Expert says industry yet to develop

By PETER ESILA
MANY Papua New Guineans are holding gemstones but due to no cutting facility in the country, this part of the jewellery industry is yet to be developed, according to a gold buyer.
Amit Chauhan, director of 3 Powers Ltd, said the only way to go for locals was to pursue the international market.
“If we try to reach the international market, then the shipping charges are higher than the value of semi-precious gemstones,” he said
He said it was hard to put a price to gemstones because that was determined on inspection.
Chauhan is a gemologist, lapidarist and graduate in rough diamonds and has been in the country for two years.
“ A few people that I have been dealing with are holding big pieces of gemstones, some of them are 2kg or up with no proper crystal structure/form,” he said.
“Those stones could be obsidian (glass), it has some value per kilo but there is a need to connect to the right buyers.”
Chauhan said all gemstone dealers and collector noted that gemstones occur only in defined crystal form in which crystal grow naturally and not in faceted form.
“Lots of people come to me with faceted stones and tell me that they found in the river,” he said.