The History of the Soares mining family, Minas Gerais,
Brazil.
The history of the Soares family of Minas Gerais,
With time the interest and
fascination of José Rodrigues de Paixaos
with minerals grew, he was fascinated by the beauty, the shine, the
individuality of the stones and naturally by the money, which one could make
with them. He began to think he should establish
his own mine, an idea he realized in 1929.
He bought the concession of
the mine Sao Fidelis from the state and began
searching. Soon he was successful, the mine producing its first aquamarines as
well as pink and green turmaline, found as crystals
between 50 grammes and 20 kilograms.
Typical Crystalline Deposits
In the 1930's the first
foreigners came to Minas Gerais, among them people
from Idar-Oberstein, the centre of the German jewelry industry, to buy the raw
stones, in order to process them in their homeland. The raw stones were brought with donkeys from
the mining district to Governador Valdares,
where the family in their modest little house, negotiated with the foreigners
about price and quality.
As the war in
Bolivar Soares,
father of the present owner, was a buyer in Governador
Valdares and operated a modest gemstone cutting business. Through this work he had acquired in the
course of the years a considerable knowledge of minerals and when he realized
that the stones from his father-in-laws’ mine were of a good quality he decided
to take over the production.
When Bolivar Soares died in 1981 at the age of 57, he left his wife with
8 children between 23 and 12 years, 7 sons, and the youngest child a
daughter. The oldest ones who were studying engineering at university or
training as trades people, came home on
weekends and during holidays in order to help their mother, Dona Alieta Soares Rodrigues,
with the management the mine, because
the upkeep of the family and the education of the children depended on
it.
Today the mother is over 70
and 6 of their 8 children run the mine and the cutting workshop as a modern
private limited company. There have been considerable investments this year,
the carbide gas lighting was replaced by electrical light; the tunnels are now
made safer with pit props of plantation Eucalyptus. The Government prescribes
the use of plantation timber to protect the native trees.
Stone cutting today
Behind the mine lies a
largely untouched small forest that at one time the grandfather wanted to turn
into a farm. Today the grandchildren see it as a nature reserve, in which they
can show their descendants, the native vegetation such as the ‘Tree Savanna’
which covered large parts of the Minas Gerais region,
a few decades ago. The region is seriously affected by erosion, not caused by
the mining industry but by the large scale pastoral farming industry.
A Distant View of The Mine
Why is the history
of this family unusual?
The Soares
family shows, the way in which business success and thoughtful behaviour can be in harmony. Their private company has a
clear ethical foundation using the following criteria.
All mine workers are fairly
paid and have social security just like the family members.
The workers’ accommodation
is exemplary. There is no child labour.
The Mine Entrance
The effects on the environment
are minimal.
The discharge water from the
mine is of excellent quality and is used as drinking water.
The spoil is stored in
controlled areas.
The effects of the
underground workings as well as the surface installations on the landscape and
land utilization are minimal.
No military or social
conflicts are financed through this mining activity.
There are no intermediaries
since the jewels, produced by the Soares Company, are
supplied directly to Fair Gems. Thus
fraud and smuggling are impossible. Our customers profit from this direct trade
through excellent pricing and the knowledge that our business conforms to high
standards.
Whether Gold, Gems or
Jewelry, you know that our products may be treasured without reservation.