TheelmontMineandanmeraldJournefrom

MinetoMarket
AndrewLucas,DuncanPay,ShaneMcClure,MarceloRibeiro,TaoHsu,PedroPadua

May22,2015
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Theemeraldinthisringtraveledthroughtheentireminetomarketvaluechain,fromtheearthofBrazilsBelmontminetoacustomjewelrymanufacturerandretailerinThailand.
PhotocourtesyM.SuradejJoaillerie

INTRODUCTION:RAZIL
Brazilgaineditsindependencein1822fromPortugal,whichhadruledthecountrysincetheearly1500s.Today,BrazilisSouthAmericaslargestand
mostpopulouscountry,andalsoitsstrongestineconomicterms.Withatotalareaof8,514,877squarekilometers,Brazilisthefifthlargestcountryin
theworld,withabundantnaturalresources.Aleadingcontributortoitseconomicstrengthistheminingofpreciousmetals,ironore,manganese,
nickel,phosphates,tin,rareearthelements,uranium,andpetroleum.

AnotherofBrazilsmaineconomicresourcesisitsagriculturaloutput,whichincludescropssuchascoffee,soybeans,wheat,rice,corn,sugarcane,
cocoa,citrus,andbeef.Itslargestindustriesincludetextiles,shoes,chemicals,cement,lumber,tin,steel,aircraft,motorvehicles,andmachinery.

Brazilissixthintheworldinthesizeofitslaborforce,whichemploysover107,300,000citizens.Its$244.8billioninannualexportsplacesit23rdin
theworld.Chinaisitsmaintradingpartner,followedbytheU.S.
 AmazingBrazil
WGALLRY

ThepeopleofBrazilareasdiverseastheirnaturalresources.TheEuropeanpopulationincludesthoseofPortuguese,German,andItaliandescent.
ThereisalsoalargeAfricanpopulationheldoverfromthedaysoftheslavetrade,aswellasindigenouspeopleandmanypeopleofmixedethnicity.
Thisdiversityhasgivenrisetothecountrysextremelyrichculture.

Brazilisalsorichintermsofitsgemstoneandjewelryindustry.Fordecades,Brazilhasbeenaleadingsupplierofcoloredgemstones,including
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emerald,amethyst,citrine,agate,tourmaline,topaz,alexandrite,catseyechrysoberyl,opal,iolite,garnet,andmanyothers.

MINAGRAI
WhenyoutranslatethePortuguesenameMinasGeraisintoEnglish,itliterallymeansgeneralmines.Miningisoneofthemostimportantindustriesin
thislargeBrazilianstate.Thenorthwestpartofthestateisknownforitshugepegmatitedepositsthatproducetourmalineandothercolored
gemstones.ThebusinesscenterfortheminesisGovernadorValadares.Thiscityhostsgemstonecutting,trading,andindustryshows.Diamonds
havealsobeenproducedintheareaaroundthetownofDiamantina.

Thesouthernpartofthestatehasmassiveironoreminesandarailwaytotransporttheoretothecoast.NeartheUNESCOWorldHeritageSiteof
OuroPretoaretheworldsonlycommercialsourcesofimperialtopazandafamoussourceofpinktopaz.ThenameOuroPretotranslatesintoblack
gold,alludingtothehistoricimportanceofgoldminingtothearea.

PinktopazisjustoneofthemanygemstonesminedinthestateofMinasGerais.PhotobyEricWelch/GIA.
 ThecapitalofMinasGeraisisBeloHorizonte,acityofoverfourmillionpeople.ItisacenterforBrazilsgemandjewelryindustry.Anumberof
importantgemstonecutters,jewelrydesigners,andjewelrymanufacturersarelocatedthere.

GemsandJewelryinBeloHorizonte
WGALLRY

ITAIRA
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ItabiraliesinthesoutheasternpartofMinasGeraisandhasover100,000inhabitants.Thetownsmostimportantindustryisironoreminingandits
mostimportantcompanybyfarisVale,theironoremininggiant.Valeisthethirdlargestminingcompanyintheworld,thelargestproducerofironore,
andthesecondlargestproducerofnickel.ThelargestironoreminesnearItabiraareCauandConceio.TheoreistransportedtothePortof
TubaroinVitria,inthestateofEspritoSanto,bytheVitriaMinasrailroadthatgoesacrosstheentirestateofMinasGerais.Whileironoremining
supportsthetownseconomy,emeraldminingisimportanttotheglobalcoloredgemstoneindustry.
GeneralLocationMapSouthAmerica

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WhileItabiraisbetterknownforitsironoremining,theBelmontminehasmadeit
famousinthegemindustryforemeralds.

Asthemostproductiveemeraldregioninthecountry,Itabiraisalsotheonlyplacewherelargeemeraldminingcompaniesarelocated.Amongthem,
Belmontisthelargest.Itsalsooneoftheworldsmostsophisticatedandimportantemeraldmines.Establishedin1978,thisfamilybusinessisnow
enteringitsthirdgeneration.

Whilesmallcomparedtotheareasironoremines,theBelmontemeraldmineisthelargestcoloredgemstoneminingoperationinMinasGerais.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

LMONTMINHITORY
LMONTMINHITORY
OurteaminterviewedBelmontminemanagerandfamilymemberMarceloRibeiroattheoriginalpitmine,whereemeraldswerefirstdiscovered.He
relatedtheentireamazingstoryofhowthisareacametobeoneofthemostsophisticatedcoloredgemstoneminingoperationsintheworld.

BelmontMineLocation

TheBelmontminehasbeenoperatingsince1978.Itslocated13km(8miles)southeastofthetownofItabira.MapprovidedbyBelmontmine.

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Thesourcewasdiscoveredin1978byMauroRibeiro,theownerofthefarmwherethepropertylies.Mr.Ribeirowasbornonthefarmandlivedthere
untilhemovedtoItabiratoparticipateintheconstructionbusiness.AfterstartinganironoreminingcompanyinItabirawithseveralhundred
employees,hebegantosufferfromthestressofoverworkandhisdoctortoldhimheneededavacation.

Beingmoreofacountrymanthanatraveler,hereturnedtothefamilyfarmtorelaxforamonth.Mr.Ribeirohadinheritedthefarmfromhisparents.
Then,afterbuyingoutallthesharesfromhisotherfamilymembers,hekeptthefarmasahobbyandraisedcattleonit.

TheRibeiroranchoperationcontinuedthroughtheearly1980s,whentheminewasinitsearlystages.CourtesyBelmontmine.

WhenMr.Ribeiroarrivedatthefarmheusedafrontloadertomakeasmalldamnearastreaminthesouthofthepropertytocreateawateringspot
forthecattle.Ashewasexcavatingthesite,andthesmalllakestartedtofillwithwater,somegreenstoneswashedupthesides.UnbeknownsttoMr.
Ribeiro,hehadreachedanareawhereemeraldsformed.
Mr.MauroRibeirodiscoveredemeraldswhilemakingasmalldam,althoughhewasntawareoftheirvalueatfirst.Hisuseofbulldozerscontinuedthroughtheearlyyearsofmine
production.CourtesyBelmontmine.

Mr.Ribeirowasveryhappywiththesmalllakehebuilthimselfandwentbacktorunninghiscompany,feelingmorerelaxed.Hedidnotknowwhatthe
greenstoneshesawwereanddidntpaythatmuchattentiontothem.
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AraillineneartheBelmontpropertylinksItabiratotheharborandisusedtotransportthecoalfromthemassivecoalminenearby.Arailroadtrack
crossingpoint,operatedmanuallybyalever,waslocatednearMr.Ribeirosnewmanmadelake.Theleveroperatoratthetrackcrossingwasfrom
TeofiloOtoni,acityinMinasGeraisthathadbecomeagemstonecuttingandtradingcenterformanyoftheemeraldsfromthestateofBahia.Having
observedemeraldcuttingandtradinginTeofiloOtoni,therailroadworkerhadsomeknowledgeaboutemeraldsandemeraldrough.

MauroRibeiro(right)hadlongbeenanentrepreneur.Evenbeforeworkingintheironoreindustry,heboughtemptyoilbarrelsinItabiraandsoldtheminBeloHorizonteforaprofit.
Thisenterprisingandindependentspiritledhimtoventureintothegemstoneindustryoncetheopportunitypresenteditself.CourtesyBelmontmine.

