass, also get into the melt. Their volume is small enough to affect the smelting process, so the removal of valuable fluorite cannot cause economic harm to the enterprise. But the remelting of this jewelry fluorite makes our state poorer, and steel worse. Such a phenomenon is absolutely unacceptable, since the value of the samples is high. In Asia, jewelry fluorite is used to make beads, jewelry and crafts, balls and eggs, sold by the gram, jewelry fluorite raw materials are sold by the kilogram, and industrial fluorite by the ton.

No less ugly is the disregard for their own natural resources. In the Krivoy Rog basin, during the extraction of iron ore, such valuable minerals as rock crystal, jaspillite (red-striped quartzite), gem-quality citrine, unique samples of the Ukrainian tiger's eye and even the rarest gray-golden quartz cat's eye, sprouted with asbestos fibers can be sent for processing and smelting . In the melting furnace, all this turns into slag and does not at all contribute to improving the quality of melting.

When extracting hard coal, such a valuable mineral as jet is not really developed - and it's good if the jet goes to dumps with its subsequent extraction by hand, and not into the furnace. The state must practically regulate and ensure solution of ASSOCIATED production issues from own deposits and imported foreign raw materials of valuable mineralogical samples for their subsequent separate processing.

An example of the successful solution of associated mining issues is the extraction of rare fossils during the extraction and processing of limestone and other sedimentary rocks. Since all rocks are actually inspected, especially rare and valuable fossils can be noticed in time and removed from the total mass of the rock. Rare fossils are valued far above the surrounding rocks. When unique and especially large specimens are identified, paleontologists are invited. That is, the main thing in this case is the so-called "human factor" - enthusiasts and professionals. An example of the predatory disposal of valuable resources is the extraction of limestone abounding in fossils in the south of France, where valuable rocks are sold not only in slabs and blocks, but literally whole rocks.

Potentially valuable mineralogical rocks should be previewed. In the case of identifying single finds that are not of value to the state, this will allow the preservation and use of rare and valuable mineralogical species. It is not economically feasible to pursue small single finds. Unique finds should be adequately rewarded on the one hand, and criminally prosecuted in case of an attempt to destroy or export abroad on the other hand. Massive incidental production can be legally paid for as artisanal labor - according to the final result. There are enthusiasts and professionals in Ukraine who are ready to legally engage in this type of activity (including seasonally), which will allow bringing "black" and "underground" geology "out of the shadows", legalizing it, supporting folk craftsmen of Ukraine, preserving and increasing valuable mineralogical resources of our country.

Mining methods

Deposits of precious stones are unevenly distributed on the globe. Some regions, such as South Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Brazil, the Urals, Transbaikalia, Australia and the mountain belts of the USA are especially rich in them. But the main world production of precious stones today is carried out in the so-called POOR countries (they steal a lot). Stones are bought up practically for next to nothing, and most often they simply steal away - with fights and massacres, after which they go to the "black" jewelry markets of the world without chemical analysis, dosimeter and examination at excessively inflated prices. This leads to an uneven distribution of profits from the final sale of precious stones in a number of rich countries of the world and a very high price for them, supported completely artificially. The exception today is the expensive mining of diamonds from bedrock, which requires high costs and modern technologies(often - chemical reconnaissance and modern dosimetry). These are modern kimberlite technologies of three levels of danger.

The photo shows not only the work with ledges for the complex extraction of kimberlite, but also three levels of danger to which a person exposes himself. Upper - red level (heavy earth and clay, terracotta). Average level - white color, potash (explodes if it is abundantly moistened), and the lower level is the outlet of radioactive kimberlite karst waters. Therefore, such a development advances a person to three levels of danger - mechanical injuries (upper red level), chemical poisoning (white potassium layer) and radiation damage (blue level - radioactive uranium and diamonds). Production rates are limited (unless, of course, you are slaves of the Spanish crown).

Many deposits of precious stones were discovered by accident (the owners stumbled). Even today, systematic searches in most areas are limited mainly to diamonds alone. As for other precious stones, the search for their deposits is usually carried out by the simplest means, without the use of modern technology and in the absence of an appropriate scientific base. Nevertheless, it is still worthy of surprise with what success local search engines are identifying more and more new deposits. Mining enterprises for the exploitation of deposits of precious stones are called mines, mines or mines.

