At the gemstone market, precious stones are sold like... vegetables.

Throughout time, the methods and manner of transactions remain unaltered. This market is known as the billion-dollar gemstone market, dealing exclusively in gemstones, devoid of any other merchandise.

The Luc Yen stone market gathers at a rather picturesque spot situated at the corner of a sparkling lake in Yen The town. The market only convenes for a few hours every morning.

From the early hours, when the white mist still lingers under the slanting sun, hundreds of traders gather goods from various gemstone mining sites to this small market.

They leisurely set up their goods. No elaborate tents or fancy stalls here. The market comprises about thirty to forty stalls, all run by women, most of whom have been associated with this market since its formation.

A gemstone site differs from a gold mine, as it is scattered across mountains and forests. Perhaps the richness in the hues of Luc Yen stones has endowed this land with a flavor distinct from gemstone hubs like Quy Hop or Dak Nong.

According to locals, this market thrived the most in the early 1990s, particularly in 1991 and 1992 when people discovered gemstone mines in Luc Yen. Residents from various places flocked here to mine for stones. Even local farmers abandoned their fields to venture into the forests in search of these gems. Those who managed to unearth some would bring them to the market for sale.

During that time, the Luc Yen stone market boasted hundreds of large and small stalls. People from all over, even from neighboring countries like Thailand and Singapore, came to buy. And it was the sheer determination of local miners, toiling day in and day out, digging and extracting stones from the deep quarries and streams of Luc Yen, that ensured a constant supply of gemstones for the market.

Aside from gemstone traders, craftsmen also sought out raw materials here. Many others, simply drawn by the allure of the gemstone market, came to admire and purchase these precious stones as souvenirs. Trading activities would buzz for a couple of hours before the market dispersed. Sellers recall sessions where transactions amounted to tens or even hundreds of millions of dong, yet there were also slow days where deals barely reached a few million dong.

Merchandise was neatly displayed on tables in bundles. They consisted of various types of gemstones, both precious and semi-precious, some crafted, others in their raw state. Regardless of their form, every item in this market gleamed with brilliance. There was no cutthroat competition or fear of theft; one could even carry a valuable stone from one end of the market to the other for appraisal without worry.

Merchants revealed that these gemstones were collected by mountain dwellers, some of whom would eventually transform them into gemstone rings, necklaces, earrings, and other adornments. Others were intended as raw materials for creating gemstone paintings, sold by weight.

Each green, red, purple, yellow, white, or black stone, of varying sizes and shapes, underwent careful examination and appraisal by connoisseurs. Prices varied according to the quality of the stone, ranging from tens of thousands to millions or even tens of millions of dong. However, whether a transaction was successful or not depended entirely on the bargaining process.

This place is also the only location in the entire country where the art of creating gemstone paintings thrives. Here, you can explore the craft of gemstone work and witness priceless paintings worth hundreds of millions of dong.

Paintings are reproduced from various original works, encompassing both folk and modern art. All colors are derived from natural stone. At first glance, one might assume they are dyed colors, but no, because if they were, the adhesive solvent of the 502 glue would dissolve all types of dyed colors while attaching the stones for the painting.

Until now, every morning, hundreds of townspeople venture into the forest, wandering along streams, picking up stones exposed by nature. Despite continuous efforts, stones are becoming scarce, forcing them to delve deeper into caves, using flashlights to search and pick them up.

If they come across genuine sapphire or ruby (large in size, transparent, standard color, without cracks), they can fetch hundreds of millions, but mostly, they encounter colored stones, including low-grade rubies, sapphires, cracked ones, small ones... which are then used for paintings. Sometimes, finding suitable colored stones (especially black stones for painting hair, green stones for depicting water...) requires wandering on the mountains for months.

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Source: Mytour Travel Handbook - As reported by Dân trí