NANCY, France, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Although emeralds are not "conflict gems" they have been associated with illegal drug trafficking, but a technique deveopled in France could trace them.
Alain Cheilletz, Philippe de Donato and Odile Barres at the National Polytechnic Institute of Lorraine in Nancy, France, use an oxygen isotope ratio to trace an emerald to where it was mined, New Scientist reported. An earlier version required specialized equipment and needed a tiny piece of the gem to be vaporized.
"If the claims are true then it is extremely useful," said Ken Scarratt, director of the testing laboratory at the American Gem Trade Association in New York. "The (equipment is) commonplace, so it's bringing it home to a useful level."
Emeralds are mined in Africa, Russia, Brazil and Afghanistan but smuggling also occurs in Colombia, partly because its emeralds sell for almost twice as much as other emeralds. Some believe emeralds are being passed as Colombian emeralds as a way for drug dealers to launder money.
