The Jewel of Africa has described Zambia’s trade agreement with the United States of America under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) as a success story for the country’s gemstone industry.
Jewel of Africa Director of Sales and Marketing Rashmi Sharma says her company will continue to maximize the trade incentives that AGOA provides for the U.S to market various gemstone from Zambia.
Speaking at the exhibition held at the Embassy of Zambia in Washington D.C, Ms. Sharma said Zambia’s gemstone industry has competed favorably in the U.S market and its emerald is the best on the world market.
Ms. Sharma also said Jewel of Africa recently won an auction of emeralds from Kagem which they have embedded in a Zambia DNA.
She said Zambia currently accounts for about 40 percent of the world’s emerald on trade.
“The world is recognizing Zambia’s emerald as the best in the world. Emeralds are now ranking as number two second from Rubies followed by Diamonds and others.
Zambia is surrounded by countries that are rich in minerals and as a country, we are poised with an abundance of mineral wealth which are yet to be exploited,” she said.
And Acting Deputy Chief of Mission James Chisenga said Ms. Sharma’s effort to market the gemstones in the USA has put Zambia on the world map in the gemstone industry through the penetration of the US market.
Mr. Chisenga who commended Ms. Sharma for her commitment to showcase and market the country’s gemstones urged the Zambian jeweler to increase their social responsibility in the communities in which they operate in Zambia.
He said the exhibition of gemstones under Jewel of Africa, has now become an annual event which the Embassy will continue to support.
Among the country’s rich stones that were exhibited included tourmaline, aquamarine, and amethyst.
Part of the proceeds from the sales will go towards supporting a school for orphans in Lusaka’s Garden compound.
The exhibition was attended by a cross-section of patrons in Washington D.C.
This is according to the press statement released by First Secretary-Press and Public Relations to Washington DC Cosmas Chileshe.
“Part of the proceeds from the sales will go towards supporting a school for orphans in Lusaka’s Garden compound.” Why not give to the impoverished of Chief Nkana
I miss my childhood days, ama senesene and ba kajamu in their stone wash jeans and BMWs. Bulangililo was decimated by these chaps, a lot of senesene kiddos that side.
The principal Emerald deposits are currently mined in Colombia, Brazil, and Zambia. Emeralds are mined throughout the world (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Australia, United States) but these are the three major sources. Colombia arguably produces the finest Emeralds.
Wealth from Southern Province and yet it’s the province with one of the lowest allocation of the national budget.
“Zambia’s Emerald described as the best gemstone in the world” clap for Zambia
Clap for the non-Zambian enterpreneurs who are smart enough to benifit from the gemstone trade while Zambians sit and watch them getting rich from their God given wealth.
@ Jchinodo,Zambia as a country is NOT benefiting,but just a few.
It does not make any sense when the locals are so impoverished. Visit the sama places where the gemstone comes from, look how poor the people are in that area and you wont believe it.
I know HH is a major shareholder in Kagem Mines, this is good news, better things to come when HH becomes president.
Such a sad state of affairs – the poor will always be trampled on. Even in India actually India where this Sharma chap comes from is the worst case – there you will see billionaires living next to beggars and the beggars.
As for us here we need to start taking the gemstone business seriously – we have been losing billions as a result of ma sene and other useless crooks that come in, exchange precious stones for a secondhand corrolla then go to Switzerland where they sell that same stone for a million dollars! Then you get angry when a sene calls you an 1diot!
Zambia currently accounts for about 40 percent of the world’s emerald on trade! My God, look at Lufwanyama District, more specifically the Chief Nkana road they use when transporting these stones from the Mine!
Zambian emeralds have been described as such since the Kaunda days. Tell us something new like how many fire tenders are still standing?
For sure we NEED TO QUESTION as @7 Panda has put it!! If starters ZAMBIA ACCOUNTS FOR 40% of the Gemstone Trade, HOW MUCH IS THAT?? I reckon IT IS IN BILLION OF $s, but then WHAT IS THERE TO SHOW FOR ZAMBIA’s 40% SHARE??Almost ZERO! WHY, NO FOCUS FROM GOVERNMENT ON HOW THE SECTOR CAN BENEFIT ZAMBIANS and the country at large! All eyes on COPPER WHICH BRINGS HUGE BRIBES TO LEADERS POCKETS!!
Even the EMERALD AUCTIONS that SATA had introduced to take place LOCALLY TO PROMOTE ACCOUNTABILITY AND MARKET ZAMBIA as a DESTINATION FOR EMERALD TRADE have all DISAPPEARED WITH HIS DEATH!!
Not news. It has always been the best in the world.
They are one of the best emeralds, but there are Emeralds of better Quality in other parts of the world….
Divide and Rule I think you have forgotten. Amasenesene never used to drive BMW cars. They were driving 504 peogeut cars(We used to call them Djulla!)
Imwe ba guy pigeots it was magoregore from Zimbabwe, who also choose bulangililo as a safe haven too. iwe abena Gailedu, driving pigeot kwisa, benze ba bling bling.
Grand funk is right, the 504 was the top car that time. . . .ba Divide ..naimwe u used to drink chibuku in Mulenga compound as the st.tup illiterate stone dealers washed cars with Mosi at Changanamai, after stealing a few stones for the Malians , Senegalese, Guineans and all sorts of west africans. They fu,cked Zambians big time.
It has always been the best but Zambia never benefits from it.
Imwe ba guy pigeots it was magoregore from Zimbabwe, who also choose bulangililo as a safe haven too. iwe abena Gailedu, driving pigeot kwisa, benze ba bling bling.
it has to take a foreigner to put Zambia on the world map for emeralds!
what are our embassies/ high commissions doing?
just sitting and lazying around i suppose?
Zambian Wealth for Zambians!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lets share…
It is good news to hear that ours are the best quality so far. What puzzles me is why we could not continue auctioning the emerald from within Zambia so we can add value rather than export and auction from abroad. The buyers need where to sleep and food as well resulting in added expenditure within Zambia. Can someone tell me the advantage of auctioning from abroad. Was Mr. Sata groping with ideas when he said we must sell from here? I suspect those are the monies that never come back into the country.
Jesus Christ!!! Senegalease enjoying Zambian emeralds more than a local citizen from Chief Nkana. Shame on the nation bane