Zambia’s Zeal for Gemstones: A Review of Historical Development

Abstract. The occurrences of gemstones was first recorded in Zambia (Luanshya) in 1928 about 85 years ago. Gemstone is naturally formed minerals (rocks) namely, emerald, diamond, pearl, tanzanite, and many more, numbering over 250. These are highly priced due to their beautiful colours and their use in jewellery, home decorations and also in some industries for various purposes. However, its commercial extraction began in 1980 when it was classed as small scale mining due to about 20 % of its revenue generation which boosted the country economy. The paper discusses the historical development of Gemstone industry, examines the difficulties and challenges in the growth of this industry and finally gives a brief technical know-how to differentiate between the genuine gemstones and a fake one