Gemstone Safari september 2007

Gemstone Safari
to the Umba River sapphire mines in september 2007

These are the stones I found digging.
The whole team.	Mr. Nakara S. Matemu with Hubert Heldner	Having a drink halve way to the mine in Tanga.	At the mine, first thing we did is, sink a shaft. Here we are done for the day.
This is how it is done. Dig a hole to reach	the sapphire gravel and pass it trough a sieve.	Then shift troug the pile. Janusz is having all the fun.	The clay does not stick to the sapphire. this makes it easy.
An excited look at a small stone.	We are working in teams of four.	At the end of the day look	at the happy faces.
The camp at high noon.	The last evening a goat has been offered by the mine owner	and we shared it with all the miners, during a grill party.	Back in Dar-es-Salaam, Rocco at the faceting machine, cutting his first saphire.
Mme Noreen one of the lapidary instructors is preparing the ceramic lap with diamond compound.	The beach late at night after a traditional dinner with fisch from the days catch.	Sapphires found by Rocco. This is about the quantity each member of the groupe found.
Sapphires T076 found by Hubert smallest 0.59 gr biggest 4.77 gr Total weight of parcel 32.51 gr	Garnet T084 smallest 0.19 gr biggest 2.3 gr Total weight of parcel 18.55 gr	Spinel T077 1.81 gr	Zirkon T085 2.03 gr
Tourmaline T081a 3.94 gr	Tourmaline T081b black 3.54 gr blue-green 0.80 gr yellow 0.66 gr pink 0.72 gr
These are the stones I bought at the mine.
Sapphire T074 red 0.59 gr green 1.65 gr violet 2.65 gr	Sapphire T075a 3.68 gr	Sapphire T075b 2.08 gr	Garnet T073 small 1.20 gr big 9.38 gr
Garnet T082 smallest 2.00 gr biggest 8.97 gr Total weight of parcel 71.71 gr	Garnet T083 smallest 0.45 gr biggest 1.89 gr Total weight of parcel 174.78 gr	Garnet T083	Garnet T083
Sunstone T078 smallest 1.9 gr biggest 9.77 gr Total weight of parcel 36.87 gr	Moonstone T079 smallest 5.49 gr biggest 9.01 gr Total weight of parcel 20.24 gr