September 2, 2008: Sapphires

xoxoxoBruce · 10-02-2008, 07:52 AM

When I think of sapphires, the bright blue stones come to mind, but they actually run the whole spectrum of the rainbow.

Boston.com shows us sapphire mining in Ilakaka, Madagascar.

In the big open pits, a human chain moves the dirt(ore) up to the top by way of a human chain, with shovels. About as labor intensive as it gets.

The independent, freelancers, wildcatters, whatever you call them, just dig a hole. A small, deep hole, just big enough to lower one of their children on a rope, to fill the bucket with dirt.

Quote:

The tiny village of Ilakaka, Madagascar had barely 40 residents before 1998. Then, a large deposit of sapphires was discovered along a nearby riverbed, and caught the eye of some Thai businessmen in the gem trade. Word got out, and Ilakaka swelled to tens of thousands of residents - the center of a sapphire boom, today the source of nearly 50% of all the sapphires in the world. Illegal miners mixed with large-scale operations, all operating under little or no regulation, in a wild-west atmosphere of potential fortunes, lawlessness, violence and hardship. In the years since, the easily-mined sapphire fields have been picked clean, and the remaining miners often work in deep holes, climbing far underground. Mining is also a family effort - according to an official study, of the 21,000 children living in the region, 19,000 belong to working families

Next time your kids bitch about going to school, show them the alternatives.

Treasenuak · 10-02-2008, 08:00 AM

Oooohhhh @ top pic. My son's birthstone is sapphire; didn't realize how many different colors there were!

xoxoxoBruce · 10-02-2008, 08:04 AM

He should buy you a different shade every birthday.

Pie · 10-02-2008, 08:13 AM

These are the sapphires I am used to:

xoxoxoBruce · 10-02-2008, 08:16 AM

If I can't have a Sapphire, I'll settle for a Ruby Begonia.

ZenGum · 10-02-2008, 08:35 AM

Pie: aren't you glad you didn't cut your finger on that!!!

Sheldon ... your "special" beads have arrived.

glatt · 10-02-2008, 08:44 AM

And I'm sending my love on down that well...

Sheldonrs · 10-02-2008, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenGum

Pie: aren't you glad you didn't cut your finger on that!!!

Sheldon ... your "special" beads have arrived.

But will it go with the pearl necklace you already gave me?

Cloud · 10-02-2008, 09:00 AM

zing!

barefoot serpent · 10-02-2008, 10:33 AM

Trace amounts of elements give the color:
Titanium --> blue
Chromium --> red

mixtures of titanium, iron and chromium everthing in between.

floatingk · 10-02-2008, 11:51 AM

You can actually bake sapphires to turn out in any color you want. Theres a nice and unique place up in MT where you can wander around and find em, have em cut and then heat treated to your color.

As far as I can tell these blow diamonds out of the water.

Shawnee123 · 10-02-2008, 11:54 AM

I looooovvvvveeeee sapphires! Had them included in my wedding ring set, it was custom made and very unusual and beautiful.

Sundae · 10-02-2008, 12:04 PM

I bought two rings when I was on holiday in Sri Lanka (another hotspot of sapphire mining)
One looked like amethyst and the other was a bright blue

I might have thought twice if I'd seen the conditions they were undoubtedly acquired in.

xoxoxoBruce · 10-02-2008, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

I bought two rings when I was on holiday in Sri Lanka (another hotspot of sapphire mining)
One looked like amethyst and the other was a bright blue

I might have thought twice if I'd seen the conditions they were undoubtedly acquired in.

The independents, with the kid down the hole, sell what they find to one of the dealers, who are from Sri Lanka, but sapphires come from many places

The people in the big pit are paid an hourly wage and have no stake in the stones. It shows the owners can live with an incredible inefficient system, if labor's cheap enough. I guess if the mine closes down they'll build a Nike plant.

ZenGum · 10-02-2008, 07:56 PM

Have you seen "Blood Diamonds"?

10-02-2008, 08:04 AM	#3
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	He should buy you a different shade every birthday. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

10-02-2008, 08:13 AM	#4
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	These are the sapphires I am used to: __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.

10-02-2008, 08:16 AM	#5
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	If I can't have a Sapphire, I'll settle for a Ruby Begonia. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

10-02-2008, 08:35 AM	#6
ZenGum Doctor Wtf Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Badelaide, Baustralia Posts: 12,861	Pie: aren't you glad you didn't cut your finger on that!!! Sheldon ... your "special" beads have arrived. __________________ Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008. Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.

10-02-2008, 09:00 AM	#9
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	zing! __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

10-02-2008, 08:00 AM	#2
Treasenuak Multiorgasmic and wrapped in plastic Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Central Tennessee Posts: 483	Oooohhhh @ top pic. My son's birthstone is sapphire; didn't realize how many different colors there were!

10-02-2008, 08:44 AM	#7
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	And I'm sending my love on down that well...

10-02-2008, 10:33 AM	#10
barefoot serpent go ahead, abbrev. it Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lawrence, KS Posts: 2,623	Trace amounts of elements give the color: Titanium --> blue Chromium --> red mixtures of titanium, iron and chromium everthing in between. __________________ Chooses rowing vs. wading

10-02-2008, 11:51 AM	#11
floatingk The desert SW sucks.... Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 36	You can actually bake sapphires to turn out in any color you want. Theres a nice and unique place up in MT where you can wander around and find em, have em cut and then heat treated to your color. As far as I can tell these blow diamonds out of the water.

10-02-2008, 11:54 AM	#12
Shawnee123 Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 21,206	I looooovvvvveeeee sapphires! Had them included in my wedding ring set, it was custom made and very unusual and beautiful. __________________ A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones who need the advice. --Bill Cosby

10-02-2008, 12:04 PM	#13
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	I bought two rings when I was on holiday in Sri Lanka (another hotspot of sapphire mining) One looked like amethyst and the other was a bright blue I might have thought twice if I'd seen the conditions they were undoubtedly acquired in. __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

10-02-2008, 07:56 PM	#15
ZenGum Doctor Wtf Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Badelaide, Baustralia Posts: 12,861	Have you seen "Blood Diamonds"? __________________ Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008. Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread: