Zultanite

There has been a lot of talk about a new gemstone around the Bario Neal shop recently--new for us, and still fairly new in the jewelry industry too. Zultanite, as it's called, is very rare. It exists in its pure, gemstone quality form in only one very small section of a vein of bauxite that runs all the way from Greece, through Turkey, and to India. That section is deep in the mountainous Anatolia region of Turkey in a province called Mugla. Unlike many gems, Zultanite is a completely natural, untreated stone. It has a neutral green color, subtly changes hues under different lighting sources, compliments skin tones, and sometimes exhibits cat's eye properties. There are no chemicals or treatments used to enhance the gemstone. I had never heard of Zultanite before a couple of weeks ago, when we received a package containing a palmful of these green-toned sparkling gems. They'd made the long trip from eastern Turkey, all the way to our little Philadelphia shop on the corner of 6th and Bainbridge. We are just starting up a relationship with the company that mines and distributes them, and are currently working on a custom Asymmetrical Avens Ring that features Zultanite as the center stone. A bit of background: Zultanite's mineral name is diaspore, and it is found in less pure forms in the emery deposits of the Ural Mountains; in Chester, Massachusetts; and in kaolin deposits in Schemnitz, Hungary. The first gem-quality crystals were discovered in the 1970's in the very place where they are mined today, but were not mined commercially until the Milenyum Mining Company obtained mining rights from the Turkish government in 2006. Zultanite first received attention when gemologist Richard T. Liddicoat  was taken with a 26.04 carat apex fan shaped Zultanite at the 1999 Tucson Gem Show. Before we felt comfortable using and promoting the stone, we had to ask Zultanite (the company takes its name from the gem) a bunch of questions regarding its origins, especially the environmental and working conditions at the mine. Here is some information we've gathered so far: First, we were wondering about the ethics of the process, especially pertaining to the working conditions of the mine and at the cutting facilities. Victoria, a U.S. rep., told us that the working conditions are very good at the mine. The physical environment in and around the mine is ideal because of its location in southern Turkey. Despite the rain and lower temperatures, which rarely drop below freezing, of winter, the mine tunnels stay warmer than outside, and in the summer, the tunnels remain cool.[1] The houses where the workers sleep during the week are new and comfortable (they were constructed in 2006), and their meals are prepared by a chef who used to cook at a local hotel. She sent us the photos below of the workers on their lunch break and working in the mine. As you can see, it's all on a very small scale.

miners having lunch

miners washing rough stones

As for cutting, the Zultanite that we work with is cut in Canada, the USA, and Germany, and can only be cut by master cutters because the rough mineral has a perfect cleavage in one direction, making it very difficult to cut properly. Standards for cutting in these three places are very high, safe, and professional, unlike many of the places where diamonds are cut, where you can't be sure if unsafe practices and child labor are being used. Only 2-3 percent of the original rough will end up as a cut stone, and only an eye-clean stone will exhibit Zultanite's color-changing properties. Both of these factors increase the necessity for expert cutters.[2] We also asked questions about the environmental impacts of the mining process. There are no chemicals used in the extraction of Zultanite, as everything is done manually and mined in the old-fashioned way. There is no running water or electricity at the mine--they use their own generator--because it is in such a remote place. This keeps the mining activity at a relatively slow pace and on a very small scale. Victoria says that the two owners of the mine, Mr. Murat Akgun and Mr. Yoshi Kirsch, are both environmentally conscientious, and care very much about the ethical, fairly mined, all-natural image that they have worked to create for this gemstone, and wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize this. Mr. Akgun is at the mine himself and oversees the day-to-day operations.

Mr. Akgun finding a vein of Zultanite

Mr. Akgun became familiar with the dialogue surrounding "green mining" and "fair trade" when he first attended trade shows in the U.S. in the early 2000's. In an article from the Rapaport International Diamond Conference, 2008, Diana Jarrett writes, "When (Akgun was) informed that ethical mining was becoming "the big thing" in America, he was incredulous. "How else would you do business?" he countered".[1] Yes! We agree. The only other main source of income in this region is olive farming, which creates revenue during only part of the year. The mine has contributed to the local community in positive ways: "So far, we helped the village mosque by donating truckloads of bricks. The imam was able to finish the closing of the roof with our donation," says Akgun. The mosque serves as a shelter for homeless and others in need.[1] Zultanite acts thoughtfully and conscientiously to create an environment of solidarity with the community. Akgun buys water, groceries, supplies, and baked goods from the nearby village, provides employment opportunities with higher than normal pay, and rents heavy equipment from locals.[1] Through his efforts, it's apparent that Akgun believes in creating long-term stability through proper treatment of miners and the surrounding environment and community. That is something we can get behind! If you're interested in more reading, you can visit Zultanite's website, zultanite.com, and view the reference articles listed below. [1] Rapaport Report, October 3, 2008, http://zultanite.com/photos/in-the-press/PDF/006.pdf [2] Rapaport Report, November 7, 2008, http://zultanite.com/photos/in-the-press/PDF/007.pdf