A gemstone odyssey

Amid the chaos of blazing guns, armed bandits and humour, author Richa Goyal Sikri deftly weaves in nuggets of information about the trade of coloured stones in the African continent in her latest book No Stone Unturned: The Hunt for African Gems (Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd). Set in the vast terrains of Africa, the book strings together 24 adventure stories based on true events surrounding notable gem traders over the last 60 years.

With its narrative style reminiscent of the eminent author RK Narayan’s Malgudi Days and the action-packed stories similar to Indiana Jones, Sikri calls it a deliberate fusion of both. “I believe the book is a cross between Malgudi Days and Indiana Jones. “I’m a big fan of RK Narayan’s stories and writing, I wanted to capture those elements that exist in Africa which I’ve seen and experienced during my travels,” she says.

However, the process of writing the book took four long years for the author, also a journalist, who delved into extensive research and interviews of industry leaders who were willing to share their stories. “Gemfields commissioned me to write this book with the objective that if we don’t document these stories, vital historical moments and knowledge about these gemstones will die with them. The first challenge was to identify the individuals who had tales to tell, convince them to participate, and allow me to explore their memory palaces over several interviews, extracting vital details that I combined with fictional elements to craft a story,” explains Sikri. “The next part involved pouring over scientific articles and conducting secondary research. The final touch was writing an author’s note for each story, which updated the reader not only about the protagonist in the story but also the featured gemstone.”

Sikri believes that in the long and gruelling process of mining precious stones from Africa, human stories were left untold. While most mining companies were owned by foreigners, including Indian traders, she believes it was imperative that the stories also reflected the land these gemstones came from. “We needed the book to be inclusive and wanted the book to represent stories that are indigenous to Africa and of indigenous people. will die with them to ‘may be lost forever in a few years. So, 50 per cent of the people are hidden figures, ones that even the industry doesn’t know about. They are people who are still struggling to hit that big gemstone pocket in their mind, or who are still finding their way to make it rich,” she shares.

Many stories in the book reflect the geo-political and social state of affairs of the years the stories are based on. One such story is of renowned gem hunter Guy Clutterbuck on his first visit to Africa in 1985, giving a glimpse of its impacts. First, where he was dressed in military uniform and was held at gunpoint by the Zaire police as they call him a ‘mercenary’. Second, when he, along with fellow passengers, is stopped for inoculation by a man in a dirty white coat, who then proceeds to inject everyone with the same needle. It was around the same time that HIV had been exploding across the country.

“Colonisation brought many geologists and mining engineers to the African continent, from the colonial countries in Europe. It brought all their expertise to the African continent. Even if they were here for self-centred reasons, they ended up mapping out the mineral wealth of the entire continent. However, if it were the geo-political issues that impacted the work earlier, it is corruption, which does so now. It prevents institutional players from investing in proper mining and trading operations in a country,” explains Sikri.

The author points out how mining in Africa has been stereotyped as the mining of blood diamonds.  The continent is often overlooked for its for its good work in discovering coloured stones, she says, adding, that if one hears of the country, they either think of national geographic, or blood diamonds, nothing in between. “The stories in the book show the other side of the country. While it provides Malgudi Days or Indiana Jones-like entertainment, it also gives a glimpse of the rich culture and their lifestyle,” she says.

Talking about the struggles of bringing the stones to the market, Sikri hopes that the book shows the toil that goes behind these stones that reach people’s hands. “Every story shares small facts readers may not even realise they’re learning. They will be informed and armed with questions to make better purchases for themselves. Moreover, it will transport them to a vibrant world where they will learn, laugh, fall in love and, like me, never want to leave,” she adds.