Gemstones

Gemstones

　　Gemstones

　　Mingxi County is one of China’s four major sapphire-producing regions and is also known as the “Hometown of Chinese Zircon.” The area boasts abundant gemstone resources, with multiple types of gemstones coexisting. Alongside sapphires and zircons, minerals such as garnets and phenakite can also be found. Mingxi gemstones were first discovered in 1965 during a diamond-bearing primary deposit survey conducted by the former No. 304 Geological Team of the Fujian Provincial Geological Bureau in Mingxi. Starting in 1979, the provincial No. 2 Geological Team carried out more detailed exploration and confirmed it to be a large sapphire placer deposit, covering an area of approximately 800 square kilometers. Analysis has shown that these gemstones were formed around 15 million years ago due to crustal movements and volcanic eruptions. In 1990, with the support of the Administration for Industry and Commerce, the Mingxi County Gemstone Factory leveraged the region’s resource advantages to develop a gemstone processing project, engaging in the mining, beneficiation, processing, and sale of gemstones.