Black in Jewelry Coalition’s Post

Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world lying off the southeastern coast of Africa. Not only does Madagascar have plenty of unexplored mineral reserves, they have a rich history of mining a wide variety of gems including emeralds. The Mananjary region is one of the main emerald producing areas in Madagascar. Mining started in this area around the mid 1970s, first at Ambodibakoly. Several open pit mines were worked on from 1983 to around 1995, and produced several thousand kilograms of emerald of various sizes and quality. Beryl in Madagascar is one of the most important of the more than 50 minerals found in the island. Aquamarine and other beryls from Madagascar have been known in Europe since French occupation of the island in 1883. The emeralds were formed due to metasomatic processes related to the Pan-African tectonometamorphic event. Large emeralds were formed inside the pegmatites at the contact with the hosting basic rocks. Compared to emeralds from the African main-land, many of the stones from the Mananjary region are somewhat light in color; others are a bluer green, similar to Zambian emeralds (GIA). #Madagascar #emerald #mining Image source: Christie’s - 20.03 carats No clarity Enhancement Emerald from Madagascar

There are 45 million artisanal miners, 20 million of whom are #gold miners. A decade after the Minamata Convention, #mercury use is still a scourge. The neurotoxin gets into people, soil, water, wildlife, plants. Mercury is one of many challenges in #asm, a huge diverse sector that supports 230 million people worldwide including families of miners. 230 million people = 2.5% of humanity Challenges include lack of safety, poverty, vulnerability to forced labor, child labor and predatory intermediates. Circumstances vary, reflecting broader local socio-economic realities. We will deliver step-change in the dignity and productivity of artisanal mining. The Blended Capital Group understands that formalization makes commercial sense - productivity increases drive financial value. Along with our partners, Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) Levin Sources BanQu Inc. Napier Meridian, we also know that: 🏹 formalization changes outcomes on safety, poverty, #sustainabledevelopment in neighboring communities, vulnerability to bad actors, in short, on dignity and #humanrights adherence 🏹 the 🌍 needs more #criticalminerals and ASM is a massive productivity opportunity. Now is the time. https://lnkd.in/gWGZuu9D

Rob Karpati Your insightful perspective highlights a crucial aspect of the ASM sector. Makes me think how sustainably this can be done. Cause indeed Now is the time. As a former small-scale miner, #formalizing meant #legalization, and #more #taxes, leaving you with #less In reality most mining communities are against formalization due to the above. All they want is to support their families. It's a tough situation where every bit matters. Now, picture a different side to this story. What if, amid the worries about formalizing, there's a chance for something better? Think about miners discovering that it's not just about following rules but also about bringing their work into a more commercial light. #Formalization and #Commercialization Suddenly, the story changes from one of #struggle to one of #opportunity – a chance for more earnings, a way to build a better life for themselves and their families. The narrative change people's strength and dreams. It is time to rethink the story, to share the idea that formalizing isn't just about dealing with rules; it's a path toward a future that's more secure and prosperous. Now is the time for this story of change, where the heart of formalization connects with the dreams of those who've been working hard to unearth these treasures. #SheIsAMine #ASM #Formalization #Commercialisation

Read this week's "It's Material"! On the intrinsic connection between excessive sand mining and a narrow focus on economic growth in the #builtenvironment, lifting up great research by Arpita Bisht: https://lnkd.in/e9iAJTtQ h/t Post Growth Institute

It's not unusual for an Amazonian landscape to be denuded by gold mining, case in point: the southern Peruvian jungle in the Madre de Dios region. Today, there's an effort to plant saplings to revive the forest. "This land was stripped of its dense vegetation by miners scouring the subsoil for tiny specks of gold, using mercury to separate the gold from the sediment. Many thought that a healthy forest would never thrive in impoverished, mercury-laden topsoil and that the piles of sandy tailings, the residue from the gold mining effort, and the pools of wastewater were irremediable." Using methodology developed by CINCIA, a Peruvian research center which Amazon Aid helped establish, Pure Earth is showing that miners can be part of the solution, restoring mined out land and working with jewelers to get responsible gold to market. Learn more in "Gold mining reduced this Amazon rainforest to a moonscape. Now miners are restoring it" by Simeon Tegel for NPR: https://lnkd.in/e6nDARuQ

Plight of Lwisha Artisanal Miners: Amidst the copper-rich lands of Haut-Katanga, abuses persist. At sites like 'Kasonga' and 'Double Band,' diggers face unjust taxation and harassment from state services. This exploitation perpetuates a cycle of poverty, depriving miners of their hard-earned income. These challenges echo broader issues in the region, as highlighted in a recent MINES.CD survey. Artisanal miners demand fairness and respect, calling for better sector structuring and protection of their rights.

Find the Public Statement by The Pan-African Collective on Artisanal & Small-scale Mining we developed after our symposium in South Africa. Johannesburg, South Africa 27 November 2023 Re: Pan-African Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Symposium Addresses Social Economic Development, Policy and Practice In A Just Energy Transition. #humanrightslaw #artisanalminers #wits

There was not much going on in the first week of the new year, but with a further consolidation of its rare earth industry, China demonstrated that it wants to solidify its market power further. – Read the details in our round-up. FURTHER CONSOLIDATION IN CHINA’S RARE EARTH INDUSTRY According to media reports, the state-controlled China Rare Earth Group will take over the Guangdong Rare Earth Group, further consolidating the industry. The China Rare Earth Group is a merger of various market participants founded at the end of 2021, which China hopes will give it more influence on pricing and improve the quality of the industry. https://ow.ly/m4IK50Qo5pg STUDY: LACK OF DATA ON THE IMPACT OF MINING Whether sand for the production of concrete or rare earths for electric motors, the demand for raw materials is growing, and with it, the importance of mining. However, data on the sector's impact is often scarce, as an analysis published in the journal Nature shows. This needs to change as the scale of raw material extraction is set to grow and, therefore, penetrate largely untouched areas. Better data is required to assess the impacts and risks. https://ow.ly/zovH50Qo5ph #rawmaterials #criticalminerals #miningindustry #miningnews

With the Mining Indaba underway in Johannesburg, naturally discussing what the future holds for the industry, and South Africa. The integrated logistical infrastucure and capacity required to support and grow the industry is critical. As an anecdote, one could draw parallels between the commencement of mining in South Africa, together with the discovery of the sapphire mines and gems in Kashmir. According to the records of the Geological Survey of India Paper Vol.23, Part.2, published in May 1890, a portion of the paper reads; "The existence of sapphires in considerable quantities in some part of the North-West Himalayas was first brought to light in 1881, or early 1882, when some were brought into Simla by traders from Lohol, who stated they had been obtained from a spot among the borders of Zanslar, where a landslip had laid bare the rocks beneath the soil and discovered the presence of the gems." The potential for strategic collaborations and partnerships between South Africa and India has the potential to create sustainable economic benefit, and growth to both countries. Having spend a significant amount of time in both countries, the opportunities to create processing, refining, logistical and marketing opportunities has the potential to create long-term sustainable jobs across several industries. Both Nations lie at strategic global points of international trade routes and flows. Together with sharing mutual history across sporting interests and languages. #joburgindaba #mining #economy #growth 🇮🇳 🌎 🇿🇦