Well
I cannot let these pages under construction...
So here is a small introduction
about Pailin in Cambodia.
After
focussing most of my interest on
Burma and the gems from Mogok, I
decided while working at the AIGS
gemological laboratory in Bangkok,
Thailand to spend my week ends doing
something else that watching TV...
Cambodia is located just on the
east of Thailand, not far from Chanthaburi,
which was Thailand main ruby and
sapphire mining area.
Cambodia is famous for its blue
sapphires from Pailin area, its
rubies found close to the Thai border
in Samlot region and its zircons
found in Ratanakiri region close
to the Vietnamese border.
As
the AIGS school, the gem collection
was rich is rubies and sapphire
from the "Chanthaburi - Pailin"
gem field, I soon decided that Pailin
could be an interesting destination
for my week end field trips. After
focussing on Burmese metamosphic
rubies and sapphires I wanted to
study a little bit more their balsaltic
cousins.
Taking
advantage of the fact that I was
at this time teaching at AIGS I
proposed to some of my students
to come along with me to visit the
area.
We
had our first trip in May 2004.
From
that time Pailin, its sapphire mines,
its lovely gem market, its burners
and jewelry makers became our regular
field trip destination I had with
many students of my gemology classes.
the fact was that going to Pailin
was much more affordable to us that
going to Mogok, and the trip could
be done on any 3 days week end.
Pailin
is a very interesting area gemologically
speaking as it produce blue sapphire
and rubies, but not the traditional
yellow and green sapphires that
are commonly found with blue sapphires
in the other basaltic type sapphire
mining areas like Kanchanaburi,
Houay Xai, Ambondromyfehy, Shandong,
Australia and other places around
the world. Blue sapphires are found
there either as dark or light blue
and rubies range from purplish to
orangy stones. Along with these
rubies and sapphires many zircons
are found and and some less common
black spinels. It is interesting
to see that here again it is slighlty
different compared to Kanchanaburi
in Thailand and Houay Xai in Laos
were zircons are less common and
black spinels plentiful.
An
other interesting aspect of Pailin
was of course its historical background.
After the Vietnamese invasion on
Cambodia in 1979, Pailin became
the stronghold of the "Khmer
rouges" and in the 80's it
became a major gem mining area as
the "khmer rouges" oppened
their land to Thai mining companies
and dealers.
Now
most alluvial gem field are deplated
and few mining operations are still
in production. But nevertheless
the area is an excellent exploration
ground for young gemologist willing
to discover gem mining and trade.
Here
are some photo galleries that cover
the 9 trips I had there with my
students from AIGS and then also
with the French Gemological Association
that came in Thailand and Cambodia
for its annual field trip in February
and March 2004.
Field trips to Pailin: A huge photo
gallery...
Jungle expedition to a ruby mine
on the top of Phum Trop volcano,
august 2004.
Blue sapphire heat treatment in
Pailin.
Inclusions in Pailin blue sapphire
before and after heat treatment.
This
is a little bit messy but I will
arrange all that soon and add more
photos.
All the best,
Vincent
Pardieu
( Witnessing
the alchemical art of sapphire heat
treatment in pailin, Oct 2005)
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