Onedaytherailroadworkerdecidedtojumpthefenceandgetsomewateroutofthenewlymadelake.Asheexploredthelakearea,hesawthe
greenstones,whichherecognizedasemerald.HefoundMr.Ribeiroandmadeaproposal:Hewouldcollectasmanystonesashecould,takethem
toTeofiloOtoni,sellthem,andsplitthemoneyfiftyfiftywithMr.Ribeiro.ThedealwasagreeabletoMr.Ribeiroashehadnoideaaboutemeraldsat
thattime.WhentherailroadworkerbroughtMr.Ribeirossharetohim,hewasamazed.Afterjustaweekofpickingupstonesbyhand,theworker
wasabletobringMr.Ribeiromoremoneyforhissharethanhemadeintheironorebusinessinamonth.
Alotofhardwork,cleverthinking,andpoliticalmaneuveringwasrequiredbetween1978and1983tobringtheminingoperationtothestate.CourtesyBelmontmine.

Mr.RibeirocalledPedro,afriendandminingengineerintheironoreindustrywholivedinBeloHorizonte.WhenMr.Ribeirotoldhimthathehad
emeraldsonhisproperty,Pedrotoldhimitwasimpossible,astherewerenoemeraldsintheareaaroundItabira.HeinstructedMr.Ribeirotoheatthe
stonesinaflameforawhileandseeifthecolorchanged,thinkingtheymightbeaquamarines.Mr.RibeirodidsoandcalledPedrotoreportthatthere
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wasnocolorchange.WhenPedrocametotakealook,heconfirmedthestoneswereemeralds.

Mr.RibeirowasveryexperiencedinironoreminingandknewaboutthelawsregardingmineralsandminingrightsinBrazil.Asinotherpartsofthe
world,ownershipofthelanddoesnotmeanyouownthemineralrights.Therearevariouscriteriainvolvedinqualifyingforthemineralrightson
propertyyouown.Mr.RibeirowenttotheBraziliangovernmentsminingdepartmenttoapplyfortheminingconcessiononhisproperty.

Aconcessionisusuallygrantedtothefirstpersonorcompanytoproperlyapplyforit.ShortlyafterMr.Ribeirosubmittedhisapplication,manyothers
appliedfortheminingconcessiononhisproperty,asthenewswasspreadingfast.Intheyears1978through1979,over500independentminers,
calledgarimpeiros,invadedtheemeraldbearingareaontheproperty,builttents,andstartedmining.

WhiletheminingconcessionapplicationwasslowlyworkingitswaythroughtheBrazilianbureaucracy,Mr.Ribeiromadeadealwiththegarimpeiros.
Heorganizedthemandlaiddownrules:Therewouldbenoguns,noalcohol,andnowomenontheproperty.Healsomadeanarrangementwhere
everythingthatwasminedwouldbegroupedtogetherasparcelsandsold.Therevenueswouldbesplitamongeveryone.Healsoconstructedafence
aroundtheminingareaandinformedtheminersthatoutsidethefencewerehisfarm,hiscattle,andhisfamily,andtheymustberespected.
In1979,thegarimpeiroshadtheirowncampontheBelmontproperty.CourtesyBelmontmine.

Atthetime,therewasalotofcorruptionintheBraziliangovernmentandMr.Ribeirothoughtthathisminingconcessionapplicationwastakingtoolong
togetapproved.Ifitwasrejectedonsometechnicality,hefearedthatthenextapplicationwouldbeaccepted,possiblyastheresultofabribe.Mr.
Ribeirowenttoapoliticianhehadknownforyearsandhadsupportedinelections,andexpressedhisconcernsabouttheapplicationandthenumber
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ofgarimpeirosinvadingtheproperty.

Thepoliticiandemandedpaymenttohelpwiththeminingconcessionapplication,whichoffendedMr.Ribeiro.Heresentedbeingaskedforabribetodo
whatthegovernmentshouldbedoinganyway,especiallybysomeoneheconsideredafriendandsomeonehehadsupportedinthepastwithout
askingforfavorsinreturn.ThepoliticiansaidthiswashowthingsworkedandMr.Ribeirorepliedhewouldthinkaboutit.

Mr.RibeirotoldhiswifehewasgoingtoBrasilia,thecapital,andpromisedtoreturnwhentheminewashis.StandinginfrontoftheMiningBureau
building,hebeganwonderinghowhecouldgettheapplicationapprovedorevenfindoutwhereitwassitting.Ashewatchedpeoplecomingandgoing,
hesawanhonestlookingmangoinginandaskedhimifheworkedthereandwhathedid.Themanrepliedthathewasoneofthepeoplewhocleaned
alltheoffices.Mr.Ribeiroexplainedthesituationtothemanandaskedifhecouldhelphimfindoutwherehisapplicationwasandwhoheshould
speakwith.

Thejanitoragreedtohelp,andlaterinformedMr.RibeirothathispaperworkwasonthedeskoftheMinisterofMineswithalotofotherpaperwork,and
itwasallverydisorganizedandneglected.Mr.RibeiroaskedthejanitoriftherewasanywayhecouldbringittotheattentionoftheMinister.Afterall,
hisapplicationhadbeensittingthereforaverylongtime.

ThejanitortookituponhimselftospeakwiththeMinister,andsaid,Mr.Minister,Inoticedthatthesepapersthatneedsigninghadbeenmisplaced,
andIorganizedthemforyouwiththeonewaitingthelongestonthetop.TheMinisterwasgratefultothejanitorforcleaningupthedisorganizedpiles
ofpapersandsignedMr.Ribeirosapplicationbythenextday.Mr.Ribeirowassohappythathegavethejanitorenoughmoneyforanewcar.He
returnedhomewiththesignedminingconcessionanditwasofficiallypublishedinthepapers.
Thisaerialviewshowsthemineandtheareaarounditasitappearedintheearly1980s.CourtesyBelmontmine.

Mr.Ribeirostoppedworkingintheironoreindustryandformedacompanytominetheareainanorganizedway.Hebroughttheentirefamilyintothe
businessastherewasalotofworkinvolvedingettingaprofessionalminingoperationunderwayaswellassecurityproblemssuchastheftand
invasiontodealwith.
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TheBelmontpropertysufferedsignificantdamagefromthenumerouspitsdugbythegarimpeiros.Mr.Ribeiroeventuallyendedtheirinvolvementintheoperation.Courtesy
Belmontmine.

Inlate1979to1980,heavyrainsfloodedtheminingarea.Withoperationshalted,theybroughtinpumpstoremovethewaterandlookedatwaysto
improvetheirminingtechnologyandmethods.Atthesametime,thegarimpeirosbecameinterestedinemeraldminingatSantaTerezinhainthestate
ofGoias,andmanyofthemmovedtothatarea.ThisalleviatedsomeofBelmontstheftandinvasionproblemsforawhile,butlimitedthemines
manpower.

Thesecircumstancesallowedtimeforestablishingaproperminingplanforthedeposit.Miningengineerswerebroughtin,theopenpitwasdeveloped,
theprocessingplantwasbuiltin1980usingaconveyorbelthandpickingsystem,andproductionresumedatevenstrongerlevels.
Evenintheearly1980s,securitywasamajorconcern.Belmontintroducedaclosedcircuitsystemtomonitorandrecordactivityaroundthemine.CourtesyBelmontmine.

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Belmontbuiltitsfirstsortingplantin1981.CourtesyBelmontmine.

Atthefirstsortingplant,allsortingwasdonebyhandfromconveyorbelts.Thesortersplacedemeraldbearingschistintosuspendedbuckets.CourtesyBelmontmine.
Anotherobstaclearosewhenthegarimpeiroswhohadpreviouslyworkedthepropertyhiredalawyertohelpthemreturntothearea.Theemerald
yieldatSantaTerezinhaprovedtobenotashighastheyhoped.TheirlawyerwenttothegovernmenttoclaimthatMr.Ribeirowasnotpayingthe
requiredtax.Thegovernmentthenauditedhisbankaccount.

Mr.Ribeirosproblemwasthatwhenhewassellingemeraldsfortheothers,alltheproceedswerecomingthroughhisaccount.Hegavetheminers
theirshareincash,buthewaspayingthetaxonlyonhis20percentshare.Thismadeitappearasifhewasnotpayingenoughtax.Therewasno
waytosuccessfullyfightthegovernmentoverthetaxbillsohehadtosellalifetimesworthofpossessionstoraiseenoughmoneytopaythetaxand
keeppossessionofthemine.Luckily,aminingconcessionisnotconsideredanassetsohewasabletoprotectitduringthosetoughtimes.

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In1980,adraglinesystemwasusedinthepitmine.Theorewasscoopedupintoascraperandloadedontoatruckfortransporttotheprocessingplant.CourtesyBelmontmine.

By1982,thefamilyslegalproblemswerebehindthem.Theystillownedtheminingconcession,sotheyresumedminingandimplementedlargerscale
mechanizedmethods.Atthetime,theyutilizedadraglinepitminingmethod.Theydraggedtheearthupinbuckets,takingmud,overburden,andoreto
besentalltogethertotheprocessingplant.Themassofmaterialsmadeprocessingdifficult.

By1985,theyhadpurchasedtheirfirsthydraulicshovel,anexpensivepieceofequipmentthatwasrarelyusedforcoloredstonemininginBrazilat
thetime.Despitewarningsbythesalesperson,whosuggestedsomethingsmallerforemeraldmining,theequipmentpaidforitselfwithinamonth.
Afterthat,miningwaslessexpensive,asthestoneswerebroughtclosertothesurface,makingthemeasiertoextract.

Inthemid1980s,theBelmontmineincorporatedahydraulicshovelintotheiroperation.Itwasabiginvestmentrarelyusedincoloredstoneminingatthetime.CourtesyBelmont
mine.
Theoperationremainedstrictlyopenpituntilthemid1990s,butitbecamemoredifficultasthepitgrewdeeperandlarger,withmoreandmorewaste
removalrequired.Atthattime,explorationandcoresamplingbecamemorecritical,alongwithmoresophisticatedminingmethods.OneofBelmonts
geologistssuggestedmakingverticalshaftstogetabetterunderstandingofthegeology,aswellastodeterminefutureproductionratesandthe
potentialforundergroundmining.Theythoughtundergroundminingcouldbeusefulandeconomicallyviableinareaswherethequantityofoverburden
thatneededtoberemovedtoreachtheemeraldswasprohibitive.Studyingtheminewithanundergroundperspectivewouldalsohelptoplanfuture
miningareas.Theirfirstshaftwas35metersdeep,intheareaoftheoriginalpitand,asexpected,itprovidedhelpfulinformationformineplanning.

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This9.29ctemeraldwasrecentlyrecoveredfromtheundergroundmineatBelmont.Earlyundergroundexplorationprovedtobehighlyworthwhile,asundergroundmininghas
becomeanincreasinglyimportantcontributortoBelmontsoverallproduction.PhotobyRobertWeldon/GIAcourtesyBelmontmine.

Coresamplingbeganinthelate1970sandintensifiedinthe1990s.Atfirst,theyhiredacontractorforcoredrillingratherthanusingtheirown
geologist.ButthecontractortriedtouseBelmontsowndatatomakesurveysfornearbyproperties,sobythelate1990s,Belmontputtogethertheir
owncoredrillingteam.In2001,justwhenplanningforfutureminingactivitiesatBelmontwasheavilyunderway,Mr.Ribeirosgrandson,Marcelo
Ribeiro,graduatedcollegewithadegreeinminingengineering.

MauroRibeiroandaninitialgeologicalteambegancoredrillinginthelate1970stobetterunderstandthedepositspotential.CourtesyBelmontmine.

Themajordecisionthatneededtobemadeatthattimewaswhetherminingtheopenpitwaspossibleforalongerperiodoftimeandwhetheritwould
beeconomicallyviable.Marcelowasinvolvedinthatdecisionmakingprocessandthefamilydecidedtoinvestmoreheavilyintheopenpitoperation.
Theyinstalledmorepumpsforwaterremoval,whichloweredthewaterleveltoallowdeepermining.
MarceloRibeirograduatedwithadegreeinminingengineeringin2001.HewasinstrumentalinmanyofthetechnologicaldevelopmentsatBelmont.CourtesyBelmontmine.

Theseeventsledtothedevelopmentofwhatisnowoneofthehighesttechnologycoloredgemstoneminesintheworld.Aconstantquestfor
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knowledgeaboutthedeposit,aidedbynewtechnology,hasledthewaytocontinueddevelopment.Belmontmanagementistirelesslydevotedtofully
mappingoutthedeposit,learningwheretheemeraldsare,anddeterminingthebestminingmethodologyandmosteffectivetechnology.Thisdevotion
iswhatbroughttheminetoitspresentstate.

TheentirefamilycametogetherforMauroRibeiros70thbirthdayparty.ThegroupincludedayoungMarcelo,seeninthetoprow,thirdfromtheleft.CourtesyBelmontmine.
 LMONTMINHITORY

LMONTGOLOGY
PreviousregionalfieldmappingshowsfourmaingeologicunitsunderlyingItabira,SantaMariadeItabira,andNovaEra:(1)anArcheancratonic
basementcomposedofgneissesandgraniticrocks(2)anArcheangreenstonebelt(maficoceaniccrustaccretedtothecontinentalmarginduring
subduction)(3)LowerProterozoicmetasedimentsthatbelongtotheMinasSupergroupand(4)MediumProterozoicmetasedimentsthatare
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essentiallyquartzite.Twomaintectoniceventsinfluencedthisarea:thePaleoproterozoic(~2.1Gabillionyearsago)transamazonicorogenyandthe
NeoproterozoicBrasilianorogeny(~600Mamillionyearsago).ThelatterbelongstotheglobalPanAfricanframe.

InItabira,theEarlyProterozoicMinasSupergroupincludes,frombottomtotop,paragneissesthatformedthroughthemetamorphismofsedimentary
rocksgreenschiststheCaracagroup,madeofmicaceousquartzitesandsomephyllitestheItabiragroup,containingthemosteconomically
importantitabiriteandhematiteironoreandthePiracicabagroup,composedprimarilyofquarzites,sericites,andphyllites.Theentiresequencewas
subjectedtoregionalmetamorphism.

RegionalGeology

ThisillustrationoutlinestheregionalgeologyaroundtheBelmontmine.Adjustedfrom
Hannietal.,1987

TheformationofemeraldatBelmontisaresultofthemetasomaticreactionbetweenberylliumrichpegmatitesandchromiumrichultramaficrocks.At
Belmont,thedeeplyweatheredArcheangreenstonebeltisincontactwithBorrachudumetagranitoidsandfluoritebearingfoliatedmetagranitoids.The
maficformationsweremetamorphosedtobiotite,talcchloriteschists.TheschistsdominatetheminingareaatBelmontandare750to1000meters
wide,strikingNEtoSW.

Anumberofpegmatitesintrudedintotheschists.Intenseweatheringresultedinalotofthepegmatitesconvertingtokaolin,andquartzpocketsare
distributedbetweenthemetagranitoidsandtheschists.Emeraldsarefoundonlyinthemetasomaticreactionzoneswithinthechloriteschistandblack
phlogopiteschistorinthehighlyalteredpegmatitebodies.

Theoriginofthepegmatitesisstillbeingdebated.SomeresearchersproposethattheyarerelatedtotheBrasilianorogeny(about500Ma)andothers
thinkthattheyformedduringtheearlierTransamazonicorogeny(about1.92.1Ga),withsomeofthelowertemperaturemineralssuchasbiotite
rejuvenatedbythelaterBrasiliantectonothermalevent.

CrosssectionofMiningArea

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Thiseastwestcrosssectionclearlyshowstheminingareasdifferentgeologicalunitsandtheirthicknesses.Drillingcorescrossedthroughalltheunits.CourtesyBelmontmine.

UINMODL
Itsdifficulttopredicttheactuallifeofaminebecausetheminingratedependsonmanyeconomicfactors.Whendemandishigh,miningactivityis
high,andwhendemanddecreases,suchasduringarecession,miningactivityisreduced.Marcelohasnofearofrunningoutofemeralds,butheis
concernedabouteconomicfactorsthatcanmakeminingexpensive,suchasrecessionsthatloweremeraldspercaratprice,fluctuationsincurrency
rates,andevenfuelcosts.
ThisoverviewoftheBelmontmineshowstheoriginalpitwiththeprocessingplantinthebackground.BecauseBelmontisalargescalecoloredgemstoneoperation,global
economicshaveastronginfluenceonitsminingcosts.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

ThishasledBelmonttopursueoperationsthattakeithigherinthevaluechain.Whiletheyhavecontinuallyimprovedtheirsorting,parcelcreation,and
customerbase,severalyearsagotheymovedintomanufacturingandsellingcutstonesratherthanjustrough,hopingtonotonlyincreasethereturn
ontheemeraldstheyminebutalsotomakeitmoreeconomicallyviabletocontinuemining,andtoprolongthelifeofthemine. Fee

Belmontnowcutsthemajorityoftheirownroughproduction,movingtheirbusiness
fartherupthevaluechain.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.
Belmontnowcutsthemajorityofthefacetgraderoughtheyproduceabout70percentbyvalue,about60percentbyvolume.Whendecidingwhat
roughtheywillretainforcuttingandwhatroughtheywillsell,Belmontlooksprimarilyatmarketdemandandcosteffectivenessfactors.Currently,they
cutalltheirfacetgraderoughinBrazil.However,laborcostsarenotaslowasinotherareasoftheworld,sotheymustdetermineifafacetedstone
fashionedinBrazilcanbepricedatagloballycompetitivelevel.Mostoftheircarving,bead,andcabochongradematerialgoestoJaipur,India.

