khmer sources

Pailin, protected by the Cardamom mountains and surrounded by impenetrable jungle, is rich in natural resources, especially gems. Conflict rages about how much of this wealth remains, how it should be exploited, and by whom.
Pailin, a city near the western border with Thailand, is Cambodia’s gemstone capital. During the civil war, Pailin was a Khmer Rouge stronghold and the group’s main source of income. Precious stones have had a much longer history in the region however, and there is much folklore related to the industry.

One of the most popular stories tells of the change from hunter-gatherer culture to an organised trading society. Residents say Pailin's first inhabitants made their living hunting animals in the dense forest. The villagers became expert hunters with spear and bow and the population increased. The spirits of the forest became anxious that the forests would soon be emptied of wildlife. They told the people that, if they would stop hunting and lay down their arms, they would find something of far greater value. People must only go and look in the many mountain streams of the region, the spirits said, and they would find wealth beyond their dreams in the clear running waters. From that day, the prospectors say, locals and outsiders alike have found gemstones in abundance.

The area, once rich in a wide variety of gemstones, was intensively mined by the Khmer Rouge. Today, the high-priced jewels of the past are gone, replaced by cheaper mostly semi-precious gems.

Sheak Chhan Dara, 48, is a Pailin gemstone dealer in Pailin market. Over the years, he has noticed a marked decrease in the quality of his merchandise.
"Pailin was home to one of the world’s most beautiful types of blue sapphire, as well as breathtaking rubies, but today I rarely see them," he sighed. "The gems that prospectors now sell me are just low quality gems, such as reddish brown zircons and red garnets.

"My father often saw stones worth thousands of dollars per carat, but in my generation they only turn up once in a blue moon. Most of Pailin's gems are now low quality, worth only about $2 to $5 per carat."
Many think that Pailin’s mineral wealth
was exhausted by the intensive mining that took place during the civil war. At that time, logging and the gem industry were the Khmer Rouge’s main sources of income, and both were ruthlessly exploited.

Not everyone is defeatist, however. Lim Seng You, another Pailin gemstone dealer, is hopeful for the future.
"Though many think the blue sapphires and rubies are all gone, I believe that they are not yet lost from Pailin," he said. "Though the ground is exhausted in some places, I think in other places we have them still, especially in Barhabat, Phnom Trap, and Bar Thoren [about 10 km from Pailin city].

"In these spots, the most valuable gems are hidden deep in the mountains, but mining there is forbidden," said Lim. "I think the government wants to preserve the resource for the future. "

At the moment, gem prospectors in Pailin are only allowed to find gems by hand. They can look in streams, or dig with picks on small hills and at the edge of mountains. Machines are prohibited.
Sheak said income is mainly dictated by luck.

"Some prospectors become rich in a second by finding a rare stone worth $10.000 just going to the toilet. Others dig and sieve their baskets day after day, earning just enough to eat," he said.
Pailin sapphires are as good as those from other countries in the region, matching even those from Burma. They are medium blue in colour and have little colour zoning.

"I can guarantee that Cambodian blue sapphires are the best in Asia," said Sheak.
Besides the rubies and blue sapphires, Pailin's ground also yields green and yellow sapphires, reddish brown zircons, and red garnets, though "green sapphires are the real bargain in Pailin," according to Sheak.

Whether red, blue, green, white, or any other colour, Cambodian gems are nothing short of magnificent. Only the future will tell how many are left and who will benefit from their lustrous beauty.