Gem Scoop Readership Survey Winners 

A very BIG 搕 hank you?goes to all who participated in our first ever Gem

Scoop Readership Survey. The lucky winners of our five US$200 Thaigem.com Shopping Sprees are:  Sandra Naupold, Erbach, Germany

John Scott, Jackson, U.S.A.

Kazunari Fujimaki, Okazaki-Shi, Japan

Shannon Hicks, New Orleans, U.S.A.

Dulce Fernandez, Santurce, Puerto Rico

We抣 l be contacting all the winners shortly with instructions on how to claim your prize.

My good buddy Jeff touched down in Thailand just two days

before. His third time visiting me here, he pretty much knows what

to bring on the plane from Ohio ?shorts, tee-shirts, sunscreen and

shades! Little did he know our two-week beach vacation on Phuket

Island was to be curtailed by a last minute request from the boss.

Instead of heading for the beach we had to turn the car around, put

my buying hat on and head across the border into the ancient

Khmer Kingdom of Cambodia.

Forced to come along for the ride, Jeff抯 holiday was literally heading in

a different direction. The company brief was clear enough ?scour the

Pailin, Preh Vihear and Ratanakiri mining districts in the Kingdom and

bring home some quality Cambodian ruby, sapphire, apatite and zircon.

First stop, the historic Cambodian gemstone-mining city of Pailin, a town

steeped in local folklore regarding its precious treasures. Long ago when

the men folk of the fledgling city sharpened their spears to go out hunting, the gods became anxious

that local wildlife would diminish. The deities told the townsfolk to lay down their arms and go forth and

look in the mountainous streams around the city. The gods explained if they promised not to hunt the

beasts of the forests they would find something of far greater value in the clear running waters of the

streams and rivers. Sure enough, they found gemstones in abundance.

Thus was the mythological birth of one of the world抯 greatest gemstone cities. Located in Battambang

province near the Thai border, Pailin takes its name from the ancient Khmer word for 揵 lue sapphire?

Over the years, famed travelers, explorers of the Orient and gemstone lovers have visited the city with

references being made to it in many a book.

 

Pailin is home to one of the world抯 most

breathtakingly beautiful types of blue sapphire.

On a good day, these sapphires are every bit

as good as those from Burma. Medium blue in

color, quality Cambodian sapphire has little

color zoning, and sometimes you see the

magical velvety appearance reminiscent of the

finest Kashmir sapphires. Other Pailin

treasures include ruby, green and yellow

sapphire, reddish brown zircon and red garnet.

The Cambodian ruby found here is nearly

identical to the Thai variety found just over the

border in the famed towns of Nong Bon and Bo

Rai. Often known as Siam rubies, both the Thai and Cambodian rubies are identical to each other and

show excellent clarities that easily surpass those of Burmese origin.

A real Pailin bargain is green sapphire. Fanning the entire spectrum of green, Cambodian green

sapphires are nothing short of magnificent. Though perhaps not the most sought after member of the

sapphire family, this variety offers astonishing value for money. Don抰 believe me? Take a look at our

unbelievable prices we have for green sapphire!

The town was quiet, its dusty streets giving away few secrets. It was hard to believe that Pailin was the

last bastion of the Khmer Rouge, the revolutionary insurgents responsible for the genocide perpetrated

here only two decades ago. Despite all this, Pailin is a quiet laid back Cambodian town. Hustle and

bustle free, it抯 not the kind of place you抎 pass through on the way to somewhere. In fact, the terrible

road connecting it to the rest of the country means there are very few cars dotted around the quiet

streets, so it抯 easy to get around on foot. The town center is laid out in a kind of triangle with many

small stores actively dealing in ruby and sapphire. So for the next two days, I left Jeff in the cafes and

restaurants and went about my business.

Moving on two days later, the road journey from Pailin to Preh Vihear didn抰 look that far on the map,

but once we we抮 e in the car, the full horror of this road unfolded before our eyes. The first stretch

from Pailin to Battambang has got a lot better in the last year but is still horrendous ? red dust gets up

your nose, in your eyes and everywhere else you can imagine! As we nudged our way along the pot

holed highway I frequently noticed at various points the large red skull and crossbones signs warning of

land mines in the bush lands beyond the road. Jeff said nothing but I could see this wasn抰 exactly the

holiday he had in mind.

