Aquamarine from Pakistan documentary of Patrick Voillot

one day in the highest mountains on earth a hunter was chasing a snow leopard in his mad rush he came upon a glacier exhausted and parched he picked up a piece of heavenly blue colored ice to quench his thirst but the ice would not melt even when he warmed it in his hands he had just discovered the first aquamarine on Mount Suribachi in the dramatic Karakoram mountain range of northern Pakistan [Music] Laurance boma is a jeweler in the exclusive plus-1 dome in Paris born in America of German nationality he studied as an engineer in France this unusual training allows him to explore new avenues and dream up the most wildly imaginative pieces of jewelry without getting bogged down in the technique we create a lot of jewelry and precious stones of all colors that we set with ball bearings and also plant like shapes but we particularly like aquamarine it's hard to find a good quality specimens with Athena steve judge it's quarantine marthy transparency from intensity oats color and the best mines are in Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan is a young state founded on August 14th 1947 this new Muslim nation attracted seven to eight million people from India during the partition with a similar number of Hindus migrating in the opposite direction the civilization that this country dates back several thousand years before Christ in the 16th century the Mughals founded a dynasty which gave the country magnificent buildings mosques and palaces but also fabulous legends about the precious stones of this land at the start of the 17th century the first English merchants attracted by the dynasty's riches began to seek concessions from the court of the great mogul a hang gear the decline of the Mughal Empire corresponded with the rise of British influence today these mineral resources are under exploited and it is in the mountains surrounding the Indus that the most beautiful gems can be found the rubies emeralds sapphires but most importantly the unbelievable aquamarine crystals the road to the aquamarines closely follows the Karakoram highway known as the kkh for more than two thousand years this former Silk Road has been a vital link between China and Pakistan the kkh winds through the arid gorges of coha Stan the inhabitants of this area are largely descended from notorious bandits who sought refuge in these Rocky Mountains anyone wanting to cross this region must therefore take a guard with them quite apart from the climatic and save mccombs of the area and it's like the fearsome jealousy have long been a major obstacle to communications all along the Indus other tribes used to avoid crossing this region and even today it still has a certain reputation [Music] at the end of a long unpaved road you come to scar do the atmosphere is tense in this windswept town which lies just a few dozen kilometers from Jammu Kashmir the source of the neverending conflict between India and Pakistan this town is known for its dealers who collect the gems mined in the surrounding mountains [Music] did you have a call money [Applause] [Music] this stone is a very poor quality these dealers first response is to offer extremely poor samples at astronomical prices to test the potential buyer [Music] did you have based on the big fishes after some deliberation he decides to get some advice from his colleagues before showing off his real treasures [Music] together the reply seems positive the rustic appearance of these workshops is meant to deceive people who know little about the world of precious stones the real showroom reserved for the initiated is far more discreet in this well-guarded room the dealer stores the treasures he has accumulated during the summer months when the snow one the highest seems melts allowing the miners to extract the crystals in actual fact the real market is not here this man is just a collector who sends the fruits of his endeavors to contacts in cities in Pakistan where a handful of intrepid foreign clients dare to venture yeah a nice piece quartz an aquamarine is a very nice shape these aquamarine crystals will go to museums or private collectors they're damaged but very pure intense blue crystals will be sold to be cut there are several mines in northern Pakistan that supply exceptional aquamarines income from which piece and it's possible to see the mind of sugar sugar mine is closed because of the snow but the shimmer back our mine is open I can introduce you to someone there it's the iron in aquamarine that makes it blue it also contains silica aluminium and beryllium a rare metal so hard and resistant to high temperatures that it is used in alloys for aircraft [Music] yet let me introduce you to mr. Gilmer Tata he works in the tumor back our mind and he can take you there and show you around hello my name is Gil Murtaza I work in tumor Packard I want to see mine no [ __ ] ammonium Ibaka it's possible Shamar baka is at a very high altitude it's extremely dangerous to go there and I think it will be very difficult for you to get there we're still in there it takes two days to reach the Naggar valley where the shumar bakar mine is situated [Music] the landscape alternates between fertile fields irrigated by glacier streams and deep gorges with the Indus running through them the Indus River begins its 3,300 kilometre Odyssey in Tibet then crosses Pakistan from top to bottom and finally flows into the Gulf of Oman the land it crosses is rich in precious stones and metals especially gold which has been carried along the riverbed for centuries on the riverbanks nomads seek their fortune in the fine grade sand of the father of all rivers using techniques passed down through the centuries the men use a sieve to systematically eliminate the large stones in the sand [Applause] you have to wash a lot of