Vietnam Unearthed: Ruby, Spinel, Sapphire and more, explore gemstones and gem mining in Luc Yen.
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Join Charles Lawson and Michelle Wu as they climb mountains and scour the markets of Yên Thế, Luc Yen, Vietnam.
Special thanks to:
Lawson Gems: www.lawsongems...
/ lawsongems
Geir Atle Gussiås
BalderGems, based in Luc Yen, Vietnam.:
/ baldergems
(@baldergems_)
Having watched all Patrick Voillot's documentaries into oblivion, everytime Charles uploads content like this, I know its going on my watchlist forever
Thank you so much for your kind words 😁. It was definitely nice to get back to doing a proper documentary.
Patrick the legend ❤
another great film about your gem adventures, so interesting.
I am happy to hear that you're a long-time fan 😁
This is great and Beautiful.. Bringing the story behind every shining Gem.Thanks for sharing such wonderful Journey.
I'm happy you got so much from the film. It was great fun making it 😁
Great Journey 🥰 i loved the hospitality of the people in Luc Yuen when i was there.
Haha thanks! It was a super interesting trick, especially the rockhounding 😝.
So good to see this. Thanks for posting and please don't stop.
I'm glad you liked it 😄. I will do my best to keep posting more content like this.
Wonderful video man!
Always a joy seeing videos from the mines!
Thanks mate! Your connections over there definitely made a big difference. We probably would have had a very different time without Papa and Geir 😆
Thank you for this very interesting documentary!
It is my pleasure 😁
Excellent work. Thanks for sharing the story of the people and the place that brought us nature’s bounty.
Haha thanks! It was super rewarding and fun making the film. It was my first trip to Luc Yen, so it was definitely amazing to see their treasures and how they unearth and process them firsthand!
I got an amazonite bracelet from Vietnam when we visited during the Christmas season. Immediately drawn to its sea blue color.
Yeah there actually a bit of amazonite from Vietnam. Interestingly, they actually produce tiny amount of full gem grade, crystal clear amazontie! If you jump on to Geir's facebook group, Baldur Gems (see the link in the video description) he might be able to show you the few amazing piece of beautiful faceted amazonite he has in his collection 😁.
The gem paintings are beautiful
Haha yeah, they really are something else aren't they 😆
Thank you for showing a very special industry in our country, is often overlooked by the government. It's very complicated, but at least you provide a realistic look into the matter.
Thanks, I'm glad the film was meaningful for you. You are definitely right in that aspects of the industry are often overlooked, and for me, I like to show the more positive side where I can 😁.
Really nice video enjoyed watching.
Nice 😁. I am glad you enjoyed the film!
Thanks for sharing this video... Don't stop, keep it up.. Must visit soon. (From Sri Lanka)
HAha Inam glad you enjoyed the documentary. I would love to get back to Sri Lanka. But Michelle, who co-presented this film with me, will be doing an interview with the President of the Facets fair in Colombo in January, so keep an eye out 😁
Beautiful video.. love it.. I have quite a number of gems and rough from there.
That is great to hear! Luc Yen has a lot to offer 😁
I have always loved your videos. So happy to see this video. :)
That's great.! I am glad you enjoyed it. It was really good to get back into a solid documentary style 😁
Great. Nice to know you Bro ❤
Thanks, I am glad you enjoyed the film 😁.
Very interesting. glad to see the country doing so well 👍
I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was a great experience getting out there. They are definitely very proud of their gemstones in Vietnam 😁
Wow for them to find em that easily that's so cool ... That one is going to make a real nice specimen
Haha for sure! Though I should say that although it is easy to find the small low grade stuff, fine quality is very difficult to find. It is a matter of perspective I guess 😂, as foreigners who are enthusiastic rockhounds, we are elated to find all those little specimes, but to the locals making a living from mining, they have to concentrate on what they can make a reasonable profit from 😅. But then, take those same Vietnam locals to a Zambian emerald mine, and chaces are, they would be getting as excited as us at finding all the tiny and interesting specimens 🤣🤣🤣.
Mynmar produce some of world's finest gemstones, Vietnam also got the vibe.