The methods of extracting precious stones, with the exception of diamonds, are very primitive in most countries; in some areas they are essentially the same as at the dawn of our era and earlier. The easiest way is to collect precious stones located directly on the surface (including kimberlite - with the preservation of the mine for 10-12 years). This is possible in a dry river valley or in rock crevices. Crystals that have grown on the rock are broken off with a hammer and chisel, a pickaxe or crowbar, as well as with pneumatic jackhammers or in an explosive way. Consult with the owners - they are responsible for this criminally.

It is relatively easy to extract precious stones from young placers. First of all, the overburden deposits are removed. If the placers lie deep from the surface, then there are pits and mines, sometimes up to 10 or more meters deep. Simple ceilings protect the mouth of the mine from rain, groundwater seeping from below is scooped out with buckets or pumped out with mechanical pumps. From the bottom of the mine, horizontal underground workings run along a layer of sands bearing precious stones. In the largest production shafts, temporary fastening is installed.

Sometimes precious stones are mined even directly from the river bed (not before the tsunami - killer waves). To do this, the river is artificially dammed in some places so that its waters flow faster. Workers, standing waist-deep in such water, stir up the bottom soil with long poles and rakes. Clay-sandy soil components, which have a lower density, are carried away with the flow of water, while heavier gems remain on the bottom.

Further enrichment of sands extracted from mines or from a river with precious stones is carried out by washing them. Workers fill loose rock containing precious stones into special baskets and shake them in washing pits filled with water. In the process, clay and sand are carried away, while the heavier gemstones accumulate in the concentrate. Light stones, like beryls, feldspars, quartz and tourmalines, are, of course, lost with this method of extraction - they are extracted from primary deposits, ground and underground placers.

In some countries, hydraulic methods of placer mining are practiced, when loose detrital material is washed off slopes with strong water jets. There is also open pit mining. Underground mining requires the greatest expenditures, in which adits pass through solid rock. It is resorted to only in those places where the presence of a vein with precious stones is firmly established.

Finsh diamond mine, developed by terraces, and processing plants (South Africa).

High-cost diamond mining off the Namibian coast.

Regarding the rights to explore and extract precious stones, the payment of workers in each country has its own rules. On the whole, it can be said that in most countries of the world, work in the extraction of precious stones and mines is the fate of slaves (dangerous). The exceptions are economically and industrially more developed countries, but they have the problem of "black geology" and "black exports", which are engaged in by both poor and rich people.

A particular problem in the extraction of precious stones is theft. They are dangerous for the mining company, primarily because they bring down the price of stones to more low level depriving super profits of monopolies and jewelry lobbies and causing harm to the state. The inventiveness of thieves in methods and techniques of stealing precious stones from mines and mines seems inexhaustible. But measures to combat theft are becoming more sophisticated, dangerous (including for others) and far from always moral and legal. In Ukraine, this is how amber is guarded in sandy placers near the Dnieper. Diamond mines are the most securely protected in the world.

Only very few gemstones are completely "clean", that is, completely devoid of optically (under a 10x magnifying glass) recognizable internal inclusions. Stones such as rubies and emeralds are extremely rarely defect-free, without cracks and inclusions. A particularly important role is played by the so-called purity for diamonds. Their best grades should show no flaws, even under a 10x loupe.

Back in the middle of the 20th century, any violations of the correct structure of the crystal were called defects. But, since they do not always reduce the value of jewelry stones, in the circles of gemologists they now prefer to call them inclusions. Moreover, CHARACTERISTIC small defects and inclusions, visible only under a magnifying glass or even with the naked eye, today emphasize the NATURAL origin of the stone.

Recently, it has been repeatedly observed how buyers refuse to buy very expensive large transparent and defect-free blue sapphires, as they doubt their natural origin (and, unfortunately, in many cases not unreasonably). The same applies to bright green fairly large defect-free emeralds, most often today also synthetic.

Relatively often there are inclusions of minerals both of the same type (for example, diamond in diamond) and alien ones (for example, zircon in sapphire). Although the inclusions are small, they still provide a lot to understand the growth conditions of the host crystal (called the host crystal).

Inclusion minerals can be earlier than the host crystal, which simply captures them during growth (overgrowth), for example, rutile inclusions in quartz.

But they can also be formed from the melt simultaneously with the host crystal, which captures them due to faster growth. In addition, there are also mineral inclusions that are later in relation to the host crystal. They are formed from solutions or fluids (gases) that have penetrated into the crystal through cracks.

Organic inclusions in an unchanged form are found only in amber. Plant remains and insects preserved in it give us direct evidence of life on Earth 50 million years before us. All other fossils are formed by metamorphism and replacement of the original flora and fauna that lived on our planet and in the ancient ocean millions of years ago.

