Tasmanian SAPPHIRE Bell CA

TASMANIAN SAPPHIRE: The New Big Blue

Australia was to sapphire in the 1980s what South Africa was to diamonds for more than a century. Still, no one felt blue when Aussie indigos disappeared under a blanket of Madagascar's dressier blues in the 1990s.

The new African corundum boasted color that begged comparison to that of Sri Lankan goods—even on occasion Kashmir classics. Australia's material, on the other hand, was lucky to inspire comparisons to dark but sometimes handsome Cambodian and Thai stones. No wonder Australia came and went as a corundum colossus and no one shed a tear.

Nevertheless, the giant is stirring once again. And this time, it is hoping to earn respect for quality as well as quantity. Used to long periods of supply-side supremacy in diamonds and opal, Australia is looking to reestablish old leadership in corundum production, too. But no matter what kind of quality standards its new sapphire sets or doesn't set, the mining operation will set new standards for its good-earth philosophy of land and resource management.

THE TIN FACTOR

A couple hundred miles to the southeast of Australia's once-thriving Queensland and New South Wales sapphire mining areas, on the island of Tasmania, lies a huge tin deposit. Given Australia's extensive, expensive land-stewardship regulations, an environmentally law-abiding tin mine might not of itself be very profitable.

But mixed in with the tin ore is corundum—enough of it to make a joint gem and metal mine potentially very lucrative. Indeed, the venture could be successful enough to be able to afford exceeding, rather than complying with, all legal requirements.

In addition, one of the marketers for this new gem mining operation is Eric Braunwart of Columbia Gem House, Vancouver, Washington. Since a 2002 trip to Madagascar to meet with World Bank officials about starting sustainable gem cutting factories in that very poor country, Braunwart has been obsessed with fair trade of gems and jewelry as well as fair treatment of workers and the environment.

Now he has a chance to create a role model gem mine that is as well-known for its conscience as its corundum. "We're not dealing with third world poverty or lack of opportunity here. Tasmania is decidedly first world," Braunwart says. "So we can focus almost exclusively on environmental issues like land restoration."

That focus resulted in a 1,300-page environmental impact study with hundreds of provisions that the mine operators had to sign on to before being allowed to break the first clump of ground. Preparation of this document took all of the four years Braunwart has been involved with the project. "There has never been planning this extensive for a colored stone mine," Braunwart says. "We're taking on a level of responsibility that you'd expect of a precious metals or diamond mine."

How could it be otherwise? Remember this new venture is a tin mine first and a sapphire mine second. As such, it requires heavy earth-moving equipment rarely seen at gem mines anywhere in the world. To produce tin, the mine must extract tons of ore-bearing earth. This ore, known as cacerite, is then smelted to remove tin, much as bauxite is smelted to remove aluminum. For the mine to be viable, it must process more cubic meters of earth in a day than most gem mines process in a year. Ultimately, mine prosperity will depend more on sapphire than tin. The question remains: How good is Tasmanian sapphire?

THE CORUNDUM CONUNDRUM

At its best, Tasmanian sapphire is not the equal of Madagascar sapphire at its best. But it is far better, as a rule, than Australian sapphire of the past. If you recall the days when Australian sapphire, primarily from the Inverell mine, was the standard variety, you'll remember stones that tended to be inky dark blue, often with traces of objectionable green.

Tasmanian stones are comparatively lighter in tone and their blue isn't marred with green. So while they may be classified as commercial in quality, it is a kind of quality that will make for much better-looking, higher-value volume goods. As a bonus benefit, many will be spared the heating that is obligatory for most corundum today. However, those that are treated will be treated by heating ace John Emmett here in America. "We don't want corundum that owes its color to trace elements like beryllium never found in sapphire," Braunwart says.

And here we come to the fair trade aspect of Tasmanian sapphire mining. Braunwart believes that colored stone brands must be "contracts with consumers" that address every conceivable customer concern and expectation from product integrity to responsible manufacturing. "By mining, cutting and, if need be, treating our own stones, we assure jewelers and their public that their gems and jewelry have no secrets they would be later angry and ashamed to learn. Tasmanian sapphire is a giant step toward state-of-the-art branding based equally on ethics and quality."