Nigeria is a serious name in the coloured gemstone trade, and tourmaline is the reason. Material from Oyo and the surrounding pegmatite belt has reached the top of the international market, but the gap between a rough parcel sold at the pit and the same stone cut and certified is enormous.
Tourmaline
Gem Grade Borosilicate
Where the Value Is Actually Lost
Almost all the value in Nigerian gemstones leaves the country in rough form. Sorting, grading and honest disclosure at the point of sale is the difference between a commodity price and a gem price.
Graded, Not Guessed
Rough is sorted on colour, clarity and cuttable yield before a price is set, rather than sold by the bucket.
Treatment Disclosed
Any heat treatment is declared. Undisclosed treatment destroys buyer trust and the price with it.
Value Retained Locally
We support cutting and certification in country so the margin is not handed away at the pit.