FOLLOW THE LABRADORITE BLOCKS NEWS!
Sep 2017 - Labradorite Mine
As perviously reported, in Dec 2016 Norcross opened up a new quarry in their Maniry Labradorite claim. This quarry is for dimension blocks used in Granite industry. The hope in opening up a 2nd quarry in the same claim is to get a new color, which will be a different product. By March, the quarry was producing product, and revealed a whole different color spectrum from the neighboring Peackcock Blue quarry.
Introducing Fire Labradorite:
Flash colors are gold, red, purple, gold, rainbow.
Product and samples we will available at the Denver Gem and Mineral show.
Jan 2017 - Peacock Blue Labradorite Mining
SUN MINERALS MADAGASCAR Sarl camp almost finished.
Apr 2016 - Peacock Blue Labradorite Mining
SUN MINERALS MADAGASCAR Sarl, along with NORCROSS MADAGASCAR GROUP (NMG) will be the exclusive suppliers of blocks and slabs from their Peacock Blue labradorite quarry in Maniry. In May, Sun Minerals plans to start opening the second quarry in their joint venture, with hopes the new area will produce a new color.
Jan 2016 - Peacock Blue Labradorite Mining - SRE India & NMG
NMG Group is pleased to announce plans to develop the open side of their labradorite quarry near Maniry. NMG entered into a potential 20-year joint venture with their new partner, SRE (India). The new mining company is named SUN MINERALS MADAGASCAR. Production is planned to begin in March. NMG owns and operates the Peacock Blue Labradorite claim now with two separate joint ventures, and into two different quarries.
July 2015 - Labradorite Mining
The Peacock Blue Labradorite Mine continues to yield a large amount of gem material as a by-product of the quarrying operations. The large blocks are cut out and shipped off to China where they are cut into high-end slabs greatly prized in the counter-top industry. The gem labradorite is removed by hand breaking from the waste blocks removed from the quarry. And the accumulated waste will provide years of rough for gem extraction used for carvings, jewelry cabochon, sinks and gemstone composite slabs. Social activities are continuing as the area is generating good profits so that Madagascar Minerals on their part is funding a number social projects to the local community including a new school.
Jan 2015 - Labradorite Quarry Update
Norcross-Madagascar Group's (NMG) Labradorite mine near Maniry expanded at its fastest pace in 2014. Thanks to the block mining entering its 4th season, the deposit has produced its best quality to-date. There have been many challenges that have prevented the natural supply and demand model from developing. From 2009-2014 there was a revolution. The new government allowed the local governments to manage their tax collection. This permitted the local mayor at the Labradorite quarry to demand 300% increase in taxes this year. The quarry was shut down for 3 months, and in the end, NMG had the original tax model back in place, and the mayor, a new partner in assisting clamping down on the theft. The smell of money can do a lot of things...
As the quarry develops, the gemstone crystal size has increased, exceeding the famous traditional darker Bekily Labradorite. The change was so dramatic in 2014, that Norcross discontinued the Bekily material, located 60 km to the north, in the same Labradorite geologic formation.
NMG was famous for the Bekily model, and will continue to offer this material to clients, but at 3x the price of Maniry material; we will let the market decide. The popularity, lower price, and demand grew so fast that NMG was not prepared for the rampant theft into the local market in the capital city of Antananarivo. The Maniry material has a dominant peacock blue color, and famous rainbow or multi-color flash. Tucson gem and mineral traders like to market this material as "new find", or pretend they have located some new special material exclusive to themselves. There are only 2 quarries that produce gemstone grade, and they are mentioned in this release. NMG, despite mining the material for > 13 years, only made the material available for local market starting last year, when the quality became equivalent, and even better than the Bekily material, with 50% better yield. Labradorite granite block mining has been taking place in Madagascar for the last 12 years in about 10 quarries within the same Labradorite outcrop in 2 hotspot regions. In the beginning, the low grade material with little flash, was still significantly better than Labradorite blocks mined outside of Madagascar.
Today, only the 2 traditional gemstone quarries produce material with significant crystal flash. Working the other areas is a big risk, since the market pays for the flash or "labradorescence". The quality in the NMG Maniry quarry has increasing each year for the last 4 years, and along with the Bekily material has forced lower-grade granite Labradorite quarries in Canada, Finland, Norway, Ukraine, and Russia to close down. NMG is currently in negotiations with an eastern European (Labradorite) mining company, to lease the other half of the quarry, which was held in reserve until now. NMG has negotiated to take 25% production in exchange for long-term leasing rights. Although NMG left this side available for Norcross's own desire to mine blocks by itself, having the proposed agreement in place allows NMG to transition into the granite block, slab and tile business with production and inventory through the lease, at minimal cost.
The increased production from NMG's Chinese mining company has left approximately 2500 trucks of gemstone Labradorite "waste" from the block production. Despite reasonable security in place, trucks have managed to sneak in and out during the evenings with the help a few motivated locals. The competing quarry in Bekily moved to a non-gemstone area this year, making the NMG quarry in Maniry the only quarry currently producing gemstone. Previously there were 8 block operators. Today there are only 2 profitable. The largest producer in 2013-2014 is located inside the NMG quarry. Due to the overstock of gemstone material, NMG has been marketing it locally at 1/3 the normal price to help popularize it.
Aug 2014 - Labradorite Quarry Update
NORCROSS-MADAGASCAR GROUP (NMG) and their Chinese partner YUAN SHI KUANG YE GONGSI SARL are in the process of renegotiating their mining venture. The new contact is under negotiation to extend an additional 3 years. NMG plans to start processing it own blocks in the near future. Part of the delay in the negotiations is NMG's position to take limited block production, and less royalties. If the new terms can be agreed, NMG will be instantly into the granite slab business, and will be offering bundles (7 slabs cut from the same block in sequence). New custom machinery is being shipped that can make vessel sinks from small blocks.
Aug 2013 - Gem Decor® Increasing Production
Factory new machinery upgrades: vessel sink production to 50 units per week.
Aug 2013 - Gem Surfaces® new product line. Crown Molding.
Gem Surfaces is pleased to announce a new Crown Molding product line available in late 2014 to compliment the slabs that are currently used for countertops and flooring.
June 2013 - Labradorite Peacock Blue Quarry Update.
3 years of block production at the NMG Labradorite Maniry Quarry has yielded 700 tons of gem rough "waste" material. The exciting news: quality of the gemstone rough for Labradorite Peacock Blue, cabbing material and spectrolite faceting rough has gotten twice as good.
Jan 2013 - Labradorite Peacock Blue Quarry Update.
After the first year of production, worldwide marketing has begun at the largest trade shows in Italy and China.
Mar 2012 - Labradorite Mine Update.
NMG’s block mine has added a 3rd level, and production has remained steady. The group is shopping around for another mining operator to take on the open and remaining half of the mine.
Jan 2011 - Labradorite Mine: Joint venture.
NMG is pleased to announce a 7-year term mining contract that was signed July 19, regarding their Labradorite claim, in Maniry. NORCROSS EXPLORATION AND EXPLOITATION SARL has agreed to a joint venture with a Chinese firm, YUAN SHI KUANG YE GONGSI SARL to develop the mine. The mine will produce very high quality dimensional blocks, which will be sold to luxury granite slab production companies throughout the world.
