Saphire Brilliant Earrings 18 kt White Gold Ilakaka Mine Madagascar natural Color

untreated NATURAL COLOR sapphires...always a rarity, most sapphires are heated, wonderfully set in halo sitl with a triple brilliant cut wreath, 2 sapphires in different colors blue and apricol total ca. 1.40 ct, AAA+, Ilakaka mine Madagascar, excellent cut, held suspended by 4 crabs, hoop and setting set with 218 full cut brilliant cut diamonds total ca. 1.09 ct, TW (fine white G) / SI-P1 (small inclusions-apparent inclusions), made in 750 white gold, dimensions of the ear pendant approx. 25 x 12 x 11 mm, weighing approx. 6 grams, all details have been checked by a jewelry appraiser for authenticity and quality details, each customer receives an invoice with VAT and detailed description, new production! Finest gemstone jewelry! Expertise (20,-- Euro surcharge), pin different sapphire colors available (see last picture)

The Ilakaka-Sakaraha deposit is one of the world’s largest alluvial sapphire deposit, covering an area of approximately 4,000 km2. Starting from the Ilakaka river basin and then going southwest for roughly 120 kilometers, onto the Benahy and Taheza rivers basins. The alluvial sapphire-rich layer is located under a sandy ground overburden, which varies considerably in depth, from a meter up to 60 meters in thickness. The depth of the gem bearing layer will determine the type of mining technique used to retrieve the sapphires:  

If the depth is less than 10-15 meters, an open-cast quarry technique is often employed. These quarries can reach impressive dimensions. The “Banque Suisse” mine near Ilakaka is probably the most famous of these quarries; exceeding 20 meters in depth and having been entirely dug out manually, using the “angady”, a Malagasy light agricultural shovel. 

When the depth exceeds 15 meters, the preferred method is to dig narrow vertical pits, locally called “vovo”, down to the alluvial layer and then dig horizontal tunnels to recover the gravels. In the Taheza area, these mining pits can reach 50 meters in depth