For sure! There definitely similar vibes between the Burmese and Vietnamese gem industries. I actually also made a good documentary about the Burmese mine to market trail too 😁th-cam.com/video/spo-bGxAMqM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ivOJJDLEj64Iv35I
I loved it! Thanks :)
Haha I am glad you enjoyed the film 😁
Ah i remembered my pàt as I used to sel stones in Hanoi gem market. Lovely video reminiscent of my 0ast
I am glad that we were able to bring back some happy memories for you 😁
The hunt never ends.
Haha that's right 😉
Hey Charles I guess this is not in december , Im there atm , but the weather is bad so I guess you filmed way back !, great documentary
I'm glad you enjoyed the film. Funnily enough, we were there towards the end of November, but we had great luck with the weather 😆.
I have a vey nice 6 ctw Vietnamese faceted ruby,i bought it at 10 ctw as it was very deep and the pavilion was heavily flawed .I recut to correct angles and got 6ctw with a flaw coverable by ring prong's. A tad dark but a very nice ruby.
Nice one, a relatively clean ruby that size from Vietnam is not easy to find!
The place look good and the stone's beautiful.🎉❤🎉
Yeah, it was a really amazing trip with lots of great gems 😁
Thanks for letting thank you
No problem! Glad you enjoyed the video. 😁
Thanks
Glad you liked it 😁
So nice to see this
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the film 😁
I would love to go shopping for Gem Rough there.
Haha yeah for sure. Like a kid in a candy store 😆!
It's wonderful place.
It really is a lovely place to experience 😁
Having a smart woman with good eyes and fine hands is a real benefit for prospecting. Idk, but us men don’t see as much or have the dexterity. As much. But we can dig a lot of dirt.👍🙄😃.
🤣🤣🤣
Hi friends!
Hi there! Did you enjoy the film?
I become more and more obsessed with visiting everytime, I see one of these great gem market videos.
How prevalent are fakes in Luc Yen markets?
Are there good deals to be found for high quality stones?
Ofc, visiting a gem show in Bangkok or Hong Kong, you will pay top dollar...I am just wondering if its worth the effort to travel to the source?
Haha that's great! You should definitely try to get out there sometime. As with many markets, fakes are a concern in Luc Yen, so if you are not an experienced gemmologist or gem dealer, then having a trusted local guide (like Gier, for example) will be a big help. (I might make a separate video on this 🤔)
The lady Michelle Wu is as beautiful as pink sapphire. Perfect beauty.
😆
Very nice
Thanks for watching 😁
I started gem cutting in 2024. now I want to travel to places like this and buy rough.
For sure! Vietnam would be a great place to start as it is much more accessible than a lot of other gem regions around the world.
Please also share gem supplier and gem cutting artisan no so it will easy gor everyone to reach them in short time travel
We don't have the contact details of all the suppliers and artisans, however if you reach out to the @BaldurGems group on Facebook, then you can work through Gier just as we did 😁
Thank you
in main market luc yen, do the seller can give us guarantee if it's no heat spinel? 🙏
I have no experience about gems, but I love spinel and looks like main market is the right place to find spinel
Luckily, heat treatment is not really a problem with spinel. People have been trying for many years to figure out how to heat treat spinel, but as of this time and to the best of my knowledge, there is no standard heat treatment for spinels. Occasionally you will see one with a gem report that says heated, but I've never seen one with such a report where someone could tell me what the spinel looked like before 😂 (and they are very few and far between). So long story short, unlike the corundum family (ruby/sapphire), you generally do not really have to worry about spinels be heated (though with some many people trying, it will probably happen at some point 😅)
Yeah for sure, you can definitely find a lot of great spinel at the Yen The market. Though, as I mentioned in the film, if you want to see really fine stones (including fine spinel), you have to befriend local dealers so you can see what is in the private stashes outside the local open air market 😉.
nice
Thanks 😁
From teofilo otoni brazil
👋😁
Can I ask the approximate price of a 4 carat Burmese star ruby please?
The price can vary a huge amount based on the quality of the piece and where you are buying from. It could be a few dollars a carat to tens of thousands a carat 😅.