APCIALTONPROGR
WhileGIAfieldgemologistsoftenvisitminesandstudythecompleteminetomarketvaluechain,itisnotoftenthatwecanfollowaparticularstone
fromtheminetothefinalconsumer.Wehadthatchancewitha29.8grampieceofroughfromtheBelmontmine.Thisroughcameoutofthe
undergroundmineatalevel654metersabovesealeveland100metersunderground.Asisusuallythecasewithbothundergroundandpitmines,the
stonewasnotdiscoveredduringtheminingprocessitself.Itwasstillintheschistaftertheblastingandextractionprocesseswerecomplete.

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Ourminetomarketemeraldcamefromtheundergroundoperation,whichrequiredsignificantinvestmentandheavyequipmentlikethisfrontloader.PhotobyDuncanPay/GIA.

Belmontssophisticatedopticalsorterwasthefirsttoseethestone.Thefirsthumansawitrightafteropticalsorting,inthesaferoomwherethe
emeraldcontainingoreisstored.Noonenoteditsquality,however,untilitcametothesortingandgradingfacilityinItabiraandwounduponmine
managerMarcelosdesk.ItwasactuallyMarcelosmotherwhonoticedit.ShecalledMarceloovertoseesomethingextraspecial.

TheBelmontminereliesonthesophisticationofitsopticalsorterstodetectvaluableemeraldrough.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.
TheRibeirofamilyalwayscheckseveryproductionfirst.WhenweaskedMarcelohowoftenhefindssuchlargeandhighqualitycrystals,hereplied,
Itsamatterofluck.ButIbelievewhatbringsmeluckishardwork.Godhelpsthosewhoworkwithpassion.Belmontmineisamazing:Every
productionmaybringasurprise.Iwouldsaywecanhaveonetothreestoneswiththatsizeandqualityperyear.

Theoriginalroughofourminetomarketemeraldwasimpressiveandshowedgreatpotential.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

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Marceloshowedthestonetohiscutterandtheydiscussedtheircuttingstrategy.Marcelodidnotallowhimtostartcutting,ashewantedtolettheGIA
teamsetupanddocumentthecuttingprocess.Hetoldhischiefcutter,Donizete,thattomorrow,myGIAfriendswillmakeavideo,sohecouldshow
themwhathehaslearnedin38yearsofcuttingemeralds.

AsDonizeteturnedthestonetoexamineitfromallangles,hiseyessparkledandhesaid,Listen,youknowthisismylife,IlovewhatIdoandIam
veryhappyyourfriendsarecomingtoseeus.IwilldomybestandGodwillingwewillhaveonebeautifulstoneoutofthestonescutfromthisrough
thatweighsover15carats.Marcelojokinglyasked,Doyouwanttosleepwiththestonetonight?Donizetereplied,laughing,Iwould,butmywifeis
veryjealous.

Marceloandhischiefcutterspentagreatdealoftimediscussingthesawing,preforming,andcuttingofthelargeemeraldrough.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Beforetheyputthestoneintothesafeforthenight,Marceloandhiscutterhadabitmorediscussionabouttheirstrategyforfinishingthestoneand
aboutwheretomakethefirstsawcut.MarcelotriedtopushDonizeteformoredetailsabouthisplansforcuttingtheemeraldbutDonizetejustreplied,
Dontworry,thestonewilltelluswhattodo.

OPN-PITMINING
Forfourtofiveyearsaftertheminingconcessionwasestablished,theycontinuedopenpitminingattheoriginallocationpit#1.Butasthepit
becamedeeper,waterproblemsstartedhamperingtheoperation.Thepitwasatalowareaoftheproperty,verynearwaterlevel,andrainsmade
floodingaconstantproblem.Tocompensate,theymovedsomeminingoperationsnorthward.

OPNPITMINING

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Theyalsodecidedtocontinueminingpit#1andinvestedinmorepumpstoremovethewater,addingyearstothepitslife.Atthetimeofourvisit,pit
#1,calledtheoldpitbyBelmontpersonnel,wasstillbeingmined,althoughitwasbecomingtooexpensiveandapproachingtheendofitsproductive
life.Marceloestimatestheywillbeminingtheoldpitforanothertwoyears.
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Atthetimeofourvisit,therewassomerainwateratthebottomofpit#1.Thewater
reflectedthehydraulicshovelasitloadedthetruck.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Thehydraulicshovelloadsearthintoatruckfortransportoutofpit#1,whichisnowsodeepthatithasreachedthehardrockphlogopyteschist.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Currently,theoriginalpithasonemechanizedshovelgoingdeeperandanothercontinuingthepushbackonthehighwall.Inthepastfiveyears,
Belmonthasgoneabout35metersdeepintotheoriginalpit,whichisapproximately150metersby100metersinsize.Activitywasconstantwhilewe
werethere,withthehydraulicshovelremovingwasteandexposingthereactionzoneore.Theyremovedthehighlyweatheredwhitegranite
overburdentorevealthedarkphlogopitereactionzoneorebeneathit.Intheearlierminingstages,theweatheredphlogopitehadbeengoldenincolor
andeasytoremove.Atthecurrentdepth,thephlogopitereactionzonewasdark,hardrocksimilartowhatisencounteredinanundergroundmine.

Weobservedanothertypeofschist,richinsilica.Marcelosaidtheycallitfoolsschist,afterfoolsgold,becauseitdoesnotcontainemeralds.Also,
whenminingbegan,theoriginalpithadaconcentrationofemeraldsthathadwasheddownfromthehillsideintothepitarea,makingthiseluvial
emeralddepositeasyandprofitabletomine.Alluvialrivergravelbedsofemeraldareextremelyrare,butthesehadbeenweatheredfreeandnot
traveledfarsotheywerestillintact.

Fee
Notalltheschistinthepitscontainsemerald.Somethatcontainsnoemeraldsisreferredtobytheminersasfoolsschist.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

WhileBelmontcannotbeasaccuratewithvalueestimationsasironoreminesorgoldmines,theyfeel,onaverage,theycancomeupwithfairlygood
predictions.Marceloestimatesthereareatleast10to15moreyearsofopenpitminingatBelmont.Pit#1willalsoproveveryusefuloverthecoming
yearsbecauseitcanaccommodateallthetailingsfromtheprocessingplantandallthewasterockfromotherminingoperations.Bynothavingto
transporttailingsandwastematerialveryfar,mineoperatorscansaveconsiderablecosts.Thiscostsavingwillbeonefactorthathelpsextendthe
lifeofthemine.
CurrentandFutureMiningActivities

Fee

FutureminingpitshavealreadybeenplannedbasedonverydetailedexplorationworkbyBelmontgeologists.Currentminingoperationsincludebothopenpitandunderground
mining.CourtesyBelmontmine.

TherearetwootheropenpitsbeingdevelopedatBelmont,withprogressmovingfromsouthtonorth.Theyareidentifiedaspit#2andpit#3.Thethird
pitis500metersfromtheoriginalpit,withpit#2betweenthem.Pit#2isabout200metersby80metersinsize,andexpectedtoreach300metersby
100meters.Pit#3isexpectedtobe100metersby100meters.

CORDRILLINGANDANALYI
OpenpitminingatBelmontstillhasalongpotentiallifespanasitcontinuesintothenorthernareasoftheconcession.Theinvestmentincoredrilling
overthelast15yearsispayingoffinhelpingtoplanforopenpitoperationsovermanymoreyears.
 CORDRILLING

Belmonthascoredrilledover15,000meters,atanaveragecostofabout$200USDpermeter.TheBelmontgeologistshavebecomeexpertsat
readingthelithologyofthephlogopiteschistcoredrillings.Theysendthecoresforchemicalanalysis,thenfeedtheinformationintoamathematical
modelBelmontisdevelopingtopredictemeraldconcentrationsaswellasthequalityofemeraldintheore.Coresamplingfollowsthestandardmining
blockmodel,wheretheydividetheoreintocubicblocksbythreedimensionalcomputermodeling.Eachblockisthenassignedanestimateofthe
revenuethatcanberecoveredbyminingthatblock. Fee

FortheGIAteam,MarceloRibeiroexplainstheimportanceofcoredrillinginplanningfutureminingefforts.PhotobyDuncanpay/GIA.

Thedataiscompiledfromcoresamplingsandminingactivity.Projectedrevenueisdeterminedbymathematicallyestimatingthequantityofemeraldin
theblock,andtosomedegreeitsqualityandvalue.Thiscombinationofinformationmakesanalysismoredifficultthanitwouldbeforothercommercial
minerals.

