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Sapphire Situation: Expedition to Ethiopia's sapphire fields
Image Gallery (9 Images)
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Many of the miners were families working in small groups with women doing much of the heavy labour
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Picks, shovels, buckets and human muscle were the only mining techniques used in the sapphire fields
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Rough Ethiopian sapphires. Image courtesy Wim Vertriest/GIA
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Rough Ethiopian sapphires. Image courtesy Wim Vertriest/GIA
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Most of the sapphires were recovered from gravels by dry hand picking. Image courtesy Andrew Lucas/ GIA
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There were many brokers in the mining areas buying stones. Image courtesy Andrew Lucas/ GIA
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Ethiopia's sapphire fields
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Taken from drone footage this shot clearly shows the numerous pits seen in the mining areas. Image courtesy Wim Vertriest/GIA
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Search for Setting Services - Diamond / Gemstone
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