Determinants of income of Gem mining workers with special reference to Rathnapura District
Introduction
Background of the Study
Sri Lanka?s gem industry is with a very lengthy and colorful history. Sri Lanka, the pearl of the Indian Ocean, ?Gemmed Island? and ?Rathna Dveepaya?; has been well-known to the world for centuries as a land popular for Gemstones. Gem industry is one of the oldest economic sectors in the country which comes from nearly 3000 years back.((?Gem trade in Sri Lanka _ Explore Sri Lanka Gem Market,? n.d.) It means that the story of Sri Lanka?s gems is as old as civilization itself.?Most of the time, Gems are highly related with the traditional beliefs, myths and the religious life of the majority of?Sri Lankans.?
According to National Gem and Jewellery Authority out of 65,000 square Kilometres, the total available land, 80% declared as ?Potential Gem Bearings?. Apart from that Sri Lanka owns the significant amount of Gemstone deposits in the world generating over 70 diversities out of around 200 known Gemstone varieties in the world which are categorized based on
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But researches which are previously done by several researchers have revealed that they have very low income level parallel to other contributors of the industry. Katupotha (2014) identified that poverty as major problem faced by gem miners. Amarasinghe (1999) also investigated that the majority of the miners gone to low income families and had very poor living conditions. According to these factors it is cleared that gem miners could not get sufficient benefits from participating in mining activities. This point represents the inefficiency of gem industry. Therefore this study will focus on finding information regarding the determinants of income of gem mining
Summary of Source Information: This article talks about the health conditions of many miners and diamond diggers that are affected due to substandard working conditions in sub-Saharan Africa. In these areas, where there are many unregulated mining locations, workers are prone to being exploited to hazardous working conditions. Children are especially vulnerable in these environments because they already suffer from poor health conditions due to lack of care and nutrition. Children have often been exploited in the diamond industry due to their ability to get into small spaces and dig out packs of dirt. Another health effect associated with diamond mining, in which this article talks about, is how diamond deposits have often mixed with vegetated areas, leaving it unsuitable for farming activities. Mining equipment leaves heavy minerals and chemical products that run into the rivers and contaminate vital sources of water for the mining community and people who live in these rural areas. Currently, diamond companies, as well as labor and health activists, are trying to do something to help improve health conditions of workers.
Should diamonds be seen as such highly sought-after, luxury goods, and marketed and sold at such extravagant amounts? While some individuals might be of the impression that diamonds are lavishly priced, because of limited supply, it is of my opinion that a very shrewdly-created cartel disguises the very reason for these “rare” gems seemingly being worth your “pretty penny”.
Spar, D. L., 2006. Markets: Continuity and Change in the International Diamond Market. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Summer, 2006), pp. 195-208.
Up until the 19th century, diamonds were considered to be one of the most prized possessions that could be found, hence they were reserved only for those who are the heads of royal families. However, this all changed when English-born businessman Cecil John Rhodes bought up diamond fields in South Africa as well as claims to the diamonds and began the company ‘De Beers’, named after two brothers who had found deposits of the commodity on their land, which made it possible for the general public to own a piece of this precious stone – at a high price.
It’s hard to imagine that a mineral could be fueling wars and funding corrupt governments. This mineral can be smuggled undetected across countries in a coat pocket, then be sold for vast amounts of money. This mineral is used in power tools, parts of x-ray machines, and microchips but mostly jewelry. Once considered the ultimate symbol of love, the diamond has a darker story. "Blood" diamonds or "conflict" diamonds are those mined, polished, or traded in areas of the world where the rule of law does not exist. They often originate in war-torn countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, and Côte d'Ivoire were rebels use these gems to fund genocide or other questionable objectives. Even with a system known as the Kimberly process which tracks diamonds to prevent trade of these illicit gems, infractions continue as the process is seriously flawed. The continuation of the blood diamond trade is inhuman, and unethical, and in order to cease this illicit trade further action to redefine a conflict diamond, as well as reform to the diamond certification prosess is nessasary.