 

So to lighten my traveling companion抯

load we broke our journey at the place first

on his camera抯 list. Seam Reap, home to

Angkor Wat, one of the Seven Wonders of

the World. So much has been said about

this past empire of the Khmer people, that

the only way to experience it is to see it

yourself. Its beauty and state of

preservation is unrivaled. Its mightiness and

magnificence is impressive. Its artistic

distinctiveness is as fine as that of the Taj

Mahal in India. I could have spent a full

week here soaking up its splendor, but we

had to press on.  A further hundred kilometers north of the ruins and we arrived at the gem mines of

Preh Vihear, a mere gemstone抯 throw from the Cambodian-Thai border.

Yellow sapphires are a principle feature of the gem riches originating in Preh Vihear. Ranging from

deep sunflower shades to soft buttercup yellows, the local variety here radiates charm and

sophistication. Often under acknowledged, these wonderful gemstones occasionally appear in large

sizes that can be secured for pleasantly low prices.

But it is zircon that has made Preh Vihear a name on the colored gemstone wall of fame. The finest

zircon in the world is born in Cambodia; with a high refractive index this exquisite blue gemstone has

incomparable sparkle and truly great pazaz. The Cambodian variety can reach up to 25 Carats, though

the staple size range is 2-5 Carats. Most zircon actually starts its life reddish-brown in color before

being heated to produce the delicious blue that makes such a versatile and thoroughly enjoyable

addition to any gemstone collection. We stayed a day and a half. I filled my bag with unbelievable

quality gemstones and jumped back into the car.

A series of dirt roads all performed miserably at keeping a straight line as the next leg of the journey

had us snaking our way eastward. Thankfully my 4-wheel drive rental motor was up to the task. Just as

nightfall was drawing in, we reached our next destination.

Remote, primitive and stunningly beautiful, Ratanakiri has its roots in the distant past and much of its

daily life has remained unchanged for centuries. Another major center for Cambodian zircon, I arrived

here with little background knowledge as little is written about this remote province. It had a new

deposit of zircon discovered just a few years ago. With the gems mined from an alluvial layer about 5-

10 meters below the surface, Ratanakiri will long stick in my mind as an incredible bargain-house for

zircon. Apatite as well as small amounts of high quality ruby and sapphire is also unearthed here and

proved too good to pass up.

 

The nearby city of Tung Treng was where we

said farewell to the rental car and met our boat to

take us down the mighty Mekong River. One of

the longest rivers in the world, the Mekong

originates in China and is over 10km wide in

places and at times, we felt lost to its vastness.

Thousands of years have seen little change to the

River of Kings, and with the sparse river traffic,

the Mekong only drew more attention to our

insignificance. The next day we arrived in the

Cambodian capital, Phnom Phen.

I had a few hours to kill before picking up our flight to Bangkok and headed straight to the Russian

market, a canvas-covered sprawl containing hundreds of stalls, many offering an assortment of local

gemstones. Ruby, sapphire, and zircon ?I抎 done real well on already, but I was delighted to find some

high quality apatite and Vietnamese ruby that I still had a budget for.

The hour long flight to Bangkok afforded us panoramic views of the lush and verdant terrain below that

had taken days to traverse overland. Cambodia is a beautiful and often misunderstood country that

produces some of the world抯 finest colored gemstones. With stunning vistas, architectural splendors,

bright vivacious zircons and rubies and majestic blue sapphires, Cambodia抯 treasures are truly in

abundance.

 

Weekly Jewelry Special Known in antiquity as Water Sapphire, beautiful Iolite is set

with clear icy blue Topaz jewels in this stylish Iolite & Topaz

14K Gold Three Stone Ring.

Perfect for all occasions, each ring features nearly a full carat

of African Iolite, accented by well over half a carat of richly

colored Blue Topaz, all delightfully complimented by the

lustrous hues of carefully crafted gold.

A perfect design for 揺 veryday?wear, this brightly colored

three stone ring is set to compliment and revitalize any

wardrobe for any everyday $49.99.

Ask...

Got a question about gems? Every week our Gemological Manager answers one of the more popular

questions asked about gems and gemology.

