A Tale of Friendship Found in the Gem Market of Pailin, Cambodia
GIA’s next Gemstone Gathering is April 30 in Bangkok
BANGKOK – April 24, 2014 – A decade ago, a gemologist and his friends journeyed to Pailin, a small Cambodian town surrounded by jungle, volcanoes and rivers, to get a rare glimpse into its gem mining world. In search of a translator at the Samaki market, they encountered a local English-speaker knowledgeable about gems who would forever change their views on field gemology.Attendees of GIA’s (Gemological Institute of America) next Gemstone Gathering in Bangkok on April 30 will hear from Vincent Pardieu, GIA’s senior manager of field gemology in Bangkok, on how a Cambodian man named Votha Un taught him that gemology encompasses much more than science, art, history, geography or trade. It is most importantly about the people. Pardieu learned that the key to visiting places like Pailin, once thought to be too dangerous for outsiders, is the support and companionship of someone like Votha, who opens the doors to the local trade. That lesson helped Pardieu create his vision and methods of field gemology.
Pardieu and Votha made 29 expeditions to Pailin to meet with gem miners and traders, allowing Pardieu to gain an extensive insight into the dynamics of the gem trade there. This event about the mines and gems of Pailin is dedicated to Votha Un, who is in Calmette Hospital in Phnom Penh with a life-threatening illness.
Pardieu specializes in the origin determination of gemstones and has visited numerous gem-producing areas in South East Asia, Central Asia and East Africa, particularly the Ilakaka–Sakaraha sapphire deposits of southern Madagascar. He has spent his career in leadership positions with gemological laboratories around the world, including in Thailand and Switzerland. His research and expertise have been the catalyst for numerous articles in GIA’s Gems & Gemology and various trade publications.
GIA’s Gemstone Gathering, a free event, begins at 6 p.m. on April 30 in the “Crowne Room 1-3” on the 21st floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Lumpini Park in Bangkok.