sand to find just a few grams of gold the gold bearing sand falls onto a wooden board the heaviest pieces remain land this precious mix is gathered onto a sort of wooden plate called the batty and the gold which is the heaviest settles in the middle after meticulous washing the sand is progressively eliminated and the specks of gold begin to appear the specks of gold gleam day after day are stored away once a sufficient quantity has been collected they are amalgamated with Mercury to form artificial nuggets they are sold according to their weight honestly by following the river honza up for the last few kilometers you come to a valley nicknamed little paradise which is dominated by aquamarine mines the Hansa and Negev valleys were once ruled by a mere the all-powerful chief of this peaceful kingdom which grew rich from its strategic position on the Silk Road one day he decided to divide it between his two sons who became sworn enemies this war between the two valleys lasted a long long time until one night when the son of the mayor of Naggar crossed the frozen river to reach his cousin the daughter of the mayor of Hansa with whom he had fallen in love they had a child called iishe meaning sent from the sky from that day on the two valleys have lived together in peace [Music] - these are old miners 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 the mine is at the top that's it the mine of chamalla guard all millimeter 5000 meters how many people there are maybe 500 almost last year some people have called injured during this explicit you know and that they are sitting alive here here is quite difficult and dangerous really during this 10-year tenure the people that destiny has changed because they are earning huge money from the mining and this is a one-up source up big source of income tomorrow for is the people totally at depend on the - this is a source of income people from this village are not getting jobs that they are not working in other places because they know that they have a mining place they can get a lot of money from the - so they are going the mining place tomorrow for and this the only source of income a long time ago when Shoom Ibaka was discovered by hunters only the inhabitants of Sameach were allowed to exploit the precious stones at first there was no need to dig deep tunnels to find the aquamarines the crystals could be found on the surface after being torn from the rock by erosion then people abandoned their jobs in the valley to work in the mine as the number of prospectors increased the search for stones became more and more intense they bought equipment to dig into the mountain their efforts were rewarded and they found large quantities of aquamarine [Music] in 1994 an enormous crystal weighing 4 kilograms was found lying in a Fault in the rock on a bed of mica all the miners had to do was pick it up it was the most spectacular find since the mine opening it looks like a mass exodus as the inhabitants of Sameach make their final preparations before heading up to the mine because it is at such a high altitude the men must take everything with them equipment food and even firewood as no trees grow above 3500 meters horses and mules are used to carry the heaviest packages this is a Shiite area but pagan beliefs still exist before the ascent GU Murtaza goes to be blessed by a shaman in the hope of a safe journey in the mountains of northern Pakistan at the edge of the formidable glaciers where delicate plants burst into flower after the winter snows melt a place exists that is so pure it is beyond the grasp of mere mortals the village elders say that spirits can be found there and even today the people of these valleys firmly believe in them only the shaman can contact the spirits and appease them for the slightest throne stone or the smallest dislodged rock could scare them and incur their off the spirits can set off huge avalanches with just a few claps of thunder it is often on long journeys into the mountains that the shaman receives messages from the spirits so there is a close relationship between this man and the spirits who can give him healing powers and the power to predict the future of those who are undertaking a long journey to make contact with the spirits the shaman inhales the smoke of juniper branches until he goes into a trance by dancing to the sound of the flutes and tambourines he ascends to the heights where the supernatural beings live in his ecstasy he can hear messages from the spirits sent through the music the assent to the mine can finally begin over the last three years the men from the village have used the money from the aquamarine to build a road up to the foot of the glacier this huge project entailed the use of dynamite to blast away the rocks deposited there millions of years ago by the silken glacier [Music] but man's work is only temporary in this environment in a perpetual state of flux the freezing conditions and a multitude of streams constantly cause landslides that make it impossible for any vehicle to use the road [Music] confronted with the might of nature the miners decide to leave the jeep and continue on foot [Music] the villages in this region are havens of peace soothed by the gurgling brooks of glacier runoff that flow into irrigation canals wheat and corn grow here in abundance but this valley is best known for its succulent apricots which form the basis of the Hansa cut people's diet the fruit is dried in July and August to be eaten in the winter months [Music] the Sameach Valley dominated by the 7250 seven meter high mount Duran becomes increasingly hostile and barren the higher you climb that mountain is Jamar Baca the mines are behind it [Music] after the first day of climbing the party sets up camp at the foot of the silken glacier 3,500 metres above sea level it's the last place on the