Generally, when a collection of minerals combine together it can slowly turn into a natural resource like gold or tin. But with gemstones it is a slightly different story. Certain gemstones come from the earth’s mantle. They used to be the normal rock that lay sometimes over 50 miles underneath the earth’s surface. The process of gemstone creation is extremely fascinating. As it requires enough time, pressure and a high temperature for the process of crystallization to take place with these stone particles. Miraculously the earth manages to change the very nature of certain stones which is what gives the gems enough value to be sold at stores like the Australian Diamond Company. Each stone is ultimately formed in a very unique way which means that no two stones are alike.
It is the rarity of these gems that make them oh-so-valuable. Of course you can always get cheap knockoffs and mediocre replicas but the real deal is top quality, is striking to look at and comes in very short supply, because you only get as many as the earth is making. So the cost of it is naturally very high, especially since people love gems and the stone are always in high demand.
The answer to this is a hard yes. If you have ever seen the movie ‘Blood Diamond’ starring Leonardo di Caprio and Djimon Hounson you will likely have a better idea about the violent and bloody story behind some of the precious stones coming out of conflict zones in Africa. The gems are not just fuelling the civil wars but are also making them more violent. The history of these wars go way back and begin with the era of colonialism in this large third-world country. In Africa, if you control the gems, then you control the wealth in the region. And unfortunately, this has led to the breeding of some power-hungry, very unjust and tyrannical leaders, who will stop at nothing to stabilize their position in the government.
Mankind will never lose its fascination with these precious stones. A lot of people go to great lengths to even try and collect some of them. Working in the gem industry usually brings in a lot of reward, I’m talking about a truckload of money (if they manage to find the stones that it). If you have enough money however you can simply buy these much sought after stones without having to go through an arduous journey to look for them.
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