Romancing the Source: Cambodia

Andrew Lucas and Tao Hsu

April 22, 2016

This series of articles and videos follows a team of GIA Field Gemologists on their travels from the mountains of Afghanistan to the jungles of Sri Lanka in search of the sources of colored gemstones and the people who pursue them. This thrilling journey will take you to remote gemstone-mining areas, where you’ll witness the extreme effort required to wrestle nature’s treasures from the earth.

The romance of a colored gemstone arises from its beauty, the exotic qualities of its source’s location, the adventure leading to its discovery, and the stories of the people who seek it. These factors have united to create the allure of gemstones through the ages, and continue to do so even in modern times.

Pailin, Cambodia, is located right next to Thailand, and this area has known more than its share of hardship. As a major battleground during the wars with the Khmer Rouge, the amount of civilian suffering is almost unimaginable. Today, there are still numerous reminders in the form of citizens, including miners, with legs lost to the Khmer Rouge mines that were planted all over the area. Drug-resistant malaria also plagues locals, especially miners working in the jungles.

The rubies and sapphires brought to the surface by volcanoes are a source of income for this struggling area. Although production has decreased, hard-working individuals can still be found in the jungle, working small pit-mining operations and mining the rivers to search for treasure that will provide revenue for their families and perhaps even significantly change their lives.