Gemstone Mining in Pakistan
It all really started in the 1980s. Back then, mining operations and output ramped up in the Himalayan mountain regions. Little was known about the value of these stones: Miners commonly traded the precious stones for loaves of bread to support themselves and their families.
Within the last two decades, mining operations have further grown in their scale and have now become a major - and in especially the rural areas of the Himalayan mountain regions - an irreplaceable source of income for locals and their families.
Most commonly, minerals and gemstones are retrieved by independent miners in a village co-op, and their income helps to provide school fees, medical expenses, and other basic necessities for their families and local communities. For example, Skardu - a local hotspot for the gem trade in Gilgit-Baltistan - significantly developed its infrastructure over the past ten years, with many schools and hospitals now being built thanks to the influx of money generated from mining.
The miners have no trouble selling their acquired material: Merchants from cities like Peshawar, Skardu, Gilgit and other areas either directly make their way to the mines or visit the local villages that are associated with the respective mining operations. There are two main ways crystals & gems change the hands of their owner:
Blanket Bidding
When doing blanket bidding, several merchants and a miner place their hands under a blanket cover. After seeing the mineral specimen, the merchants give their price beneath the blanket: By either holding one, two or three fingers of the miner in possession of the material, they indicate their bidding price.
Each merchant takes a turn beneath the blanket - The merchants are left guessing what their competitors have proposed, while the miner allocates the crystal(s) to the highest bidder.
Secret Auctioneering
Each merchant who wishes to acquire a single crystal or a lot writes his bid on paper. An auctioneer collects all the papers from the bidders, and of course, the highest bidder receives the precious gems.