The inclusions also include crystal structure distortions, signs of growth and crystallization phases, and colored bands. They arise due to the uneven growth of the mineral with the changing nature of the solutions from which crystallization occurred. Voids filled with liquids (water, liquid carbon dioxide) and gases (carbon dioxide and monoxide) are also considered among the inclusions. With the simultaneous presence of liquid and gas, inclusions are called two-phase, and if they also contain small crystals, they are called three-phase. In obsidian, glass imitations and synthetic gemstones, in contrast to natural stones (minerals), air bubbles are often found.

Even accumulations of small breaks and cracks (the so-called "tails" or "clouds"), whether they arose due to internal stresses or as a result of external mechanical influences, experts classify as inclusions. They are found inside stones, and sometimes reach their surface. Through such cracks, air and solutions can enter the stone, causing discoloration. When the cracks "heal", all foreign matter is again forced out, but the "scars" along such cracks give out the old seam. In most cases, both amateurs and experts believe that inclusions reduce the value of gemstones, since they have a detrimental effect on their color, optical effects and mechanical strength, but increase the cost of mineralogical specimens. The cracks could contain uranium (blue diamonds), cinnabar (red), gold (yellow). It's poisonous and dangerous.

However, some mineral inclusions, as well as parallel hollow channels, generate light effects that are among the most valuable qualities. jewelry stone: Effect cat eye, light figures ("stars") and a silky sheen, as well as the formation of dendrites. The golden inclusions of rutile in rock crystal or smoky quartz are very effective, especially in those cases where needle-like rutile crystals are collected in star-like aggregates. This gives additional value to the stone.

Recently, inclusions, along with optical properties, have become increasingly important in the diagnosis of natural and synthetic gemstones. Many types of inclusions are so characteristic that thanks to them it is possible to recognize fakes and synthetic stones, and sometimes to determine the deposits from which natural stones originate. But we must remember that the presence of defects does not guarantee the natural origin of the stone!!

Volcanic (effusive) rocks formed during an eruption

Large and important groups of minerals in many activities include precious stones or gems. Groups of such stones today do not have clear distinctions and accepted common names, so the concept of gems is very vague and can be applied to many stones, minerals or rocks that can be used in the manufacture of jewelry or in other industries. Nevertheless, gems are classified into precious, semi-precious and ornamental minerals and rocks. All of them are transparent and colored and have such qualities as:

• great strength
• transparency
• unusual color (drawing)
• radiance and brilliance
• high light scattering
• the possibility of cutting, grinding and polishing.

Transparent minerals are used mainly for cutting, while colored stones are used for various decorations and in jewelry. And, of course, all gem minerals are valued for their beauty, rarity and durability.

Stone mining methods

Gemstones have been mined since time immemorial. We can safely say that the first mining occurred at the moment when a pebble of unusual shape or beauty was found on the ground, on the sea coast or in the mountains.

At the moment, all stones are carefully studied: rocks are determined, their origin and composition are analyzed. Then the found deposits are explored, wells are drilled and special samples are taken. Sometimes the deposit is still being explored, and mining is already underway. However, the found deposits become explored only when it is possible to determine how many gems can be mined.

How to carry out the extraction of jewelry is determined depending on their location. Quite rarely, but it happens that deep veins of stone are located directly in the parent rock, and here mining is, of course, difficult. But basically the location of gems is placers. They come across empty nodules, inside of which are crystals called geodes. They look like an ordinary boulder, but if you open it, you can find unusual sparkling crystals: purple amethysts, yellow citrines and other minerals. But such stones as opals, chalcedony or agate can be in gas bubbles formed from basalt and andesitic lava. Affects the mother breed environment, weathering, erosion, as a result of this, an accumulation of minerals occurs, the so-called eluvial placer, or stones with the help of rain streams end up in rivers (alluvial placer) or belong to the seas (coastal-marine placer). For example, on the island of Sri Lanka, such precious stones as sapphires, rubies and spinels were found in pebble placers. And on the coastal-ocean placers, which are located in the western part of Africa, diamonds were found, which are extracted by washing several tons of coastal sand. Almost the same situation is with amber, which is rich in the Baltic coast. After all, gems, unlike minerals, are more dense and the process of settling in them occurs faster as soon as the flow carrying them is weakened.

This so-called "natural alluvium" gives good deposits, sometimes just ordinary primitive soil washing is enough. But, it is worth noting that such placers of stones usually contain not very high-quality samples, because in the process of such a journey, all kinds of damage or crushing into small parts occur. Therefore, in order to extract valuable minerals, one has to get to primary deposits by crushing hard rock. This is hard, long and costly work, because you need to get rid of low-quality raw materials, including waste rock. And the cost of gems with such extraction is higher.