journey where bushes can be found to make a fire [Music] the weather changes fast in the mountains this is the major risk and the miners know that [Music] what you think do we have to go back down with this bad weather we can go back down if you wish we could sleep down there and come back up tomorrow morning it's difficult to climb up there in this weather yes the atmosphere is tense we have entered the spirits kingdom and everyone has lost a loved one on this mountain the incantations of the shaman must have worked several hours later the clouds clear from the horizon but superstition persists two years ago a group of men climbed up without the shamans protection it was obvious that the spirits did not approve of them looking for aquamarine and were disturbed by their pneumatic drills and dynamite incensed by these intruders they killed them in an avalanche the hike resumes but every step becomes heavier and more painful the further you climb the less oxygen there is the group finally arrives at the Shema Becker mine at almost 5000 meters above sea level this makeshift village is made up of 70 small houses built of dry stone walls with canvas sheets for roofs Mutasa picks up the pace because he can't wait to see the aquamarines found in his absence every Hut houses around 10 men who eat sleep and live in cramped and difficult conditions mirta's oz father is one of the elders who looks after the village when his son goes down into the valley for equipment or to sell stones he is happy to see his son again because there was some impressive finds while he was away no no fits Mika yes that's Micah once it has been cleaned this stone would be a very intense color following the orders of the shaman each time amortisseur returns the old man burns juniper branches to purify his house and chase away the evil spirits which could divert the men from the richest seems of crystals this time the old man is harboring a special secret while his son was away he found an exceptional stone no one else has seen it and it must stay hidden until it is sold in the city showing it off could stir up Envy among the other men aquamarine grows in perfectly hexagonal crystals which in this mine are particularly large and well formed the irregular patches on each side of the crystal correspond to its natural growth these are a guarantee of its quality and proof that it has not been cut which would devalue the stone considerably in the eyes of collectors the exceptional stone found by Mirta czars father remains out of sight the breathtaking altitude of Shema baka makes it one of the highest mines in the world the miners tunnel into the enormous white seams that are clearly visible on the mountain sides this is where the aquamarine is to be found sixty-five million years ago the Tet is C was where Pakistan now lies then a volcano thrusts from the ocean forming an island that would become coha Stan the Indian tectonic plate moved gradually under the asian plate pushing back the sea this mighty shift created the highest mountains in the world the Himalayas and the Karakoram as the mountains formed they drew the aquamarine from the bowels of the earth and deposited it close to their summits aquamarine is still forming today at the Earth's core but while the Karakoram continues to grow a few centimeters higher every year the erosion of its summit due to atmospheric conditions means that aquamarine is moving closer and closer to the surface this rock is extremely hard so blasting with dynamite is the best way to clear away the rock and reach the seams lined with crystals the men who work in these tunnels have no formal training in using dynamite and these dangerous techniques result in frequent accidents the miners drill holes in the rock the drills don't function well in these conditions where the oxygen is so thin then sticks of dynamite are placed in the holes then they mark the fuse with a piece of paper so they can find it easily when it's time to light it [Music] you have to be careful in the mind because of the dynamite we've got to shift this stone that's it it's coming away now and we'll blast away this block 20 or so fuses have to be lit and they are short so there's no time to lose 1 2 3 4 the miners count the explosions one by one but this method is approximate and one explosion can cover another let's get him out of there once again the lack of organization and training of these Shepherds turned miners has put their lives in danger two of the fuses were much slower than the others and the explosions took place as the men entered the tunnel one of the men is injured in this lost world without medicine nor surgeons there is just a male nurse to dispense first aid it was inside the mind during the explosion and a rock hit him on the head posture put two or three stitches in the woman he's a little better now turned out come on nothing is allowed to stop the search the explosions have opened up a pocket of crystals and for these miners the aquamarines are more important than their own lives [Music] with extreme care as if they were handling a newborn child the minors begin to extract the aquamarine from a fault covered in my car the contrast between these rough looking men and the delicate way they extract the fragile crystals is striking the crystals are often covered in brown iron oxide time a crystal is taken out the miners say a prayer of thanks nature is a capricious beast it can take months of work to open up a pocket of aquamarine like this some tunnels never produce anything either go mutasa or his father is present for every discovery because they have invested the most in this tunnel [Music] a tumult by car there are about 70 to 75 tents and up to 500 people work there which is the name for Bamako tomorrow good means Kumar is the iron the ground here is hard like I am that's why we named