18/03/2024
Laos, the landlocked country of Southeast Asia, traversed by the Mekong River and known for its mountainous terrain, French colonial architecture and hill tribe settlement. Laos not only has cultural richness but also holds valuable resources, including copper, gold, silver, and the exquisite blue gem, sapphire.
The major sapphire deposit in Laos is at Ban Huay Xai situated on the banks of the Mekong River. This is the infamous “Golden Triangle” region, where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. Huay Xai is the capital of Laos’ Bokèo District.
While the presence of gems in Huay Xai has been acknowledged since the 1890s, the full potential of the mines were not realised. Significant mining activities only gained momentum in the 1960s. Similar to other sapphire mines, the use of modern heat treatments transformed previously undesirable cloudy or dark stones into marketable gems. Consequently, the 1970s and 1980s witnessed a modest resurgence in sapphire mining at Huay Xai.
Huay Xai's origin lies in secondary deposits linked to alkali basalt flows. In terms of quality, many of the collected stones exhibit a rich blue hue even though they occur in predominantly in smaller sizes.