Theirqualityestimateisactuallyanestimateofthecolorqualityoftheemeraldsintheblock.Throughtheirmathematicalchemistrymodel,theycan
measuretheamountofchromiumpresent,whichhelpsthemunderstandthepotentialqualityofthegreencolor.Bymeasuringtheironandvanadium
content,theycananalyzethepotentialstrengthofthecolormodificationbyblueoryellowhues.
 THIMPORTANCOFCORAMPLING

Theycannotyetaccuratelyestimatethecrystallizationorclarity.However,theyareworkingonunderstandingtherelationshipbetweentheberyllium,
chromium,iron,andpossibleotherelementstopotentialcrystallization.Thiswillnottellthemifmechanicalcracksarepresentbuttheyhopetobeable
topredictifthecrystalswillbemilkyorclear.

Fee

Coredrillingsamplesprovidetheinformationneededforplanningmininglocationsaswellasforanalyzingpotentialemeraldquality.Theyalsoactasapermanentreference.
PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.
3DModelingfromCoreSampling

Belmonthascreateda3Dmodelbasedoncoredrillingdatafrommanyareasofthemine.Themodelisveryimportantforplanningfutureminedevelopment.CourtesyBelmont
mine.

UNDRGROUNDMINING Fee

In1994,thecurrentrampstyleundergroundminestartedoutasthreesmallverticalshaftsfromwhichhorizontaltunnelscalledgallerieswere
excavatedwiththegoalofbetterunderstandingtheformationoftheemeraldinthehardrockphlogopiteschist.Atthattime,Belmonthadonlybeen
miningtheweatheredphlogopiteschistinthepitmine.Observingtheemeraldsundergroundintheschistprovidedabetterideaoftheratioofemeralds
torock,alongwiththedirectionofemeraldformationandreactionzones.Theverticalshaftswereforresearch,andtostudythepossibilityof
progressingtoundergroundmining.

UNDRGROUNDMINING
 Fee

WhenGIAvisitedtheBelmontminein2004,theonlyaccesstotheundergroundtunnels
wasbyaverticalshaft.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

OverallMiningArea

Thisisa3Dviewofthewholeminingarea.Openpitsarelocatedprimarilywithinthealteredorebody,whiletheundergroundoperationfocusesonthecompactorebody.Courtesy
Belmontmine.

Afterseveralyears,Belmontfeltconfidentenoughtomaketheconsiderableinvestmentrequiredtodeveloparampstyleundergroundmine.Theramp
neededtobelargeenoughtoallowfrontloadersandtruckstoenterthemine,workinthemine,andhauloreoutofthemine.Theoriginalverticalshaft
wasintegratedintoaventilationshaftfortherampmine.Exhaustpipesareusedtohelpremovethedustthroughtheverticalshaft.Theshaftalso
servesasanemergencyexit.Oneofthekeystoundergroundminingisventilation.Besidestheverticalshaft,thereisapipingsystemthatprovides
airthroughoutthemine.

Wiresontheleftsideofthetunnelprovideelectricitywhiletubingontheupperrightprovidesventilation.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Fee
Duringfullproduction,30to40truckloadsofmaterialcanberemovedfromtheundergroundmine,totalingabout400to500tonsoforeaday.During
ourvisittheywereremovingabout15truckloadsaday,foratotalofabout200tonsofore.Thecurrentstateoftheundergroundmineisvery
impressive,withbetweentwoandthreekilometersofundergroundtunnels.Themainrampisabout500meterslong,fromthesurfacetothedeepest
pointinthemine.Thisrampisthemainroadintothemineanditis4X5metersinsize.Thisallowsenoughspaceforfrontloaderstoloadtrucks,and
forthetruckstomovefreelyinandoutofthemine.

Thisfrontloaderispoisedtoloadoreintoatruck.Itsitsonaraisedplatformtomakeloadingeasier.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Withgemstonemining,itcanbeadvantageoustomineatmultiplelocations.Belmontscurrentproductioncomeshalffromtheundergroundmineand
halffromtheopenpit.Itisdifficulttopredictthequalityofmaterialobtainedatanyproductionpointatanylocation.Byminingboththeunderground
mineandthepitmine,Belmontgetsagoodrangeofmaterialforparcels.However,in20yearstheundergroundminemayneedtoproduceafar
higherpercentageofore.Becauseofthis,Belmonthasdesignedtheundergroundminewiththegoalofdoublingthecurrentrateofproduction.

Whileitiseasiertominetheopenpit,theundergroundminerequireslessremovalofwaste,asminingistakingplacedirectlyinthephlogopiteschist.
Tominethecurrentundergroundmineasanopenpit,Belmontminerswouldhavetofirstremove70metersofoverburdentoreachtheschist.They
determineditwaseconomicallymoreprudenttominethisareaasanundergroundmine.

MINPLANNING

Theundergroundminingprocessbeginswithblastingtoremovethephlogopiteschist.Scraperspulltheschistthathasbeenblastedfreedowntothe
mainramp.There,itcanbeloadedintothetrucksandhauledtotheprocessingplant.TheblastingopensupwhatBelmontcallsminingpanelsinthe Fee
rock.Thepanelwesawwasareactionzoneabout1.5metersthick.Belmonthadbeenfollowingthisreactionzone,blastingitfreeandpullingitdown
withthescrapers.Ascraperconsistsofawinchthathaulsbucketsofmaterialdownfromtheminingpanelthroughthetunnel,toapointwhereitcan
bepickedupbyafrontloaderandthentakentothetruck.Thetruckthentakesitoutoftheminethroughthemainramp.

Beingabletodrivetrucksdowntheramptotheminingareagivesundergroundminingahugeadvantageformovingmaterial,butitalsorequiresalargeinitialinvestmenttomake
thetunnelwideanddeepenoughtoaccommodatelargetrucks.PhotobyDuncanPay/GIA.
3DMapofUndergroundMine

Theundergroundminingoperationiswelldeveloped,withrampstyleentranceslargeenoughtoaccommodatetrucks,andnumerousgalleriesandminingpanelsthatare
constantlybeingmappedoutasminingprogresscontinues.CourtesyBelmontmine.

Thestonesinweatheredphlogopiteminedfromtheopenpittendtobesmallerthanthoseinthehardrockphlogopiteoftheundergroundmine.
However,extractionoftheweatheredphlogopiteintheopenpitdoesnotrequireblastingsothereislessdamagetoemeraldcrystals.Intheend,the
stonesfrombothsourcetypesoftenwindupaboutthesamesizeandquality.Also,theoriginalpitisnowsodeepthatithasreachedthelevelofhard
rockphlogopiteschist.

Fee

Truckloadsoforeleavetheminefortheprocessingfacility,whichhasbeenrevampedtohandlehardrockschist.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.
Intheemeraldbearingzones,whiteberylliumrichpegmatiteintrudesintochromiumrichphlogopiteschist.PhotobyDuncanPay/GIA.

TAT-OF-TH-ARTPROCING
Atthemoment,mostoftheorefromthepitminingoperationlooksthesameasthatfromtheundergroundoperation.Thisisduetothefactthatmostof
thepitminingproductionisfrompit#1,whichmeansitcomesmostlyfromphlogopiteschistthatissimilartothehardrockintheundergroundmine.
Thegolden,weatheredphlogopiteschisthasmostlybeenminedoutofpit#1andtheyareintothehardrockschistatthispoint.Forthisreason,the Fee
processingplantisgearedprimarilytoprocessinghardrockschist,wherebeforeitwasgearedmostlytoprocessingweatheredschist.Pit#2has
alsoreachedhardrockphlogopiteschistsoitrequireshardrockprocessingmethods.

PROCINGTHOR

Theprocessstartswhenthetrucksbringtheschisttotheprocessingplantandunloaditintothefirstgrating.Anyschistsmallerthan500millimeters
fallsthroughthegratingandintothefirstjawcrusher.Ahydraulichammerbreaksupthelargepiecesofschistsotheycanfitthroughthefirstgrating.
Aseriesofcrushersandscreensreducesalltheschistdownto40millimetersinsize.Schistthatslessthan40millimetersinsizegoestothehydro
clean,whichsubjectstheschisttohighwaterpressurestothoroughlycleanitandmaketheemeraldsmorevisibletotheopticalsorter.
 Belmontinvestedheavilyinconvertingtheirprocessingfacilitytohandlehardrockinsteadoftheloosedirttheyhadfocusedoninthepast.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Previously,watercannonswereusedtocrushandwashtheweatheredphlogopiteschist.Thesewereineffectiveagainstthehardrockphlogopite
Belmontiscurrentlymining,socrushersandthehydrocleansystemhavetakentheirplace.HydrocleantechnologyisfromGermanyandismuch
betterthanwatercannonsbecauseitusesmuchlesswaterandenergy,andhasmuchhighercapacity.
Fee

Directlyafterhydrocleanprocessing,screensseparatetheschistbysize.Therearethreesizeclassifications:small,atlessthan10millimeters
medium,between10and20millimetersandlarge,from20to40millimeters.Belmontusestwoopticalsortersonefortheunder10millimeterschist
andtheotherforthemediumandlargematerial.

