Journal
Guides, research and news on Ethiopian gemstones and on buying from Ethiopia. Every entry is dated and lists its sources.
How to check an Ethiopian gemstone supplier before you pay
Check the seller's export licence and the parcel against a written specification, then pay only into the exporter's own account at a bank in Ethiopia.
How rough Welo opal is judged before cutting
Rough Welo is judged first on the play of colour it will show once cut, then on body tone, what lies behind each face, matrix, yield and stability.
Ethiopian gemstones: what is found where, and what is traded
Opal, emerald, sapphire and copper-bearing tourmaline are traded; aquamarine, garnet, peridot and others are recorded finds. Where each comes from.
Import duty on rough gemstones from Ethiopia, by country
As of October 2026, unworked rough coloured gemstones enter the US, EU, UK and Hong Kong free of duty and India at 0.5%; import VAT or GST still applies.
What rough Ethiopian opal costs per gram and per kilogram
Top single pieces of rough Welo opal sell abroad at $30 to $150 a gram; fine rough by weight at $18 to $24 a gram ($18,000 to $24,000 a kilogram).
Mezezo opal from Shewa: where it comes from and what it is like
Ethiopia's first precious opal to reach the trade, in 1993. Brown-bodied and contra luz nodules from Yita Ridge, and what GIA's stability tests found.
Ethiopian sapphire: where it comes from and what it is like
Found near Aksum in late 2016, mostly blue and usually heated. The geology, how laboratories place it, and what is known about supply today.
Ethiopian, Colombian and Zambian emerald compared
How emerald from Ethiopia, Colombia and Zambia differs in geology, colour chemistry and inclusions, and how laboratories tell the three apart.
How a parcel leaves Ethiopia
A licensed exporter's bank issues the export permit, and the Ministry of Mines and customs clear the parcel in Addis Ababa before it flies, insured.
Will my opal craze? Stability in Ethiopian opal
Most Welo opal does not craze, but some does. What crazing is, how water affects hydrophane opal, and how to test rough before buying or cutting.
Opal, October's birthstone
Why opal is October's birthstone, who set the list in 1912, what play of colour is, and how to choose an opal.
Opal and the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange
Opal contract specifications for the exchange are finished, but no gemstone has traded on it yet. What has happened since 2021, and what it means for buyers.
Carats, grams and kilograms: how rough is weighed and priced
A carat is 0.2 g, so a kilogram is 5,000 carats. How rough opal and emerald are weighed and quoted, why wet opal weighs more, and what scales allow.
Where Ethiopian opal goes
Most Ethiopian opal leaves rough for India and is cut in Jaipur. The figures, and what they mean for buyers elsewhere and in India.
Ethiopia confirmed as a source of copper-bearing tourmaline
GIA and Gübelin confirmed paraíba tourmaline from Ethiopia in August 2026. Where it was found, how labs place origin, and what the name means.
How to read a Maedot selection
What each line on your private selection page means, what we leave out, and how to ask about a parcel.
Ethiopia's record mining exports in 2025/26
Mining exports reached USD 5.7 billion in 2025/26, almost all of it gold. Where opal and other gemstones fit, and what it means for buyers.
Which gem lab report to ask for, and when
Identification, treatment and origin reports from GIA, Gübelin, SSEF, AGL and GRS: what each covers and costs, and when rough or cut stones need one.
Emerald from the Shakiso area
Found in 2016 and on the market by the end of that year. Where Ethiopian emerald is mined, what it is like, and how laboratories place it.
Ethiopia's new foreign-exchange rules for exporters
How a foreign buyer can pay an Ethiopian exporter under directive FXD/01/2024, and what the 2025 and 2026 amendments changed on the buyer's side.
Dry or wet: how to read an opal photograph
Most Ethiopian opal absorbs water and looks different wet. Where it comes from, why it changes, and how we label our photographs.
Smoked and dyed Ethiopian opal: how to spot treated dark opal
Welo opal is porous enough to be smoked, dyed or sugar-treated to look black or coloured. The signs, the tests, and what sellers should disclose.
Emerald clarity enhancement: oil, resin and what a report says
Most emeralds have filled fissures. Oil versus resin, how laboratories grade the amount of filler, and how to care for a filled stone.
Welo opal and Australian opal: what's different
Welo opal formed in volcanic rock and absorbs water; Australian opal formed in sedimentary rock. How they differ in tone, durability and price.