Where Your Crystals Come From- Brazilian Edition

Hello Crystal Fam!

After a little hiatus from the blog, we are back and excited to share more crystal knowledge with you. I think it's important for you to know where your stunning gemstones come from. So today, lets learn about the beautiful South American country of Brazil.

Brazil is listed in the top 5 producers of minerals in the world. Thanks to its varying topography and large size, the country of Brazil is home to over 100 types of gemstones. Some of their most famous exports include Tourmaline, Quartz, Topaz, Beryl, Aquamarine, Opal, Amethyst and more. Here at SetNStone we procure a lot of our inventory from Brazil. If you ever have a question of where a certain product was sourced, just ask me!

While researching this article, I rediscovered a few facts that I thought you might be interested in knowing.

#1 Back in the day, Brazil was the top exporter of Diamonds and while still a competitive exporter it is no longer their top exported product. Diamonds in Brazil come in rare colors like red and green.

#2 Brazil is the only known source of Paraiba Tourmaline, which is a vivid, bright blue that is often mixed with stunning green hues. A result of traces of copper.

#3 Mineral mining production reached 41 billion USD Mining accounted for 170,000 jobs.

Tragedies and Regulations

Transparency is important. We have all heard of tragic stories surrounding the mining process of some of the worlds most beautiful gems. It is important to me that all of the gems in my shop come from ethical sourcing and mining practices. While mining as an industry comes with inherent risks, it is the obligation of the employer and the government to mitigate risks as much as possible. While brazil for the most part has done its best to adhere to safe practices, some recent tragedies upped the oversight and imposed heavy fines on anyone not adhering to these safe practices. 

The following recent events put in to motion greater oversight and compliance requirements.

On November 5, 2015, the Maraina Dam aka Samarco Dam disaster occurred in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Dam failure resulted in 19 deaths, and the devastation of livelihoods, food and water sources for those in the villages below.

Only a few years later on January 25, 2019 the Brumadinho dam disaster occurred. Tragically, 270 people were killed. 14 people were arrested for their alleged failings in preventing this tragedy. Hefty fines were imposed, and the country of Brazil began implementing more stringent rules and regulations to prevent future tragedies.

The mining industry has been very lucrative for many Brazilians. This has led them to be less interested in illegal mining practices and safer working conditions. Ethically and safely sourced gems are the only ones I care to sell.

 

Mining Process

The mining process for each stone is different. While there isn’t a lot of information readily available, here is what I was able to find.

Tourmaline- In the Cruzeiro Tourmaline mine, these stones are in such abundance they can literally be picked out of the ground and walls with ease. This particular mine is where pink tourmaline was discovered.

Topaz- The mining process for Topaz happens both above ground and underground.  With above ground mining, pits of minerals are discovered when the top layer of unwanted sediment is removed by bulldozer. Remaining unwanted sediment is removed using water cannons leaving behind the pieces of Topaz. 

Lemurian- We source our lemurian from the Diamantina region of Brazil. While I haven't experienced the mining process myself, I have read Lemurian crystals are often found embedded in loose sandy soil and are easy to remove. They are typically removed by hand and without the need for heavy duty machinery. 

Amethyst- Mining Amethyst is very manual labor. Done with picks and shovels, surrounding earth is dug down couple meters to the amethyst deposits. They are cleaned and cut open to reveal the stunning gems inside.

I had the pleasure of meeting a family who own and operate a small mine in the amazon region of Brazil. They have some of the most unique Trapiche Amethyst pieces. As a family, they oversee each step of the process from mining, cutting, polishing, and selling. They employ locals from their community and actively work to reforest areas that have been harmed by mining practices in the past. I still have a few pieces left in my inventory from my last visit with them. DM me on Instagram if you’d like to see them.

Minas Gerais, is known worldwide for its abundance of Quartz including Amethyst, Citrine, Agate, etc. While the entire country of Brazil has mines in most states, the largest producer and exporter of gemstones come from the state of Minas Gerais. 74% of the overall production is from there.

 A Little History

The first gem deposits, emeralds, were found in 1573, nearly 100 years later the first gold rush began and almost 200 years later, Diamonds were discovered near present day Diamantina. Immigration played a very important role in the Brazilian gem industry we know today. German immigrants brought cutting and polishing techniques with them which shifted the industry in Brazil. Post World War II, Brazil set its focus primarily on mining rare and precious gemstones. This led to a boom in related industries including jewelry.

In the 1990’s, Brazilians main export partner was the United States, Europe, and Japan. Then China emerged. Chinese companies bought large quantities of cheaper gems which caused a steep rise in mining activities. As their wealth has expanded so has their acquisition of other gemstones. As a consequence, Brazil’s domestic gemstone cutting and polishing industry has collapsed for low valued material. China has now become one of the main exporters of Brazilian gemstones.

Though they played a large role, another factor in the slowing down of Brazil’s supporting industries include the growth of many African countries producing other varieties of gems in larger quantities than they did in the past.  While they face many new competitors, Brazil’s landscape still has so much left unexplored. Gemstone mining will continue to be a vital part of Brazil’s economy.

I hope you learned something new about the amazing country of Brazil! Be sure to check out our shop update and upcoming Instagram live shows to check out some of these beauties in real life! 

Xoxo,

V