TheProcessingPlant
WGALLRY

Theoriginalprocessingplant,builtin1981andoperateduntilOctober2013,wasdesignedfortheweatheredphlogopiteschistore.Significant
investmentwasneededtoconverttheplantforprocessingthehardrockphlogopiteschist.Theyexpectthenewprocessingplanttooperateforabout
aslongastheoriginal.Althoughtheinvestmentwassubstantial,itallowsthemtoefficientlyprocessthetypeoforetheyarenowminingandtomake
wayforthepotentialproductioncapacityofthefuture.Thecurrentplantcanprocessthreetimesmorethanthepriorplant,withhalfthelabor.By
increasingproductioncapacityandloweringoperatingcosts,theprocessingplantisoneofthemeasuresBelmonthasenactedtoincreasethemines
productivelife.

PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION
Currently,Belmontneedstomoveanaverageof8to10timesmorewasterockthanreactionzoneorefromitsopenpits.Thismeansthattorecover
onetonofphlogopiteschistreactionzone,Belmonthastomove8to10tonsofwaste.Outoftheonetonofreactionzoneore,Belmontrecoversan
averagetwogramsofemeraldrough,whichyieldsonaverageabouttwocaratsofcutstones.Overall,Belmontmines11tonsofrockforeverytwo
caratsofcutemeraldsfromitsopenpits.

PRDICTINGMRALDQUALITY

Fee

Undergroundminingrequireslessrockhandlingandwaste.Intheundergroundmine,Belmontminesonetonofwastetoonetonofreactionzoneore,
sotheyaveragetwotonsofrockminedtotwocaratsofcutemerald.FiftypercentofBelmontsproductioncomesfromopenpitminingand50percent
fromundergroundmining.Atthismoment,mostoftheopenpitproductionisfrompit#1.Thatwillchangeafteracoupleofyearsandpits#2and#3will
dominateopenpitproduction.

Attheminesonsiteprocessingplant,MarceloRibeirolooksthroughthecontentsofthelockedboxestoanalyzetheminesroughproduction.Theboxeswillbesenttothesorting
houseinItabira.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

PROTCTINGTHNVIRONMNT
Belmontplacesahighpriorityonenvironmentalprotectionandrestoration.Thereasonsforthisinclude:
Theyfeelitistherightthingtodo.

Themineistheirhome,wheretheirranchstillexistsandthefamilyhasaconnectiontotheland.
 TheenvironmentalregulationsinBrazilhavebecomeverystrict,especiallyastheminingoperationbecomeslarger.

Theyfeelthereisagrowingmarketingadvantagetoofferingethicallyminedgemstonesaswellaspromotingenvironmentallysound,
green,practicesforagreenstonelikeemerald

RCLAMATIONANDRFORTATION

Fee
Oneofthemainconcernsinanyminingoperationiswatercontamination.Waterisnecessaryforgemstonemining,especiallyduringtheprocessing
oftheoreandrecoveryofthegemstones.Themainenvironmentalproblemwithgemstoneminingisthatthewaterbecomescontaminatedwith
particlesfromtheoverburdendirtandgravel,andinthiscase,alsoschist,asitwashesawaythesematerialstorevealthegemstones.

Belmontswaterreclamationsystemconsistsofaseriesofgravityfedponds.PhotobyAndrewLucas.

Belmontusesasevenpondfiltrationsystemtoremoveparticlesandtofurtherpurifythewaterusedduringminingandoreprocessing.Thepondsare
atslightlydifferentelevationssogravitycausesthewatertopassfromonepondtotheother,becomingpurerasitprogresses.Thepulp(waterplus
solidssmallerthan0.06mm)passesslowlythroughthepondsasthewaterfiltersthroughthesystem,andthesolidparticlessettleintotheponds.
Belmontroutinelycleanstheponds,removingtheparticlesedimentsandbringingthembacktotheminingareatobeusedasbackfill.

Bythetimethewaterisreturnedtotheriver,thepondfiltrationprocesshasremoved99.5percentofallparticlesandalsointroducedoxygentothe
water.Attheendoftheprocessthewaterexceedsallparameterstoqualifyforhumanconsumptionandiscleanerthanthewaterintheriveritis
beingreturnedto.Theprocesscleans200cubicmetersofwateranhour.Belmontisworkingtorefinetheprocessfor100percentremovalofparticles
fromthewater.

Besideswaterreclamation,anothergoalofgreenminingistorefillpitsandotherminedareasandreforestthoseareas.Theminingprocessremoves
materialsthatdonotcontainemeraldstoreachthemineralizedzones.Belmontdrillsandblaststhenonemeraldcontainingrocks,andhydraulic
shovelsloadthematerialintotrucksfortransporttothewastepilefordumping.Thewastepileisthenleveledandreforested.Duringourvisit,we
witnessedthelevelingofthewastepileforpit#1.

Fee
Theearthremovedfrompit#1hasbeenplacedintheareaaboveitandisbeingleveledoffforreforestation.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Belmontiscurrentlymoving900,000tonsofwasteperyearandsofarhasreforested50hectares(about123acres).Pit#1isstillbeingmined,but
onceitsemeraldbearingmaterialisfullydepleted,itwillbebackfilledwiththewastefromtheotherpits.Oncepit#1iscompletelybackfilleditwillbe
reforested.Thatisexpectedtobecompletedinabout10years.

Belmonthasitsownreforestationteam.Itsmanagerhasadegreeinenvironmentalengineering.Theyhaveanurserywheretheyraisetreesfor
reforestation.Belmontconsidersitimperativetohaveenoughofavarietyofnativetreestorebuildtheforesttoexactlythesamestateitwasinbefore
mining.TheBelmontcrewtakesonallresponsibilityforrebuildingthenaturalhabitat,includingcheckingtoseethatthesamenumberofanimalsreturn
toliveinthereforestedareathatwasthereoriginally.

Theearthbeingdumpedfrompit#1willbeleveledandtheareawillbereforestedtolooksimilartotheforestedareainthebackground.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.
Theirmethodscombineenvironmentalrestorationwithsoundminingeconomics.Theyreducethedistancewastehastobetransportedbyplacingthe
pitsneareachotherandminingthesamevein.Bybackfillingpit#1withthewastefromtheotherpits,transportationcostsarereduced.Thisalso
allowsthemtoremovewasteandplaceitinanalreadyminedareasotheydonothavetodegradevirginland.WhenBelmontplansminingactivities,
theyalsoplanenvironmentalprotection,suchasreforestation,rightfromthebeginning.Thetwoeffortsareintimatelyconnected.Oneofthebiggest
costfactorsinminingtodayisenvironmentalprotection,soplanningfromthestarttominimizeenvironmentaldegradationisnotonlytherightthingto
dobutalsoeconomicallysound.

ORTING
Sortingbeginsattheprocessingplant,whereopticalsortersseparateemeraldbearingfromnonbearingschist.Belmonthasusedopticalsorting
since2004.Beforethat,workershandpickedtheemeraldbearingschistfromconveyorbelts.Eveninthe1980s,Belmontwaslookingforamore
automatedsortingmethod,buttheydidnotfindthepropertechnologyuntil2004.

OPTICALORTING

Fee

Theopticalsortershaveproventobemoreconsistentthanhumansortersinfindingemeralds.Theoriginalopticalsorterhasbeencompletelyupdated
withnewclosedcircuitcameras,computers,andsoftware.Also,theyaddedanadditionalopticalsorter.Theoriginalopticalsorterhasbeenoptimized
tosortschistthatisbetween2and10millimetersinsizeandthesecondopticalsorterfrom10to40millimetersinsize.Bothopticalsortershave
abouta95percentaccuracyrateforidentifyingemeraldbearingschistfrommineore,andareconsistentfromdaytodayandhourtohour.Belmont
feelsthatwithsomefurtherrefinementstotheprocesstheywillachieve97to98percentaccuracy.

TheBelmontsortingfacilityof1981wasstateoftheartforcoloredgemstonesatthetime,withconveyorbeltshandlingdifferentschistsizes.By2004,however,Belmonthad
TheBelmontsortingfacilityof1981wasstateoftheartforcoloredgemstonesatthetime,withconveyorbeltshandlingdifferentschistsizes.By2004,however,Belmonthad
incorporatedstateofthearttechnologyintheformofanopticalsorter.CourtesyBelmontmine.