To begin diamonds are can be found all over the world including countries like, Botswana, Canada, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, Australia, and Tanzania. Yet, diamonds are still quite rare and are only found from two dominant deposits. The primary deposits often consist of diamond-bearing “pipes” of volcanic rock called kimberlite. Deep within th...
Objectives • To evaluate the difficulty of mining and reclamation To calculate costs, expenses, income, and profit from a hands-on mining exercise. • To evaluate the effectiveness of reclamation and its added costs to mining. To describe the increasing rarity of some non-renewable mineral resources. Introduction Minerals play an important role in our day-to-day life, but we often do not contemplate how the minerals are obtained. Minerals are scattered all over the world, just like any other resource.
I have chosen to talk about precious gemstones and crystals. There are many people now and days rediscovering the many uses of gemstones and crystals. To my knowledge each, have many different uses. They can be used as adornments, for health, for healing and for spiritual practices. You have probably never even heard of stones or crystals in this fashion before. I am going to take this opportunity to tell you what I know about this fascinating world that I have grown very accustomed to. I am not a gemstone/crystal specialist but, I do know enough about this topic to give you a slight overview about this topic.
Fought over for centuries and claimed by many, the owner of this diamond only yields it to another at the cost of an empire. Believed to have originated from the depths of an ancient Indian mine, the Kohinoor Diamond is a missing link to an illustrious past of a fledgling modern nation. Since its independence, Indians, both in the Republic of India and those who reside throughout the Commonwealth, have demanded the return of the sacred jewel. A demand the British government has continually refused. For the British, the diamond is also a reminder of their renowned past when the sun never set upon their domain. Forever covered in the blood of its past owners, men and nations will continually fight one another, rather with words or war, just for the opportunity to hold the cursed gemstone.
In “ “Blood Diamonds” and Africa’s Armed Conflicts in the Post – Cold War Era, “ Orogun (2004) said that diamonds are referring as “clean stones”. This article explains about the black market is really happening in African. I am using this article to support how the black market of diamond trades is still not regulated, and they defined it as “licit” trade.
Mining is the process or industry of obtaining minerals from the earth. Topics in this paper I’ll be specifically discussing are pros and cons of mining, structures of a mine, mining in general, California gold rush, diamonds in Africa, and comparison of diamond and gold mines.
The indirect impact of the mining industry has been huge in terms of funding for things like skill development through education and training, there is also provision made for social services in the mines (e.g. health care for the employees of the mines and their families, housing, school etc.) and the contribution the national economy.
Diamonds were created million years ago, when the earth was formed, the material experienced pressure of 5million times the atmosphere at sea level and temperatures between 1000~1200degreesC. These conditions caused carbon in the layers inside the planet to crystallize into diamonds. The diamonds moved up to the earth’s surface through volcano eruptions. This is why many Diamond mines are near volcanoes. Diamonds occur in two types of rock: Kimberlite and Lamprolite. Diamonds are mostly found in South Africa, India, Brazil, Russia, Australia, and Arkansas. Right now about 100million carats are mined each year. Today the largest cut Diamond in the world is the Cullian I at 530.2ct .
The value of diamonds lies in their physical properties that make them suitable for many applications. Natural diamonds are only of high value if they are scarce in nature. Realizing this, De Beers Consolidated Mines was formed to control the supply of diamonds from mines across the world. The diamond market is influenced by mine production, rough diamond distribution, preparation/cutting, and retail markets. The project will be focused on the retail markets for diamonds and other high-end jewelry.
The pearl of the Indian Ocean Sri Lanka, reflects a long history of its nations. From the archeological evidence of the prehistoric settlements and prehistoric human Balangoda man (Deraniyagala, 1998) to modern food of kottu like pizza to American; make the broad diversity of culture in Sir Lanka. By analyzing cultural heritage definition in Sinhala language, the definition given in the legislations in 1940, and its relationship with Athens charter and 1954 UNESCO convention, I will demonstrate the cultural heritage vision imbedded in the society through legal definition. Also, I will offer criticisms and recommendations for an improved approach to the definition of cultural heritage in Sri Lanka in broader context.