Currently, diamonds are mined using kimberlite pipes - these are tubular bodies with different sizes, which were formed as a result of gas breakthrough. There are more than one and a half thousand such pipes, but less than a dozen are used for industrial production. As a rule, clusters come across not large, mostly single crystals. The largest find was discovered in South Africa, the weight of the Cullinan diamond was just over three thousand carats. Russian diamonds are mainly of Yakut origin, only a small part was found near Arkhangelsk. But the use of kimberlite pipes is no longer possible everywhere, in some places it is necessary to use underground mining, which is very expensive.

For the extraction of gem minerals, you can use underground work (mining) or open methods (quarry). It was mentioned above that, a distinctive feature of underground work is their high cost, so this method is used to accurately determine the mineral body, saturated with gems. Basically, these are, of course, diamonds, the real price of which will be able to recoup the necessary costs.

It should be noted that in many countries, this applies primarily to Africa and Asia, they mainly use primitive methods mining. As a rule, they simply collect precious stones from various surfaces of the earth. With the help of damming of rivers, soil is washed. It should be noted that there is a loss of such gems as beryl, tourmaline or quartz. Minerals with a density of less than three units of the Mohs scale are also extracted from placers, which can be located both inside and outside the surface of the earth. When covering the placer with soil, it is removed or somehow opened with mechanically or just by hand. So, for example, celestite gem was mined by amateur enthusiasts in Turkmenistan, which is now an almost abandoned deposit. And on the Kola Peninsula near the Keiva mountain range, the largest deposits of such a mineral as amazonite were found. It has an amazing color, and its layers are very close. Helicopters are used for its extraction, because it is not possible to deliver it in any other way. Kyanite, garnet, and staurolite were found in the same places. But the work is carried out by the hands of enthusiasts and small work teams.

Production features in different countries

The norms for the extraction and exploration of gems-minerals in all countries are set differently. For example, in the United States there is a well-known topaz valley and topaz can be mined there by an ordinary person, but only with the use of hand tools. And if in some countries the law requires additional permission for the extraction of certain precious stones, then in Africa there are villages that exist only at the expense of gold placers found nearby. Quartz, emeralds, aquamarines, colored tourmaline were also found here. The villagers work off the placers with their hands, and then resell them to the buyer, receiving a pittance for this. However, then these finds enter the jewelry markets at an artificially high price. The same applies to deposits in Guinea, where the extraction of diamond placers does not require special costs, besides, there is no state control and customs strictness. As a result, there is no real estimate of the volumes of mined gems.

Features of production in Russia

As for Russia, there is no effect of legislative norms and rules here either. The Federal Law only describes diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, alexandrite, pearls and amber. However, there are over a thousand different gem minerals on the Russian market, and most of the deposits have already been explored.

Many gems are unique and their cost is very high, for example, this is the Yakut charoite. Stone lilac color remarkably amenable to polishing, used for the manufacture of fine jewelry and various decors. No more than a hundred tons are mined annually, otherwise, if the production is exceeded, depletion of reserves is possible. This rare gem, even when uncut, can cost upwards of $100 per kilogram.

Let's give an example on the situation with jasper. Even in the USSR, work was carried out at the largest deposit near Orenburg, then variegated jasper was mined almost three hundred tons a year. The stone was used for the construction of the metro in Moscow and with its help the decoration of the Kremlin was carried out. However, since the 1990s, the deposit has been abandoned, although there was still a reserve of about seven thousand tons. Currently, work is being restored, at least a mining license has been issued, but for some reason a St. Petersburg company, and not local prospectors, took up this task.

The extraction of precious gems is considered to be a time-consuming and troublesome business, and there are many good reasons for this. First of all, as it should be, geological exploration is not carried out. The last successful find happened in the mid-90s. Then black jasper was discovered in the Republic of Tuva. The gem is not particularly beautiful, but it has amazing strength. A preliminary assessment showed that the found deposit is over five hundred thousand tons. And this is perhaps the only success for last years. The remaining deposits, as a rule, are mostly little explored or have already developed their own.

