Case Studies

The ICA World Colored Gemstone Mining Report of 2006 was one of the largest and most complex research projects ever undertaken by MarketDirect during the decade-long period that we produced the ICA Gazette, and from 2002 onward the quarterly InColor magazine (See the case study on InColor).
 
The ICA 2006 World Colored Gemstone Mining Report, which was researched, compiled and published on behalf of the International Colored Gemstone Association as a special issue of InColor, aimed to offer an up-to-date, global overview of colored gemstone mining and producing locations. The 2006 report was produced with the assistance of scores of ICA members spread across the world. ICA ambassadors and members used a widespread network of sources to gather up-to-date and relevant information on gemstone mining locations and activities in their own countries and regions. Throughout the research period, the MarketDirect team created contact with more than 100 sources, collecting information from and about almost 40 countries. The project was a huge challenge, since obtaining reliable information on colored gemstone mining and localities is not a simple task. Contrary to diamond mining, where data is more easily available and governmental involvement is much more commonplace, many colored gemstone operations operate in countries, regions and localities where governmental oversight and control are not always very effective. In addition, the overwhelming majority of colored gemstone mines are small, run on low budgets and the average colored gemstone mine has a relatively short life span which makes the industry a lot less attractive both for investors and the authorities. Since official sources are scarce, researchers need to get their noses to the ground to find information from the miners themselves from those who do business with them, the ICA members and ambassadors.
 
The resulting, 62-page publication was well received, both by the ICA membership as well as by members of the colored gemstone business community at large.