it too much America Rosa kaliesha the early days they were fewer than 360 tons is the ritual and define easy system that love to look at that time it was easy to find the actor I didn't meet dynamite you could easily get it out of the ground with just a chrome Devon now we've formed crews of six or seven men each of them has one or several shares of the profits depending on what is contributed now whether it be explosives machines or sheer hard work [Music] as night falls the call to prayer but some of the men continue their search deep in the tunnels the snow melts in June but there are heavy Falls in November so they have just four months to find their precious booty for the rest of the time shrim Ibaka is an inaccessible frozen wasteland at night the temperature can fall to minus 20 degrees centigrade the huts have no heating and when the men wake up the insides of the roofs are covered with ice [Music] there's no hot water for a morning wash the village slowly comes to life and the men have their tea it's their only source of heat at this hostile altitude sleeping in the huts of sham Ibaka is not easy it's cold but even worse it's hard to breathe the flames of the lamps consume a large part of the oxygen that is so scarce at this altitude add to that 10 or so miners sleeping in these cramped little houses and the air becomes unbreathable the men are close to suffocation and suffer terrible headaches the men who continued on through the night have found something [Music] they've dug out a beautiful cluster of aquamarines [Music] but the substance surrounding the crystals called gang is too thick making this stone too heavy in this state it will be difficult to transport and to sell one of the miners marks out the path to be cut off the gang will be cut away with a diamond edge saw [Music] the job is carefully completed with a hammer and chisel so as not to spoil the appearance of the stone [Music] the aim of these modifications is to make the crystals look as good as possible the next stage is to remove the brown iron oxide which obscures the deep blue color of the crystals to do this the aquamarine is dipped in a hot acid solution which dissolves the iron oxide after a thorough washing and then rinsing in water the gems true color appears [Music] several times a week the men gather in the center of the village to sell their crystals according to an ancient tradition that could be called blanket bidding transactions can sometimes cause quarrels because the miners often overvalue their goods after all they risk their lives every day to obtain these natural marbles each put your hand under a blanket spread on the ground the buyer makes an offer by pressing on one two or three of the sellers fingers the price depends on a number of fingers involved following a precise code pressing on one finger means an offer of 100 rupees pressing on two fingers one after another is an offer of 200 rupees three fingers equals 300 rupees and touching two fingers at once is one thousand rupees pressing on three fingers at once means 10,000 rupees this way the price is proposed anonymously the highest bidder gets the stone these men live in constant danger in austere conditions without the company of women in children to settle their disputes in this microcosm cut off from civilization and its laws they have formed a committee of elders called a Jirga this body makes the decisions that the men's lives and such issues as investment in the village their word is final when it comes to sorting out arguments between the men of this community the elders of the Jirga whatever your dispute is tell us what is the problem you know very well that we must not be called everyday we are busy we have work to do today you have called us respected elders realize we've called you together during your work please excuse us the problem is the borders of the mind that you have laid out and we did not go straight into the other mind but our neighbour is accusing us of being there yes respected elders we asked you to meet to hear our dispute we work our claim and we're honest but our brothers came on to our side and used explosives and their tools on our claim there are no good stones in their part of the mine but there are in ours which is why they wanted to come onto our claim why aren't you speaking you will not have time to go back over this so say everything you want to say now you can make a judgment by staying in the tent you must come and see the mine it's not in our tradition to argue in our village we will make a decision but you must leave the tent until we call you we must discuss now so we can make a fair and equitable judgment we must make a decision that is acceptable to both sides so no one can criticize us [Music] let's start elders of this Jirga have decided that you must pay 25% to Chavez and you can keep the remaining 75% stand up and shake hands you must stay friends and forget this disagreement [Music] most conflicts are settled amicably and there is a great sense of solidarity in this community thanks to the satellite phone installed a few months ago Murtaza informs the biggest delay in peshawar that he will be coming to see him with an exceptional crystal probably the one his father found this treasure has remained hidden does it really exist and is it as special as Mert as ours father says for now these questions remain unanswered notice our visibly in a hurry to sell the stone sets off for the valley in the Samia Valley a dealer is ready and willing to buy some of mirta's aquamarine since they began finding precious stones on the mountain the life of the people in the village has changed some have become miners but others have gone into trading they buy the stones to resell them to bigger dealers in gill gates or peshawar life for the village residents has improved greatly in just a