It has generally been a dream of mine to pay a visit to a mine! To be ready to go to the commencing of the journey that gems and diamonds get to be at last offered on the parts I share on a daily basis. Last but not least an chance introduced itself back again in May possibly/June 2022 many thanks to Eshed Gemstar and we were being related to Gemfields! Eshed Gemstar obtained Gemfields Chipembele emerald which is the greatest single cluster emerald that was unearthed in Kagem mine and holds the GUINNESS Earth Information™ for the greatest uncut emerald (1.505 kg 7,525 carat). Next unearthing Chipembele, Gemfields recovered the Kafubu Cluster, a colossal 37,555-gram (187,775 carat) emerald cluster which was sold during a current auction that took position in November 2022.
Gemfields Team is consisting of Faberge (100%), Kagem Emerald Mine in Zambia (75%) and Montepuez Ruby Mine in Mozambique (75%).
Following the introduction, Gemfields were being far too delighted to invite and host us on an 8-working day vacation to stop by their Kagem Emerald Mine in Zambia! Meeting calls later on, our itineraries had been booked and speedy forward to October 2022, vaccinated and packed, I was ready for my initial ever vacation to Africa and 1st mine visit.
More than 24 several hours of vacation via Singapore Airways from Melbourne to Johannesburg, I arrived in Johannesburg airport and reunited with my spouse in bling, Tracey (AKA TheDiamondsGirl). We ended up joined by Beatrice from Gemfields London business, and our main journey to Ndola, Zambia started out! A brief flight afterwards, we all arrived in Ndola found in the northern component of Zambia. Around night stay in Ndola was considerably needed to be completely ready for our drive to Kagem Emerald Mine in the morning. Later that evening, Gillian joined our team, she operates a profitable PR business in Lusaka and Gemfields is one particular of her purchasers.
Our generate from Ndola to Kagem took about 4 hours and we finally arrived at Kagem Emerald Mine. Positioned in the district of Lufwanyama in Copperbelt Province of Zambia, the place is enriched with organic methods of Copper.
I truthfully couldn’t consider that I am lastly in this article at the world’s greatest emerald mine! Kagem is giving around 30% of international emerald desire. Following induction meetings and heading via protection steps, it was time for us to push to the pit. Gemfields Kagem Emerald Mine has 3 working open pit mines: Chama, Chibolele, Fibolele. Chama open pit mine is 2.2 km long and 140m deep and is providing all over 25% of world wide emerald production. Arriving at Chama open pit mine, the scale was thoughts blowing, and we had the likelihood to travel down into the pit in which large equipment were shifting the waste rocks, ores and chisel males discovering emeralds! To see it firsthand how an emerald is unearthed was these types of a impressive experience. They were being type more than enough to hand us the quite modern emeralds that they unearthed, recognizing it is their to start with come across with light just after becoming in darkness for the earlier 500 million many years only adds to the romance of gems…
Subsequent our mine check out, following prevent was the clean property where by emeralds and rocks from mine are transferred to be washed and separated on big conveyor belts. I managed to location emeralds between all the rocks and ores, you can see the movie on my Zambia highlights on my Instagram site. We stayed at the accommodation provided on the mine website the place all the workforce keep during their weekly/regular shifts. Meal was held at the Lake Property with most of the employees and administration group in attendance and we last but not least achieved Sean Gilbertson, CEO of Gemfields Team who mesmerized us all by his wide information of mining and enthusiasm for emeralds and rubies.
The future morning started by traveling to the type house. Jackson the manager of the type residence has been at Kagem for the previous 28 a long time and talks and breathes emeralds. His incomparable expertise and practical experience is a genuine asset to Kagem. He managed to choose us via each phase of sorting and separating emerald from the host rock to piles of recovered emerald that have been sorted, washed, oiled and completely ready to be taken to the auction. Kagem has its personal proprietary grading method which gives a accurate analysis and declaration of remedy and is trustworthy and highly regarded by the market. Kagem also partnered with Gübelin and released provenance evidence (paternity exam) engineering that gives traceability applying DNA-dependent nanoparticles. In a nutshell though emeralds are at the kind household, an invisible layer of unique nanoparticles are inserted within just the inclusions which stays in the stone throughout polishing and cutting. When an emerald with that distinct process tends to make it way to Gübelin for grading, Gübelin gemologists can ascertain it was mined at Kagem and trace it again to the resource.
To give you a superior perspective on rarity and shortage of emeralds, generate out of 100 tons of squander is only 1 ton of ore which only 50 grams of emerald and beryl mix is recovered from that ore, and .3 grams of top quality emerald is recovered on average from the emerald and beryl mix.
Notice: There is a NO Camera coverage in the course of the mine site and functioning facilities, but we had been granted specific authorization to have our digital camera/phones just about everywhere and provided obtain to limited places to document and film as we wished, and share our unbiased feeling of the mine and its tactics.
Relaxation of the working day put in driving close to the spot and traveling to group initiatives as section of Kagem social sustainability plan setting up educational institutions, hospitals and sponsoring agricultural initiatives. We managed to interact with faculty principals and lecturers and have a much better knowing of how community projects are very important for the location and locals to prosper.
1% of Kagem Emerald Mine profits is allocated to fund community and conservation assignments. Delivering long expression benefits to area group in wellbeing, education and livelihood is aspect of Kagem 3 essential values: Transparency, Legitimacy and Integrity.
25% of Kagem is owned by Zambian Authorities and 75% by Gemfields. Gemfields took above Kagem back again in 2008 and as of 2022, Kagem has 1250 immediate staff and 413 staff by means of contractors. As for every interim report dated June 30 2022, Kagem initial 50 percent-year auction revenues totalled in $85.2 million, an all time history substantial for Kagem. Due to the fact the very first auction in July 2009, 41 auctions have taken spot which created $835.3 million in full revenues. All this info is obtainable to general public through Gemfields web page. Kagem produced 109.6 thousand carats of premium top quality emeralds for the six months finished June 30th 2022 whilst dealing with 5.8 million tonnes of rocks and squander.
Our very last evening coincided with award ceremony which was held to realize staff members for their attempts. And adopted by an eye opening speech by Sean Gilbertson, CEO of Gemfields about moral mining methods, social responsibility, immense growth of profits and eyesight for the foreseeable future. Wonderful way to say goodbye to Kagem Emerald Mine. (You can observe snippets of the speech on my Instagram Zambia highlights)
The next working day, four of us embarked on an all day trip from Kagem to Ndola, Ndola to Lusaka and Lusaka to Livingstone! By evening we had been standing on the Zambezi river in the attractive city of Livingstone. Invested two times checking out the Victoria Falls, cruising Zambezi river to see wild existence and stayed in the most fantastic hotel: The Royal Livingstone Hotel with wild existence roaming the grounds.
Finally experienced to say goodbye to the stunning Africa and head property but however just after 6 weeks due to the fact the vacation, I am reeling on the great and unforgettable reminiscences.
Goodbye Africa! with Tracey aka TheDiamondsGirl
My sincere many thanks to Eshed Gemstar for the preliminary introduction, Gemfields Group, Kagem Mining Ltd, administration and the full workforce in London and Ndola for arranging all the things, their heat welcome and fantastic hospitality all through this excursion, building this practical experience an unforgettable just one!
