Gems Mining:
The Orissa Mining Corporation has opened up the deposits in the State to be mined by a joint venture with a private company.
The Jhillingdhar ruby mine, near Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district, officially became the first legal gemstone mine in Orissa in 1992 when it was formally transferred from Orissa Mining Corporation to a joint sector company.
The Jhillingdhar mine area consists of a belt which extends down the mountain to the Hinjhribahal mine, a mine that produces only translucent to opaque ruby, which is still under OMC control. The main Jhillingdhar mining pit has produced transparent rubies but it has been heavily mined in the past. However, no extraction machinery has been used in the area. The private company plans to install an automatic concentrator and separator plant. Wholesale labrorite Jewellery The company received assistance from the United Nations Development Program and has two experts from Idar-Oberstein and Australia. The mining equipment was imported by the United Nations and leased to the joint sector company.

Unofficial Trading:

Besides the Orissa Mining Corporation, the gemstones business in Orissa consists of a network of gems traders which encourages prospecting, test-trenching and full scale mining, and purchases and distributes the gemstones found by the villagers who do the mining. Since the agents offer the best price, everyone is happy with the system except the government. Villagers, who at one time might have found it difficult to buy meals, now ride around on motorcycles! Wholesale moonstone Jewellery
Most gemstone trading is done on the local village market day or Haft, along with chickens, livestock, and vegetables. There are usually numerous buyers operating for different agents at any Haft and they bid against each other to buy the goods available.
The Orissa gemstones industry has developed quickly from the first strikes in the early eighties, when gemstones were found as a by-product of construction and other jobs. In the Bhawanipatna area, workers levelling ground for a railroad unearthed fine hessonite garnets. In other areas, gemstones were thrown up by farmers' ploughs.

Difficult Terrain:

In the meantime, OMC controls the known gemstone deposits, and independent miners mostly dig around the edges, looking for gemstones, which they often find. The variety of gemstones found to date is surprisingly rich.
Rhodolite Garnet is found at Siali Nattamunda, fifty-three kilometres from Bolangir, the nearest town, on a bad road and then a dirt track. The dirt track fords a stream which is often dangerous to cross when overflowing in the monsoon season.