few years rather than fritting away their money they have used it to build schools for their children and health clinics the price the dealer offers is too low there will be no deal but as our thinks he can get a better price in Peshawar Murtaza will not show this dealer his exceptional stone because he thinks it is only worth displaying such a valuable piece to a dealer who can afford it paradise is in battle certainty Mertes ours first stop will be gilgit the capital of Pakistan's northern territories the call to prayer from the ancient mask mixes with the sound of drums and clarinets accompanying a polo match in this region they play an extremely violent version of this sport which originated in Central Asia Mertes are never misses a chance to watch a match the best way to get to Peshawar is in one of the trucks that regularly make the journey the drivers are very experienced and hurtle down the roads along the Indus at hair-raising speeds these huge vehicles are moving art galleries covered in paintings that give the driver a feeling of safety it's all an illusion because on these roads one slip could be fatal [Music] [Music] for mirta's our this is the safest way to travel transporting precious stones is a risky business in this region and it is best to avoid using cars or buses full of people who may ask questions many men have lost their lives for less and on this occasion even more than others Murtaza has a treasure in his bag that some people would stop at nothing to steal so he takes great care [Music] Murtaza is offering his aquamarine crystals to one of the biggest shops in the city of Mingora it's a beautiful piece it's opaque at the bottom a translucent to the top this city is in the Swat Valley which is renowned for its emerald mines the Emerald is from the same family of precious stones as aquamarine called Beryl it contains chrome which gives it its vivid green color the first emeralds from this region were found by shepherds who collected them from the mountain sides to the north of the city the emeralds found in Swat are sometimes extremely vivid in color and highly transparent and for some people they're strong deep color puts them on a par with Colombian emeralds which are reputed to be the finest of all unfortunately stones above 2 carats that's 400 milligrams are extremely rare it's a beautiful piece but the market for aquamarine is not very good at the moment emeralds are the only thing that is selling here try to sell it somewhere else all right I'll try in Peshawar do you have any others yes I've got a lot of pieces but they're uncut next time I'll bring you pieces that have been cut is there anything I can do for you no thank you that's fine peshwa the capital of the Northwest province was the gateway between Central Asia and the subcontinent today it is an observation point for the conflicts that gripped this region Peshawar has been a stopping place for travelers for thousands of years it's a city of every type of trade and commerce mirta's our goes straight to the jewelry quarter [Music] [Music] the gem cutters are situated in Kabul Street on his route [Music] his main appointment in this city is with one of Pakistan's most important gem dealers za mast car the most beautiful crystals and the most exquisite gems are brought to him before being cut motors are unwraps his treasure [Music] [Music] very well how much you selling it za most Khan doesn't hesitate for a moment these are exactly the sort of stones he's looking for curiously even though they are the most expensive they are the easiest to sell wealthy collectors the world over are itching to get their hands on specimens like this you can pay me later on the 22nd or the 23rd he gives a Mertes are an advance against its sale the profits from the sale will then be shared between the two men it's difficult to pay cash for a gem of this value which is why they come to this arrangement then same afternoon zammis Khan has done another piece of business and he can't resist showing his friend Murtaza specimens that he has acquired from shegaon telemundo a single piece isn't enough for me that's why I bought these which come from Chicago cool Murtaza called to let me know that he was bringing this beautiful piece I've given him a good price for other miners call me and they you come to see me or I go see them and then we do business the big markets are America and Europe especially France and Germany United States we work with Tucson Arizona so after this long journey the aquamarine extracted with sweat and blood from the roof of the world is flown to Europe the United States and Japan to be salt the purest and most highly colored specimens will be polished by gem cutters and set into jewelry well here you are the piece of jewelry is ready on time as promised as always do have a look at it we found some very very beautiful aquamarine pendants that we cut into briolettes and we used this system where you can remove all of the pendants so the piece can be worn in in different ways [Music] superb [Music] aquamarine this symbol of purity has changed the lives of the shepherds from the highest peaks of Pakistan by opening up this paradise like a jewel box could it be that the spirits wanted to reward the courage and tenacity of these pure Souls [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Voillot Patrick

Views: 430,242

Rating: 4.7870598 out of 5

Keywords: documentary, gemmologist, gemstone, precious stones, gemmology, patrick voillot, pierre précieuse, pierres précieuses, jewelry, stone, movie, tv, frenchtv, jeweler, prices, million dollars, expedition, mine, mining, Place Vendôme, Chumar Bakar, Karakoram, Pakistan, aquamarine, crystals, travel, treasures, aquamarines, Lorenz Baümer

Id: gNdnP4-EvIk

Length: 51min 41sec (3101 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 13 2019