ThisisoneofBelmontsopticalsorters,whichfindandseparateemeraldbearingschist.Theminehastwosorterstohandledifferentsizeranges.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Basically,theclosedcircuitcamerasscanschistcomingthroughtheopticalsorteronaconveyorbeltforemerald.Whenemeraldbearingschistis
Fee
identified,airjetsblowitoffontoanotherconveyorbelt.Theneweropticalsorterhasstrongerairjetsthatcanblowthelargerpiecesofemerald
bearingschistontothesecondconveyorbelt.

HOWTHOPTICALORTRWORK

Thecapacityoftheopticalsorterthathandleslargerschistsizesis5to15tonsperhour,dependingonthesizeofthematerialcomingthrough.The
capacityoftheopticalsorterthathandlessmallerschistsizesisonly2tonsperhour.Belmontispreparingtoaddanotheropticalsorterinthefutureto
increaseprocessingofthesmallerschist.Thematerialmustbeinasinglelayerinorderforthecamerastorecognizethepresenceofemerald.Since
smallerschistweighsless,itoperatesatalowertonperhourrate.

Aftersorting,theemeraldbearingschististransportedtoBelmontsfinalsortingandcuttingfacilityinItabira.Thefirststepistobreakawaythe
phlogopiteandoftenquartztoleavejusttheemeraldcrystal.Workersuseplierstobreakthehostrockawayfromtheemerald,thentobreakaway
anyhighlyincludedareasinaprocesscalledcobbing.Theroughisthenreadyforsortingandgradingintoparcels.
Highlyincludedareasoftheemeraldcrystalandremnantsofthehostschistareremovedfromtheroughbycobbingwithpliers.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Belmontsortsemeraldroughintocategoriesofsize,shape,color,andcrystallizationorclarity.Therearefivesizeclassifications,andthereare10
furtherclassificationswithineachsizerange.Shapecomesintoplaywhentheroughstonesareflatandwillbeusedformarquises,baguettes,etc.
Theseareplacedinaseparategroupforfurthergrading.
Fee

AttheirfacilityinItabira,Belmontsorterssortthecobbedemeraldroughintocategoriesofsize,shape,color,andclarity.PhotobyEricWelch/GIA.

THCUTTINGCNTR
BelmonthasasmallcuttingfacilitythatutilizesIsraelicuttingmachinesthataremodernimprovementsovertraditionaljampegdevices,wherethe
roughgemisattachedtoadopthatistheninsertedintoaguidethatallowsfastadjustmentofthecuttinganglesfromfacettofacet.Traditional
jampegshavelongbeenusedthroughoutAsia.ModernimprovementsintheIsraelimachinesallowfastplacementofthedopalongwithimproved
precision.
 CUTTINGLMONTMRALD

Belmontsgirdlingandcalibrationmachinesareallhandoperated,buttheequipmentalsoallowsforprecisecalibrationmeasurements.Duringourvisit,
theywerecuttingnumerousemeraldsintovariouscalibratedsizesforspecificjewelrymountings.CuttingisnotasinexpensiveinBrazilasinother
partsoftheworld,sothecuttingmustbepreciseandofhighquality.Duringthefacetingprocess,theBelmontcuttersconstantlycheckthestonesfor
symmetryandpolishquality.

Fee

FacetingaBelmontEmerald
WGALLRY
Belmontsgirdlingmachineisusedforroundsandothershapes.Itcanbesettofashionastonesmeasurementstowithinahundredthofamillimeter.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

CUTTINGTHMIN-TO-MARKTROUGH
This,ofcourse,wasnottheprocessusedforthelargestonebeingcutfromthenearly150caratpieceofroughwewereplanningtotrackfrommine
tomarket.Thiswasalarge,finequalityemeraldthatwouldbecuttomaximizebeautyandweightrecovery.Anyspecificmeasurementswere
meaninglesscomparedtothosetwocriteria,asthemountingwouldbecustommadetofitthestone. Fee

CUTTINGTHMRALD

Thefirststepinthecuttingprocesswastosawthestone.Marceloequatedsawinganimportantstonewithgambling.Itisveryexciting,amomentof
highadrenalin.Marcelosaid,Wecangetaddictedtoit.Healsosaid,regardingthesawingprocess,Youcangofromheaventohellortheopposite
justafteronesawing.
 Theminetomarketroughstartedoutasanalreadyimpressivecrystal.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

MarceloandDonizetehadhighexpectationssincetheyfoundtheroughsoamazinglybeautiful.AsMarcelosaid,Wehadabigfeartomakea
wrongdecisionanddamagewhatnaturemadesocarefully.

Fee
Afterthefirstsawing,Marcelotoldus,Wedidtherightthing,andtheirfirstfeelingwasakindofrelieffromtheinitialpressure.Theyimmediately
regainedtheirexcitementforthenextsawingsteps.

SawingaSpecialEmerald
WGALLRY

Theoriginalroughweighed29.8grams.Belmontsmastercutterstartedbycleaningitandcreatingwindowsintothegemwiththegrinderwheeltohelp
withdecisionsonwheretostartsawing.Eachstepprovidedabetterinteriorviewthatledtofurthercuttingdecisions.Thesawingprocessresultedin
39sawnpiecesofcuttablerough,weighingatotalofalmost134carats.

Thelargestwasa40.68caratpieceofrough,whichwassawnseveraltimestogetittothedesiredpointofclarityandquality.Itsshapeallowedvery
goodweightretention,andthequalitywasgood,sothehopewasforacutstonethatwascloseto50percentoftheweightofthesawnrough,agood
percentageforcoloredstones,especiallybrightones.
 SawingResults
WGALLRY

Thesawingprocessrevealedincludedproblemareasinthe40.68caratpieceofrough.Theywereremoved.Thequestionofwhichoftwotable
directionstotakewassettledbythelastsawing,afteradarkandverynoticeableinclusionwasremoved.Itwasatoughchoiceasthesawremoved
weighttheydidnotwanttolose,butthedarkinclusionhadtoberemovedtoyieldafinecutstone.Themastercutterchangedtoanextremelypaper
thinsawbladetoallowforminimalweightloss.
Fee

Thesawnminetomarketstonewaspreformedagainstagrindingwheeltodefineitsshapebeforefaceting.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Therewasanotherincludedareathatcouldhavebeensawnoffbeforepreforming,butthemastercutterdecidedhewouldratherremovethearea
graduallywiththegrinder.Someemeraldroughhasinternalcharacteristicsthatmakeitbrittleanddifficulttopreform.Thisroughhadgoodqualityand
wasverystableduringthecriticalpreformingstage.Also,theroughitselfwaspartiallypreformedbynature,withareasofthecrystalalreadyshaped
likeapavilionandanareashapedforthetable.Thesawingprocessremovedthisadvantageforsomeofthesawnstonesbutstillleftthesomeofthe
naturalusefulshapeforthelargeststone,ourminetomarketstone.
Atthisstage,theemeraldisbeginningtolookmorelikeafinishedstone.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Fee

Afterpreforming,ourminetomarketemeraldweighed26.95carats.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Thesawingandpreformingstageshelpedguidetheremovalofsignificantvalueloweringinclusionsaswellastableorientationandcuttingdirections.
Thefacetingstephadastronginfluenceonthebrightnessofthestone,astheexactproportionsofthepavilionangle,crownangle,tablepercentage,
andotherfacetplacementsweredecided.Again,thereisalwaysacompromisewithexpensiveroughbetweenbringingoutthebestcolorand
brightness,furtherreducinganyvisibleinclusions,andcreatingpleasingsymmetryandretainingasmuchofthevaluableweightaspossible.Through
yearsofexperience,Belmontcuttersknowwhattheircustomersarelookingforintermsofappearanceandcostpercarat.
 FacetingtheMinetomarketStone
WGALLRY

Duringfaceting,thestonewascuttomaximizelightreturnandgainattractiveproportionsandsymmetry,withtheaddedgoalofmaximizingweight
yield,alwaysadifficultblendofobjectives.Someweighthadtobelosttoachieveareturnofthebeautifulgreencolortotheeye.Thepavilionofthe
stonehadtobeangledproperlysotherewasnounsightlywindowwherecolorintensitywaslost,whilealsokeepinginmindthehighcostofremoving
everybitofweight.Afterthefacetingwascomplete,thefinishedstoneweighed19.70carats.
Fee

Oncethestonewasremovedfromthedop,someofthewaxwasstillvisibleonthepavilion.Next,itwillbecleaned,examined,andenhanced.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

IMPROVINGTHTONAPPARANC
Thevastmajorityofemeraldsinthemarket,includingveryhighendemeralds,undergoclarityenhancement.Thisinvolvesfillingsurfacereaching
fissureswithacolorlesstonearcolorlessmaterialtomakethemlessvisible.Gemstonefissuresarefilledwithair,whichmakesthemveryvisiblein
thestone.Whenaforeignmaterialwithsimilaropticalpropertiestothegemmaterialisusedtofillthefissures,theybecomemuchlessvisible.
Generally,theclosertherefractiveindexofthecolorlesstonearcolorlessfillermaterialistotherefractiveindexoftheemerald,thebetteritconceals
thefissure.Avarietyofoils,resins,epoxies,andpolymersareusedtofillfissuresinemerald.
 NHANCINGTHMRALD

Forthisspecialminetomarketemerald,Marcelotoldusthecustomershehasinmindprefertheuseofcedarwoodoiltofillthefissures.Whileatthe
BelmontsortingandcuttingfacilityinItabira,wewitnessedtheentireenhancementprocess.