@ I got it as a gift from a Rajasthani prince in Nepal He was visiting his uncle who had a jewellery shop in Kathmandu. We made an exchange and I got this 4 carat six star Burmese ruby. If I am not mistaken it was early 1980s. My mother is a jeweller and gems has been my hobby. I took it to a GIA gemologist (Asterios Koukoudes) in Thessaloniki Greece where I used to live at the time and got a certificate. He had just finished his Gemological studies in the USA and returned to Greece at the time. It is a cabochon blood red Burmese ruby with a clear six star
Thank you for the video introducing Vietnam gemstones. 🫶🏻🫶🏻
Not a problem, I am glad you enjoyed the film. It was a great experience getting out to see all the amazing aspects of the Vietnamese gem industry 😁.
Thanks for posting! Looking for advice: My Tron Wallet has some TRX 20 USDT, and I have the seed phrase: -clean- -party- -soccer- -advance- -audit- -clean- -evil- -finish -tonight- -involve- -whip- -action-. How can I go about moving them to OKX Exchange?
Quality marble ❤❤❤ but they only collect gems
Haha they actually mine a large ornamental marble there as well. The main marble mine is not surprisingly run by an Italian 😂.
If you pause at the 55 second mark in the film or check out the last shot before the credits, then you will be able to just make some of the marble quarries in the mountains above Yên Thế 😁.
I love gems, but I would rather find them then get from a store!
Haha for sure! Finding your own gems is great fun 😁
I have lots of spinals from sri Lanka. If anybody needs them let me know please ❤. ThankQ for this ❤.
Ruby lục yên
😁
Đá quý lục yên
😁
It’s interesting you literally completely left out the fact that Vietnam has some of the best, and easily most beautiful Aquamarine on the planet. Like whaaaaat!??!
Haha yeah, we put a few nice shots of aquamarine, but we were focused on gems from Luc Yen/Yen Bai. But we had such a good time making the film, that we might head back and make our way to Nghe An/or Than Hoa and do "Vietnam Unearthed 2: Aquamarine, Topaz, Garnet and more, exploring the gems and gem mining of Than Hoa" 😁
احسنت
Where are those beautiful ladies coming from
Which ladies are you referring to?
@Lawsongems I don't mean no disrespected but the one in the video with u and those also who's selling
Haha no worries 😆
Hope u go to the market and tell us the prices of the gems stone
I don't know very well about gems stone Well now I very interested now
Now I'm planning to go vietnam it's a beautiful and fresh place
Pricing can vary quite a lot for gems, many factors can be at play and the prices are always shifting, even the standard price at the Yen The market will be different from the standard price tiktok market and they are both in Luc Yen 😅. You can get an idea of market price ranges and you can learn what a good price for you is, i.e. a price where you know you can make a profit, and this is often going to be different compared to people at other points in the supply chain. So my best advice, if you are going to a new gem area, is always to try to connect with a local who can show you the local scene. Doing research to see what the market price is for your potential customers is very important too.
There is a lot lot to learn and most people often learn them the hard way on a purchase or two, but it is a super interesting sector and can lead to quite adventurous travels if that happens to be your jam 😁
The guy farts on camera at 2:56
Haha that is actually Michelle saying "Hmm" behind the camera 😂
@@Lawsongemsnah you definitely farted, i smelled it from the screen
Why make it hard to watch with unnecessary "music"
I don’t agree, the music didn’t bother me.
The music is fine, don’t be a whiner
Turn it down then. Problem solved
The music is low volume.Go back to bed and get up on the other side
Trapiche ruby?!?!?! >>>>>>>>> Tell me you bought that.
haha unfortunately both of us have a big regret over not buying that piece 😅
@@Lawsongems How much did they want for it for how many carats?
Haha well the problem was it was quite expensive for buying in Vietnam, but in retrospect, the most I can say is that it was actually quite reasonable when compared to the global market 😅
@@Lawsongems Dude you gotta give me a price that they wanted for it, you're killin me lol. How many carats was it? It obviously, wasn't perfect, but Idk. It was nice. I'm no gem dealer or gemologist but I look and research alot and I'm not an entire dummy and seeing one of those is rareee. Was it even a carat?
I'd have bought it. Just as a piece to have. And I dont mean I as in you, like, shit, given the price I'd have bought that from you if you got me a good deal lol. Obviously neither of us knew lol.
But if you bought it, and I was you, lol I wouldn't sell it. That's a piece for me.
Honestly I should leave you a contact number in case in the future it comes up.... hmmm. lol dont be surprised I get in touch in the future