By CM OU YANG, president of Hong Kong Gems Laboratory,
Yang Mulia Ltd and the Hong Kong Institute of Gemology
DIAMONDS
Diamonds are found in three provinces along the east coast of China: Hunan, Shandong and Liaoning. In Hunan, diamonds of small size and fancy color were discovered around 1950. Bigger diamonds of yellow color were found in Shandong around 1960. The best quality of diamonds found in China are those in Liaoning province. De Beers has formed a joint venture with China to mine diamonds, however, no new deposits have been found. Diamonds can be bought from farmers in these provinces who choose to sell to individuals at a higher price than they could to the Chinese government. Farmers will hide their finds in the walls of their homes until an outsider comes to buy them.
PERIDOT
Peridot of yellow green to green is found in three major provinces: Jilin, Hebei and Inner Mongolia. Jilin offers the darkest shade of peridot in China. Individual farmers who find peridot deposits on their land sell to Hong Kong, Bangkok and India. On addition to mining peridot, a lot of factories in China are also cutting the gemstones.
SAPPHIRE
Sapphires—found in Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Shandong, Fujian, Hainan and Xinjiang—are divided into five grades according to size and transparency. Sapphires found near Hainan Island are lighter than those in other provinces. Most of the sapphires in China are very dark. There is a large quantity, but most of it is low quality. Thai gem dealers who speak Chinese sometimes travel to the mines to buy stones directly from the miners, or they may buy from middleman in Hong Kong.
AQUAMARINE
Mined in Xinjiang and Yunnan, Chinese aquamarine is becoming more expensive than African aquamarine. A kilogram of rough may cost US$8,000. More than 20 colors of aquamarine, including cat’s eye, have been discovered in China.
TOPAZ
Topaz, of better quality than that from Nigeria, is found in Xinjiang and Yunnan. As no regulations on the irradiation level exist for topaz treated in China, and the level of radiation is currently very high, there is one year waiting period after Chinese topaz reaches Hong Kong before it is released to the public.
TOURMALINE
Tourmaline mined in Yunnan is of the best quality found in China. It comes in pink and green and bi-color stones. Tourmaline is usually cut in local factories.
RUBY
Ruby found in volcanic rock is dark and very small. The quality is not good and the quantity is slim. It is found in Yunnan, Heilongjiang, Qinghai, Hainan and Jiangsu. Pale rubies have been found in metamorphic rock in China. It is believed that the deposit of rubies in Vietnam may also extend to China.
GARNET
Found in many places in China, especially Jiangsu province, Chinese garnet comes in two types. One is a very good bright color but it is only found in small pieces. The locals call it Russian ruby and ask high prices for it. The other type is not as good in color but is much cheaper.
NEPHRITE
Chinese nephrite jade is of a green and pink color. The best quality is found in Xinjiang province. Jadeite is nonexistent in China. It is found only in Upper Burma near the Chinese border.
CANTON TRADE FAIR
For the initial purchase of gemstones in China, attending the Canton Trade Fair is a prerequisite. Although prices are higher than they are at mining sites or in the homes of individual farmers, the Canton Trade Fair offers a chance to get to know the companies and the stones available. Gemstones of commercial value in China are mainly peridot, nephrite, blue sapphire, aquamarine, topaz and diamonds.
The Canton Trade Fair is held in the fall and spring in Guangzhou (known as Canton in the west), capital of Guangdong province. For information contact: Chinese Export Commodities Fair, 117 Liuhua Rd, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China.