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Jaipur . 2009-05-16
Swat emeralds in Jaipur
Swat emeralds stocks escaped from taliban rule in Mingora City (Swat Valley-NWFP-Pakistan) found their way to Jaipur gemstone market
Swat emeralds stocks escaped from taliban rule in Mingora City (Swat Valley-NWFP-Pakistan)) found their way to Jaipur gemstone market.
Material we have seen is very well selected. Most of the emeralds are below 1 carat with some lots in the 2 carats range. We also saw included stones reaching 5 carats. Brokers said that this material has been stockpiled before the arrival of talibans in this area and left the Swat valley hidden in the stomach of some refugees.
As talibans need cash for their war, they hired the very few miners remaining (some where even forced to work), leaving them a high percentage on material recovered.
This new material is now apparently sold as rough in Karachi.
Source : Roger Pingley
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