Here is a list of all gems and minerals that originate from Cambodia. Should you know some that are not present here please don't hesitate to contact us and let us know, we strive to always know more about gemology.
You'll find our Cambodian Gems for Sale here.
Tabong Totem or Tabong Pailin refers to Ruby; Pailin Ruby is pinkish but can be made pigeon blood red after a short charcoal heating. Before it was exhausted by the Khmer Rouge it was considered some of the best in the world.
Most Rubies sold today in Cambodia are actually Berylium treated or natural Ruby from Mozambique.
Tabong Kiu (blue gemstone) is Sapphire and can be found in Pailin and Preah Vihear.
Pailin has the best color of Sapphire in the world with most stones being Royal Blue, sometimes sky blue and milky but turns clear and Royal Blue after charcoal heating. Mines are now nearly exhausted and the real Pailin Sapphire come out stone by stone.
The Preah Vihear Sapphire is also a nice deep blue one but is usually very dark and doesn't shine much.
Tabong Ratanakiri is the only Blue Zircon in the world. It comes blue after charcoal heating but rough is is dark orange to brown. Other similar colors Zircon don't turn blue after heating, only the Ratanakiri one. There are other locations in Cambodia with nice Zircon, mainly Preah Vihear and Pailin. The Preah Vihear Zircon is usually heated to immaculate white.
Tabong Takeo in Khmer refers to Quartz, even if Quartz can be found all over the country, in Takeo are large quantities of smoky and yellow Quartz. There are other types of stones in Takeo but Tabong Takeo usually refers to Quartz.
Topaz (Topah in Khmer) is usually white and unclean in Cambodia, but can also be clean, or slightly yellowish, occasionally blueish.
Tektite: Cambodian people call it Black Onyx, this is a big misconception. Onyx is actually a commercial name for black Agate and while there is Chalcedony in Preah Vihear, it is not Onyx. Some long beads of stones look like Onyx and are sold all over the country but are actually imported from China and probably synthetic Agate.
Tabong Mondulkiri refers to Peridot or Olivine. They are nice quality Olivine but the quantities are too small to be noticed internationally.
Tabong Kampong Tom: Amethyst can be found in the Ratanakiri and Kampong Tom regions, Cambodian Amethyst is usually not very colorful or unclean, most Amethyst sold in Cambodia is from Africa or just synthetic.
Aquamarine is named due to it's watery color, also named Aquamarine in Khmer, it comes from the Takeo province. Cambodian Aquamarine has weak color and all nice color ones are imported or Synthetic.
Thong is Garnet (Almandine and Pyrope) are present in several locations, mainly Pailin and Ratanakiri. They are usually of mediocre quality because pretty dark and don’t shine much.
Chrysoprase of decent to poor quality can be found in the Mondulkiri region, it is exploited but usually the market uses imports from Africa. .
Calcite, though not really considered as a gemstone, is present in the Pailin region but also in several other gems locations though it is not really noticed because not valuable enough to be exploited.
Opal is present in the Mondulkiri region but also not noticed nor exploited because it is low grade Opal without the fire present in opals of other locations such as Australia, Ethiopia or Indonesia.
Pyrite (of Fool's Gold) is present in several locations in Cambodia, mainly Pailin and Stung Treng, usually tiny cubes held together by quartz.
