Cambodia is rich in many varieties of gems, but let’s talk here about precious gems only – sapphires, rubies and emeralds. The most famous Cambodian mines are located in Pailin. Sapphires from Pailin are considered among the best sapphires in the world, there’s even a special color grade “Pailin” used in jewelry for classifi cation of blue sapphires. Besides sapphires, Pailin has ruby and emerald mines, however, production of emeralds is minimal. Most part of emeralds you fi nd in Cambodia are imported from India.
If you plan to purchase precious gemstones in Cambodia, mention that there are no gemological institutes or professional experts who may verify your stone and provide you with an official certificate. Your success depends on your knowledge in this domain, seller’s honesty, your personal luck and your intuition. When buying stones, don’t forget that export of precious gemstones is illegal in Cambodia unless you buy fi nished
jewelry products – rings, bracelets or pendants with gems. But is it still profi table: the price you pay for a sapphire ring will anyway be much lower comparing with European markets. Gold used for jewelry in Cambodia is often a base - alloy and doesn’t correspond to international standards. If you are serious about jewelry business, better to test local gold with reagents; you can find them in many specialized shops.
Cambodian jewelry market is flooded by fake stones. Don’t even pay att ention to an extraordinary $17 off er for a silver bracelet massively decorated with small blue “Cambodian sapphires” – it is fake for sure, as well as two-carat rubies just for $50 each. Even in big central shops you risk to pay a sapphire price for a piece of colored glass. Certificates issued by street jewelry boutiques are not to be trusted. Another common fraud
– sellers show you a positive reply from a
Read More in Cambodia Insight Website on Issue 10 Page 16.
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