How to check an Ethiopian gemstone supplier before you pay

Before you pay, check that the seller holds a licence to export the stone you are buying and that the parcel matches a written specification you have seen on live video or in person. Then pay only into the exporter's own account at a commercial bank in Ethiopia; that bank issues the export permit.

Who may export

Under the Transaction of Minerals Proclamation No. 1144/2019, which the Ministry of Justice lists as in force, an exporter holds a mineral export licence for each type of mineral it sells, backed by a certificate of competence from the Ministry of Mines (Art. 12). How a parcel leaves Ethiopia sets out the other lawful routes and the rule on foreign investors.

Ask to see the papers, and check them:

• The export licence, naming the mineral you are buying. A licence for opal does not cover emerald.
• The certificate of competence behind it.
• The dates. Both are valid for one year from issue (Arts. 16 and 25). Many Ethiopian documents are dated in the Ethiopian calendar, seven or eight years behind the Gregorian calendar.
• The name, which should match the invoice, the contract and the bank account you will pay.

Exporters must also document the legal source of rough, and for cut stones the licensed cutter (Art. 17). If your customers ask for provenance, ask for these papers too.

What to see before you buy

Agree a written specification: the material and its stated origin, the weight with its unit, the number of pieces and their size range, any known treatment, and the price with its basis (per gram, per kilogram, per carat or for the lot). It should say whether the photographs show this parcel or a representative sample. If you cannot travel, ask for live video of the parcel itself, weighed on camera, with a handwritten note in the frame giving the day's date and your name.

For opal, ask whether the stones were filmed dry or wet, since milky Welo opal can turn transparent in water (Dry or wet), and read Will my opal craze? before you cut. Dark or brightly coloured Ethiopian opal can be smoked or dyed, so ask for any treatment in writing (Smoked and dyed Ethiopian opal).

Laboratory reports matter for cut stones whose price depends on treatment or origin, such as emerald and sapphire. GIA and SSEF do not issue reports on rough coloured stones; Which gem lab report to ask for covers the rest.

Where the money goes

Under the National Bank of Ethiopia's directive FXD/01/2024, no one may export goods without an authorised bank's prior approval. The bank issues the export permit after checking the exporter's trade licence for export, the invoice and the sales contract, and it must see the proceeds reach Ethiopia. An advance can back an export permit only at the bank branch that received it. The other ways to pay, cash against documents and letters of credit, are set out in Ethiopia's new foreign-exchange rules for exporters; How a parcel leaves Ethiopia lists the papers that travel with the parcel.

Confirm the account details by phone or video with someone you know at the company. Mark an advance "Advance payment for future export", or quote the invoice or contract number, as directive FXD/04/2026 allows.

Samples for approval

Samples you buy outright leave as an ordinary export. A licensed exporter can also send samples abroad temporarily under Article 31 of the proclamation, which allows raw, semi-processed or processed minerals out "for the purpose of promotion". The exporter lodges a bank guarantee equal to the samples' current world market price, or an amount the Ministry of Mines sets where no price is quoted. The Ministry certifies their type, quality and quantity before export and on return. If they are not all back within 90 days of export, or do not match what left, the guarantee is paid to the government. Agree the return date, courier and insurance before samples travel, and do not cut or alter them.

Inspecting with Maedot

Maedot, in Bole, Addis Ababa, exports under an Ethiopian mineral export licence. Buyers inspect parcels in person in Addis Ababa by appointment, by live video, or through samples, which are discussed for each order. How buying works sets out the steps.

Sources

• Transaction of Minerals Proclamation No. 1144/2019, Federal Negarit Gazette No. 86, 15 August 2019, articles 3, 8, 12, 16, 17, 22, 25 and 31, listed as in force by the Ministry of Justice, read 27 October 2026
• National Bank of Ethiopia, “Foreign Exchange Directive No. FXD/01/2024”, articles 6 and 7 and Annex One, in force 29 July 2024
• National Bank of Ethiopia, “Amendment to Foreign Exchange Directive No. FXD/01/2024”, Directive FXD/04/2026, in force 12 February 2026
• Rondeau et al., “Play-of-Color Opal from Wegel Tena, Wollo Province, Ethiopia”, Gems & Gemology, Summer 2010
• Bear Williams and Cara Williams, Stone Group Laboratories, “Smoke Treatment in Wollo Opal”, 2011 (archived copy)
• Renfro and McClure, “Dyed Purple Hydrophane Opal”, Gems & Gemology, Winter 2011
• GIA, “I would like to submit a rough stone for identification service, how do I proceed?”, FAQ, read 27 October 2026
• SSEF, “Understanding a SSEF report”, read 27 October 2026