Q. I am looking for more information about Tsavorite抯 history and lore. Can you help?

 

A. Discovered in 1967 by the now legendary Scottish

geologist, Campbell R. Bridges, tsavorite has quickly

found favor as a precious colored gem of choice. Its

brilliant green colors have overcome its lack of romantic

lore and ancient history.

Native to the dry grasslands of the high-plateau frontier

between Kenya and Tanzania, tsavorite first came to

light in the famed tanzanite producing area of Lelatema.

Discovered as small green crystal pieces and granules

inside geode like formations, gemological tests showed

that these stunningly beautiful crystals were in fact a variety of green grossular garnet.

Showing high transparency, high luster and beautiful green colors, gem experts and aficionados quickly

displayed interest. The problem for the admirers of this debutant jewel was that deposits were small,

and socialist era Tanzanian laws restricted mineral exports. Bridges and other reputed gem

prospectors such as Peter Morgan and John Saul (discoverer of Kenya抯 ruby mines) speculated that

more tsavorite deposits would be found across the border in Kenya. With intuition and geological

knowledge paying off in 1971, Bridges rediscovered the brilliantly green jewel for the second time within

the boundary of Kenya抯 fabulous Tsavo Game Reserve.

 

Prospecting around the same area of the Tsavo Reserve

as Bridges, Peter Morgan went on to discover the first

substantial tsavorite deposit in the Taita Hills. Straddling

the prominent Kide Hill, the Lualenyi Mine produced the

first commercial amounts of tsavorite. Under the more

laissez-faire and unrestrictive laws of Kenya, mining and

exporting commenced and the world began to receive its

first taste of this beautifully colored gem.

Ever the creative opportunist with East African gems,

Henry Platt of Tiffany & Co., New York, named the brilliant

green jewel 揟 savorite? after the beautiful savannah parklands where it was rediscovered. In 1974 at

Platt抯 behest, Tiffany抯 started a marketing campaign that helped propel tsavorite to fame.

With beautiful green hues similar to the very best emeralds, the jewelry world was enamored by

tsavorite抯 charms. It is a truly rare gem, which could well be unavailable in future years to come.

While some 50 deposits have been found in Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar and even Zambia, only a

handful of small mines produce commercially viable quantities. Production is highly unpredictable with

large crystal sizes seldom being recovered ?all helping to add to the gemstone抯 cachet as a

genuinely rare jewel.

Some 36 years after Bridges discovery, tsavorite has comfortably established itself as one of the world

抯 most beautiful, precious and desirable gemstones.

 

Create Your Jewelry

Create Your Jewelry creates freedom, by giving you the freedom to create. To design the jewelry

of your dreams, simply combine our unrivaled selection of Gems, Diamonds

& Pearls with over 1,000 stunning jewelry designs.

This week抯 showcase is an 18 Karat Gold Pendant set with a 2.02 Carat

Color Change Sapphire with two 0.04 Carat Accent Diamond. Total Price:

US$321.79. Handcrafted & shipped in only 14 days from receipt of order.

To order a similar design, select Gemstone Pendants and this design

will appear on the first page of the Gem Scoop Gallery. For rapid assistance or advice, email 

support@thaigem.com

A New Gem Quiz Winner Congratulations to Ms. Sheryl Stanley of Westminster, Colorado for

winning a beautiful 2.87 Carat Pink Tourmaline.

Q. Simply tell us, in which European language were

Tourmalines known as "aschentrekkers", the reason why they

were given this name and the modern term for this curious

effect.

A. Tourmalines were known as 揳 schentrekkers?in Dutch. They

were called this name because of their ability to attract ashes when heated and subsequently

cooled. In fact, the Dutch used them to clean old ashes out of their pipes. A more modern term

for this phenomenon is called 損 yro-electricity?

Click here to view previous Gem Quiz questions and winners.

The Gem Quiz

Thaigem.com gives you the chance to win a beautiful 0.86 Carat Ceylon Sapphire!

Name the Cambodian city that means "Blue Sapphire", the ancient language from which the

word derives, and its recent revolutionary overlords.

Send your answer to gemquiz@thaigem.net by March 25, 2003. The winner will be selected randomly

from all correct answers. Gem Quiz winners will be informed via email and also announced in the Gem

Scoop. All decisions are final.