What the Belarusian jewellery market looks like

Golden goose

The jewellery market in Belarus is growing in volume year by year, while its precious products are in demand not only within the country but also abroad. Our correspondents have investigated what has been achieved in this field and what the prospects are.

aleksandr kulevsky

Facets of success  

The birthday of the jewellery industry in our republic can be considered December 27th, 1972. It was then that the first Belarusian diamond was cut at Gomel’s Kristall factory.  
Yuri Dedov, Deputy General Director of Gomel’s Kristall Production Association — the Managing Company of Kristall Holding — introduced the capabilities of modern production, “In total, the enterprise employs 460 people. The range of jewellery items we produce includes around 9,500 items. Every year, three to five new collections, or 300 to 350 models of jewellery, are put into serial production.”   
ivan yarivanovich

 In 2012, by the decision of the Head of State, a jewellery holding was established to unite all state participants in the jewellery market. It includes the enterprises Kristall and Belgran, as well as one of the oldest jewellery retail chains in the former USSR — Belyuvelirtorg. This allowed the enterprises of the holding to implement a unified pricing policy, optimise the supply of jewellery products to the retail network, and present a united front in the markets of other countries.
The process of creating a future pendant, pendant ornament, or ring begins with the development of a virtual model, followed by a wax model that will be cast in metal. The quality of the alloy, the temperature regimes for the calcination of the moulds and the melting of precious metals during the casting of parts, as well as dozens of other nuances are all monitored by specialists who are trained directly on the production floor. 

belta

The birth of a diamond is preceded by its own technological chain. First, the diamond must be scanned using modern equipment, virtually embedding the shape of the future diamond, marking it, and then cutting it. At Kristall, this process is carried out on a laser installation. 
Today, as in the early days of its development, the enterprise primarily works with Yakut diamond raw materials. To make a round diamond sparkle, it needs to be cut with 57 facets — this standard is considered golden among jewellers. The gem cutters from the Gomel school are experienced and valuable specialists not only by domestic standards but also by global ones. Larisa Bernadskaya, the leading engineer-technologist of the production and technological department, emphasised the importance of human involvement at the final stage of diamond creation, “Seven preliminary operations can be replaced by machines, whereas cutting cannot. A computer cannot yet replace the human eye and may leave the product with overcuts or undercuts. Only a person can visually assess the quality of the cut. The polishing of facets is only visible through a magnifying glass with tenfold magnification. The computer measures the finished diamond.”  

belta
ivan yarivanovich

The development and technological re-equipment at Kristall is a continuous process. In autumn 2022, the factory began producing standard stamped ingots ranging from one to one hundred grammes for Belarus’ Ministry of Finance and the National Bank. Each year, the enterprise processes about 500 kilogrammes of gold and produces over 10,000 carats of diamonds. In 2024, the largest modernisation in the factory’s history has been completed. Approximately Br16m were invested in the technological re-equipment.

Original or fake?  

The simplest and most common classification divides gemstones into precious, semi-precious, and ornamental, which can, in turn, be natural or synthetic. Evgeny Plyakhimovich, a senior expert in the department of metallurgical, soil, and gemmological examinations at the central apparatus of the State Forensic Examination Committee, noted, “According to the Law On Precious Metals and Precious Stones, there are only seven items classified as the latter: diamond, ruby, sapphire, alexandrite, emerald, natural pearl, and unique amber formations. However, there are stones that can be more expensive than diamonds or emeralds. 
For example, Paraíba tourmalines are very beautiful crystals of bluish-turquoise colour. Their price can reach tens of thousands of dollars. This is a rare stone that is only mined in Brazil.”   
Synthetic stones, on the other hand, differ little from their natural counterparts, as claimed by the expert, “The only difference is that a natural stone has formed over tens or even hundreds of thousands of years, while ‘synthetics’ are grown in a couple of weeks in special facilities that accelerate the process by creating conditions similar to those found in nature. Such crystals can be difficult to diagnose, and some are hard to distinguish from the original. Not all laboratories are prepared to issue a verdict on whether it is synthetic or original.”   
In our country, the only way to verify whether a stone is original or fake is to consult gemmological experts at the State Forensic Examination Committee.

Absolute ‘synthetics’  

Natural stones with minimal defects are quite rare, and their prices are very high. Synthetic crystals, grown in laboratories, have become their equivalent. In Belarus, this work began in the 1960s at the Institute of Solid State Physics and Semiconductors. In the 1990s, scientists experimented with growing various gemstones in addition to diamonds. They settled on emeralds, as there was demand for them and the necessary equipment for their cultivation was available in the laboratory. “At that time, we started developing a technology that allows for the growth of monocrystals within three months. The process takes place in platinum crucibles at a temperature of 1,000 degrees. Currently, we have two installations operating, and we expect to produce around 700 carats of monocrystals,” recounted Andrei Soldatov, the leading researcher at the Scientific and Practical Centre for Materials Research under Belarus’ National Academy of Sciences.  




Synthetic emeralds are mainly purchased by private individuals. The geography of supply is quite extensive — Belarusian stones are known in Europe, Asia, and even South America.  
Another stone that Belarusian scientists have begun to cultivate is red beryl, also known as bixbite or red emerald. In nature, this stone is quite rare and is mined in the state of Utah.

Eternal values 

Valery Bainev, Doctor of Economics, Professor of the Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Economics Faculty of the Belarusian State University, 
“Previously, our Western friends taught us that a market economy should be open. Now, however, trade wars are taking place, sanctions are being imposed — this market economy is being trampled upon. As a result, the world has reached yet another crisis-critical point. In such times, true values always come to the surface, which is why precious metals and stones have sharply increased in price. They serve as means of payment, savings, investments, and global currency.   
Precious metals are widely used in electronics. Thus, silver, due to its electrical conductivity, is used in batteries and solar panels, as well as in on/off switches and medical equipment. Platinum can be found in a wide range of radio-electronic components. Gold is used in the production of electrolytic coatings, compounds, and contacts.”

FACT 

All Belarusian state awards made of precious metals are produced in Gomel. The Star of the Hero of Belarus, for example, is made from the 585 red gold alloy. The Order for Strengthening Peace and Friendship — which was awarded to Chairman of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping in 2016 — was also created there. The award is made of silver gilt, inlaid with diamonds. 

By Aleksandra Yankovich, Dmitry Boyarchuk