It is Africa, A vast and mysterious continent, where all of us,
people of all races, originate. But as history unfolded; it happened
that most of Africa remained virgin, unexplored land with many
uncovered treasures under its fertile soil. It may be humanities
birthplace, but at the same time it’s the last frontier on the
planet.
The discovery of diamonds in South Africa at the turn of the
20-century gave a hint of Africa’s enormous potential as an important
source for minerals and However, there were no systematic
explorations for stones other than diamonds. Initiatives where
sporadic and results where nil. In 1952, A.G. Clough found large
numbers of ruby crystals of excellent color in The Matabuto Mountains
in north Tanzania. These crystals were found later down the rivers as
water worn pebbles of fine quality. Similar red crystals where found
in Gogogogo, Madagascar, near the Linta River. In 1958, there were
reports of rubies and sapphires in Malawi, on the southern slopes of
The Chimwadzulu Hill. In 1965 there was a serious attempt to mine
these stones by British consortium of investors, and later by the
government, which took over the mines.
In 1973, two American geologists, John Saul and Eliot Miller, were
searching for Chromium bearing rocks in West Tsavo Park. What they
found was by far the most important Ruby deposit in Africa. John Saul
was a veteran resident of Kenya, but he could not obtain permission
to mine the area. Eventually he was given 3 hours to leave the
country and pronounce as persona non-grate. In the course of events
the Kenyan government compensated John Saul and Eliot Miller, and the
mines actually bear his name, as is the specific color of the stone
which is named after him " the Jhonsaul color".
The mine is located in the Mangari Swamp (Taita District), about 25
km west of the village of Kasigau, in Tsavo West National Park. It
takes about 6 hours to travel from the capital, Nairobi and 3 hours
from Mombassa. The distance from Nairobi is about 415 km. Access is
possible for off-road trucks up to 45 tons and is almost never
restricted by adverse weather conditions. It is an important factor
in mining, where in other locations, production is usually limited to
the dry season.
The location consists of two different Mines: the Penny Lane mine in
the eastern part, and the John Saul mine on the western side.
Interestingly enough, these two locations are less then 5 km apart,
but they are different in their geological pattern and therefore they
produce different qualities of rough material. Penny lane basically
producing cabochon quality stones heavily included with mica, which
make it nearly untreatable material. John Saul produce far betters
quality rough, with numbers show that about 1% of the material is a
of gem quality with an average size of less then 1 gm per piece. When
heat-treated in a professional manner, they will produce incredibly
rich deep red colors which make them difficult to distinguish from
fine Burmese Rubies.
Today, The John Saul mine is considered to be one of the most modern
mining operations in Africa in terms of equipment and working
conditions. The mine is fully equipped with housing for 150 workers
and managers. It has modern maintenance facilities, and experienced
professionals from various countries (Kenya, Israel, Greece and
France) who strictly supervise the heavy equipment and vehicles as
well as the mining procedures. It has the latest communication
facilities plus security officers, geologists, gemologists, technical
advisers, sorters and paramedic personnel on the premises.
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Enjoy
Hanuman