And as for non-precious gems, they are generally, as a rule, an accidental discovery due to the discovery of other fossils in the neighborhood. In addition, if the extraction of precious stones is at least somehow accounted for by the state, a special license is issued, and so on, then, as for the rest of the minerals, they are completely devoid of any account. For example, Buryatia is famous for its jade deposits. There is also green jade, black and even valuable white jade. According to official statistics, the extraction is over two hundred tons annually, and almost seven hundred tons of stone is mined illegally. Most of the minerals are not processed and are shipped to China, which greatly appreciates this stone and uses it in many industries. In Chinese markets, the price of jade reaches almost two hundred dollars per kilogram, and if it is some kind of product, then ten times higher. And in Russia, the price of a stone is ten to fifteen dollars a kilogram. Thus, in the budget of Buryatia there is an annual loss of huge amounts of money.

And while the authorities are solving the issue with gems at the legislative level, you should not despair, but it is better to visit such extraordinary lands where you can relax and replenish your own collection of gem minerals. This is Adygea, where quartz, calcite and other minerals are found in the Belorechenskoye deposit, and the coast of the White Sea with amethyst deposits and other magnificent places. After all, what is income for state power is a happy opportunity for ordinary people to enjoy natural wonders and feel the energy of extraordinary fabulous gems.

The initial use of stone by man was limited to domestic use only. This is a solid material that, at the dawn of civilization, helped to get food, keep warm and shelter from the weather. Jasper, agate, rock crystal, flint were used to make sharp objects in the human household during the Mesolithic. In Neolithic times, man began an active search for rocks and the extraction of stones. These were shallow mines, in which both silica and other hard minerals were mined, which had a sharp edge when chipped (nephrite, jadeite). At the same time, people began to deify stones, endowing them with magical properties. There was a logical connection between the deification of objects of inanimate nature and the desire to wear at least a small piece of the deity.

Over time, having appreciated the beauty of individual minerals, a person began to search for the most beautiful of them. Later, a person will learn to process stones and make jewelry out of them. And demand creates supply. Jewelers needed material for their masterpieces, court ladies competed in the beauty of their jewelry, so the extraction of stones and minerals in different countries became more and more active. Indians are considered to be the pioneers of precious stones. In 2000 B.C. people already appreciated emeralds and organized their active mining in the territory of Ancient India and ancient egypt. Rubies and sapphires have been known since 600 BC. BC, glorifying Sri Lanka. Around the same time, the diamond mines of India became famous all over the world. In the tombs of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, gemstone jewelry was found, which confirms the fact that people have been mining and processing stones for a long time. Wherein, calling card each region had its own gem. If from the East merchants brought diamonds, rubies, emeralds to Europe, then in the opposite direction, amber spread from the territory of the Baltic coast. The whole world learned about the malachite deposits of the Urals in the 18th century.

How were the gems obtained?

What are the mining methods? The output of rocks containing precious and semiprecious stones, on the earth's surface or closer to it allowed the development of the mining industry. By breaking off blocks of stones are separated from the main rock and delivered to the surface. For this, pickaxes were first used, then jackhammers and explosives. Places where minerals are mined in this way are quarries and mines. If earlier diamonds were mined intuitively, taking into account the experience of finds, now, in order to find a diamond deposit, special equipment and geological exploration are used. If a we are talking about loose deposits, then stones that had already broken away from the main rock (weathered) fell with other fragments into rivers. To find them, they used the washing method, they did it with the help of dredges - special equipment for washing.

More than 100 of the most famous gem deposits are not quite uniform, but still dispersed around the world. The East is most famous for the extraction of precious stones. If we correlate stones and their deposits, we get the following: India - diamonds, Myanmar - rubies, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka - sapphires, China and Myanmar - jade, Myanmar, Thailand - spinel, Afghanistan, Chile - lapis lazuli, Iran - turquoise , Australia - opals, pearls, sapphires, Madagascar - beryl, Brazil - diamonds, Colombia - emeralds. There is something to be proud of and Russia. In the eastern part of the country, diamond, topaz, jade, aquamarine, lapis lazuli and other gems are mined. The Ural Mountains are famous all over the world for deposits of emeralds, chrysoberyl, amethyst, rock crystal, jasper and, of course, malachite.

Deposits of precious stones are not bottomless, which is why a scientific approach is used to further search for diamond deposits. So in 1955, the Mir kimberlite pipe was found and the Yakutsk diamond deposit was founded. The city of Mirny, which arose on that spot, is called the modern diamond capital of Russia. Now it is home to more than 35 thousand people, most of whom are employed at diamond mining enterprises. A quarry that mines precious stones - diamonds - has a depth of 525 m. Such industrial methods are much more efficient than methods our ancestors. But at the same time, they are devastating the world's reserves of stones and minerals at an industrial pace.