COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT TO unveil GROUNDBREAKING PROJECT ESTABLISHING DIGITAL FINGERPRINTS FOR MINERAL ORIGIN DETERMINATION AND COMBATTING ILLEGAL MINING

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Audience members during the First World Emerald Symposium in 2015.
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A miner holds emeralds in matrix recovered from the Cunas Mine in Colombia. Photo taken on one of the mine tours with the First World Emerald Symposium in 2015.
The Colombian Ministry of Mines and Energy, in association with the Colombian Geological Service and the National University, has budgeted US$30 million for a five-year “Mineral Digital Fingerprint” project that started in 2018. This project is based on a technique developed in Australia and applied in South Africa as a control mechanism for commercialization of gold and precious stones.
     The goal of the Fingerprint (La Huella) project is to provide an understanding of the particular conditions and physical-chemical characteristics that were present at the time of the geological formation of a mineral, which then gives a specific geo-chemical DNA. This Fingerprint can also be traced at the different stages of exploitation, refinement and commercialization of the minerals.
     The “Mineral Fingerprints” will be identified in the deposits where the minerals are formed as well as the transformation processes such as smelting, refining, cutting, and polishing. In the case of transformed minerals, this technique can be used to determine whether they came from a deposit or if they were recycled. The infrastructure of the project will include accreditation by a certified laboratory, the construction of a data bank of Mineral Fingerprints, and the generation of a certificate validating the origin of the minerals.
     “Thanks to Mineral Fingerprints, it will be possible to strengthen the audit process for control in the mining production chain, increase technological capacity in the generation of tools for the identification of the lawful and indisputable origin of minerals, and expand the knowledge and geological cartography of the subsoil,” explains Dr. Arce Zapata, outgoing Minister of Mines. “It will take Colombian mining to another level.”
     The Second World Emerald Symposium will present a wide range of topics, from geology to mining, from responsible sourcing to ethical standards along the supply chain, from new technologies applicable to the supply chain to artisanal small-scale mining and formalization, from gemology to gem origins, from harmonization of descriptions to proof of origin, and from marketing/branding to jewelry design.
     These topics will be addressed by a veritable Who’s Who of the Gems and Jewelry world. Among the many delegates—from academics, industry and laboratories—in no particular order, are:
 - Dr. Maria Fernanda Suarez, Minister of Mines and Energy, National Mining Agency (Agencia Nacional de Minas, Ministerio de Minas Colombia);
- Ahmed Bin Sulayem, CEO, Dubai Multi Commodity Center;
- Tyler Gillard, Head, OECD Responsible Mineral Supply Chain Project and Senior Legal Advisor on Business Conduct;
- Edward Johnson, Director Business Development, Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC);
- Guillermo Galvis, President of ACODES and Chairman, Second World Symposium;
- Clement Sabbagh, President, International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA);
- Gaetano Cavalieri, President, CIBJO;
- Anthony Brooke, Vice President, Thai Gems and Jewelry Traders Association (TGJTA);
- Olivier Segura, Scientific Director, Van Cleef & Arpels Design School;
- Cathelijne Klomp, Supply Chain Project Manager, LVMH;  
- Edward Mendelson, Project Lead, Sustainable Supply Chains, Everledger;
- Dr. Saleem Ali, Gemstone Sustainable Knowledge Hub;
- Prida Tiasuwan, CEO, Pranda Group, Thailand;
- Dr. Adise Mekonnen, Chief Geologist, Ethiopia (Emerald Mining in Shakiso);
- Dr, Ato Melese Alemu, Minister of Mines, Ethiopia;
- Pramod Kumar Agarwal, Chairman, Gems and Jewelry Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), India;
- Dr. Gaston Giuliani, Geologist/Researcher, IRD Nancy School of Mines, France;
- Dr. Lee Groat, Earth Science/Geology, University of Vancouver, Canada;
- Gian Carlo Parodi, Mineralogist, Museum of National History, France;
- Dr. Ethesham Ullah Khan, University of Peshawar and Ministry of Mines, Pakistan;
- Forrest Snowden, with a Delegation from Afghanistan;
- Dr. Warren Boyd, Geologist, Mining Evaluation and Strategy;
- Oscar Baquero, President, Fedesmeraldas;
- Gabriel Angarita, CEDETEC Lab, Bogota;
- Charles Burgess, Director, Muzo International (MTC);
- Erwin Molina, CEO, Esmeraldas de Santa Rosa (Cunas Mine);
- Dev Shetti, CEO, Fura Gems (Coscuez Mine);
- Jack Cunningham, Head of Sustainability, Gemfields;
- Dr. Aaron Parker, Senior Research Scientist, GIA;
- Shane McClure, Global Director, Colored Stones Services, GIA;
- Andrew Lucas, President, Guild Institute of Gemology;
- Vincent Pardieu, Field Gemologist, DANAT Gemological Institute, Bahrain;
- Daniel Nyfeler, Managing Director, Gubelin Lab, Switzerland;
- Jean-Pierre Chalain, Deputy Director, SSEF Lab, Switzerland;
 The final list of speakers and the symposium's agenda and schedule will be announced soon.
     Also confirmed for panel discussions are representatives from the world’s primary laboratories and major mining companies, as well as from the eight emerald-producing countries: Colombia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Zambia, Brazil and Madagascar.
     The Second World Emerald Symposium is a unique opportunity to meet in one place, during three days, the world emerald community, from emerald mining companies to laboratories, from educational institutions to global luxury brands.
     Side trips are also arranged for those interested in visiting the major emerald mines in Colombia (Muzo, Cunas, and Coscuez) with an additional trip to Chivor.

When: October 12 to 14
Where: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Bogota
Who: The Emerald World
More information is available at www.emeraldsymposium.com
or Contact : [email protected]