Fee

Belmontusescedarwoodoiltofracturefilltheiremeralds,asmanyoftheircustomersrequestthismaterial.PhotobyAndrewLucas/GIA.

Aftercleaningthefissuresoutwithasolvent,thestonewassoaked,alongwithafewoftheotherstonescutfromthesamerough,inabeakerfullof
cedarwoodoil,addingheattoallowforbetterpenetrationoftheoilintotheemerald.Thisisusualpracticeforenhancementprocesseslikethis,where
aslightamountofheatandpressuremakestheoilflowmorethoroughlyintothefissures.
 EnhancingtheStone
WGALLRY

Beforeenhancement,wejoinedtheBelmontprofessionalsinexaminingtheemeralds.Theypointedoutthefissuresthattheyhopedwouldbeless
visibleafterenhancement.Cuttinggemstonesalwaysinvolvescompromise.Thisisespeciallytrueofhighervaluematerial.Toremovethefissures
duringcuttingwouldhaverequiredtoomuchlossofweightfromtheroughtobeeconomicallyviable.Afterexaminingthestoneagain,itwasplacedin
thebeakerofcedarwoodoilandsoakedovernight.
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Thenextday,theemeraldswereremovedfromthebeakerandtheoilwaswipedoffthesurfaceandthenwashedwithwaterandbabyshampoo
beforeanotherexamination.Thevisibilityofthefissureshadlessened,butnotasmuchastheyhadhopedfor,sotheemeraldswentbackintoa
beakerofcedarwoodoilandwereagainsoakedovernightforfurtherenhancement.Thisprocesssometimesgoesonforseveraldaystoachievethe
bestresults.

R-CUTTINGTHTON
Afterenhancement,Marcelowasstillnothappywiththevisibilityofonefissureonthepavilion.Hedecidedtorepolishthestoneslightlyandremove
someofthefissure,makingitlessvisible.Recuttingorrepolishingexpensivematerialisalwaysadecisionthatrequiresexperienceandplanning.
Withinexpensivematerial,itissometimesamatterofconsideringlaborcosts.Forexpensivematerial,itisaquestionofwhetherthegaininbeautywill
raisethepercaratpriceenoughtocompensatefortheeffectsoftheweightloss.Thereisalsoalwaysanelementofriskanytimeastoneisrecut.

Afterreevaluatingallthecutemeralds,fromthesmallesttothelargest,Marceloandhismastercuttermadethepainfuldecisiontoslightlyrecuttheminetomarketstonetoremove
someofafissure.PhotobyDuncanPay/GIA.
 Emeraldinparticularissubjecttobreakingorchippingduringrecutting,moresothansomeotherstones.Inthiscase,achipoccurredduringre
polishingofthepavilion,resultinginareductionofweightfrom19.70caratsto18.17carats.Thestonethenwentthroughtheenhancementprocess
againandwasreadytotravelintotheglobalmarketplace.

WhenMarcelowasaskedifthefinallargestcutstonefromtheroughmethisinitialexpectations,hesaidYes,thatwasanamazingstone,bigand
beautiful.Iwashappywedidagoodjob.FinequalitystoneslikethataresorarethatIgotjealousandpossessiveaboutit,likehavinganewborn
baby.

NTRINGTHGLOALMARKT
Marceloandthe18.17caratemeraldarrivedinNewYorkCityonFriday,April25,atabout8:00inthemorning.Aftercheckingintohishotel,hetook
thestonetotheGIALaboratoryinNewYorkforareport.Marcelofeltthatagemologicalreportwouldaddagreatdealofvaluewhensellingalarge,
highqualityemerald.MarceloalsoshowedthestonetoacoupleofhighendNewYorkjewelers.

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Bothemeraldsarefromtheoriginallargepieceofrough.Thelargeroneisthe18.17caratminetomarketstone.BothwerephotographedinNYwhilereceivingtheirGIA
Laboratoryreports.PhotobyGIA.

EmeraldReport
WGALLRY
ThenextstopfortheemeraldwastheJuneGemandJewelryShowinHongKong.Atthatshow,itwassoldtoajewelrymanufacturerandretailer
fromThailand.ThejewelerhastworetailstoresinBangkok,thefirstoneestablishedin2009.Hehadbeenajewelerfor22years,however,and
startedmakingjewelrywhenhewas13yearsold.Mostofhisclientsareprivatecollectorslookingforjewelrywithcustomdesignsanduniqueand
highendgemmaterials.Thecompanyhasatotalof35employeesinitstworetailstoresandajewelrymanufacturingfactory,allinBangkok.The
ownerdoesallthejewelrydesignsandsupervisesalltheproduction.Mostofhisproductionishandfabricated,withsomewaxcarvingandcastingas
requiredbythedesign.

Hisjewelrydesignsfeaturecoloredstonesprominentlyandincluderuby,sapphire,emerald,fancycoloreddiamonds,Padparadschasapphire,
alexandrite,andothermorerarematerialslikeMelopearls.Fancydiamondcolorsincludeshadesofyellow,blue,andpink,andmaybeusedas
centerstonesoraccentstones.Colorlessdiamondsareusuallyusedasaccentstones.Thepreciousmetalsusedinthejewelerspiecesinclude18K
yellowandwhitegold,22Kyellowgold,18Krosegold,andplatinum.

Thejewelersetourminetomarketemeraldina22Kgoldringwithwireprongs.Micropavsettingsheldsixorangediamonds,fiveyellowdiamonds,
94pinkdiamonds,and19colorlessdiamonds.Thedeep,velvety,grassgreencoloroftheemeraldinspiredthefloraldesign.Thefancycolored
diamondsaddcontrastandreflecttherangeofcolorsseeninflowers.Theyellow,orange,andcolorlessdiamondsrepresentflowerpetals,whilethe
pinkdiamondsongoldwirerepresentthestemsandbranches.Theemeraldwassetatanangletocreateamorelivelyappearance.

Thepersonwhoboughttheringisaregularclientwholikestocollectfinequalitycoloredstonesinuniquelydesignedjewelry.Herdesigntaste
centersonnaturalandfreeflowingshapesandfloraldesigns.ShealsowasintriguedbytheBraziliansourceoftheemeraldandtheBelmontmines
environmentalpractices.
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Thisemerald,minedfromanoriginalpitoftheBelmontminenearItabira,Brazil,receivedagemologicallabreportinNewYorkCitywhileitwasbeing
displayedaroundtheNYmarket,andthentraveledtoHongKong,whereitwaspurchasedatatradeshowbyajewelerfromThailand.Thestonewas
thenmountedinacustomdesignedring,putintothejewelersretailstore,andsoldtosomeonewhohighlyappreciatesuniquefinejewelry,thus
completingitsglobalminetomarketjourneyandeventuallybecomingatreasureforaconsumertoenjoy.

OurmagnificentemeraldtraveledfromBraziltoNY,thentotheHongKongGemandJewelryShow,andwasfinallysetinacustomdesignedringinBangkok,Thailand.Photo
courtesyM.SuradejJoaillerie.

AOUTTHAUTHOR
AndrewLucasisManagerofFieldGemologyatGIAinCarlsbad,CaliforniaDuncanPayisEditorinChiefofGems&GemologyandDirectorof
ContentStrategyatGIACarlsbadShaneMcClureisDirector,WestCoastIdentificationMarceloRibeiroisGeneralManageroftheBelmontmine
TaoHsuisTechnicalEditorofGems&GemologyPedroPaduaistheVideoProduceratGIACarlsbad.

DICLAIMR
DICLAIMR
GIAstaffoftenvisitmines,manufacturers,retailersandothersinthegemandjewelryindustryforresearchpurposesandtogaininsightintothe
marketplace.GIAappreciatestheaccessandinformationprovidedduringthesevisits.Thesevisitsandanyresultingarticlesorpublicationsshould
notbetakenorusedasanendorsement.

ACKNOWLDGMNT
TheauthorsgratefullyacknowledgetheassistanceprovidedbytheBelmontmineanditspersonnel.

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