Amethyst industry seeking help to promote high-quality product.

The amethyst industry in Thunder Bay is slowly becoming more popular and progressive, although industry members would like more government support for this unique sector.

For example, they would like the government to provide highway signs to promote the industry to tourists and origin tags or stickers which would identify amethyst products as being made in Thunder Bay.

Government support was increased last year with the addition of regional mineral specialist Mary Garland to the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines' staff. She has been consolidating existing research on the amethyst industry for more than a year.

According to Garland, the amethyst industry is presently attracting investor attention because of its potential and the slowdown in exploration for precious and base metals.

"We are one of the few places that have all the parameters for producing excellent-quality amethyst," she adds.

The Thunder Bay area has a dozen amethyst shops, five pick-your-own amethyst mines and 10 amethyst producing mines.

Garland says the local industry is gradually becoming more competitive as "more and more people are learning to facet the stone and they are finding more economical methods of manufacturing."

Steve Lukinuk, owner of the Thunder Bay Amethyst Mine Panorama and The Amethyst Factory Center, recalls that it took about eight years to learn to facet and produce quality jewelry.

"Faceting the stone involves the fine skills of grading, selecting, cutting and selling," explains Lukinuk. He sells the stones for jewelry, aquarium stone, clocks, book-ends, fireplace stone and giftware.

"We've got several reliable dealers for our fireplace stone in Indianapolis and Detroit," he reports.

Lukinuk says 35,000 people go through his mine annually. The mine employs between three people in the winter and 12 in the summer, and it processes about 2,500 tons of material each year.

Lukinuk began the business in 1981, but he admits it has taken much longer to develop than he had originally planned.

"We no longer ship goods to the United States unfinished," continues Lukinuk. "We manufacture most of the products right here, but we've spent a lot of time and money in research and development to be able to do that."

Lukinuk plans to expand his jewelry division. He says half of his buyers are American and about 15 per cent come from Europe.

This year Lukinuk's operation produced the amethyst crystals that are on display at the Canadian Pavilion at the Expo in Seville, Spain.

"The amethyst industry has a definite role to play in tourism," continues Lukinuk. "We have even seen interest from Japan and Germany in the amethyst as building material.

"Inferior stones are imported and sold here, but people want the better-quality Canadian stone, which is where origin markings would really help," explains Lukinuk.

Richard Pohler of Thunder Bay's Economic Development Corporation reports that the amethyst industry contributes about $1.5 million to $2 million annually to the region's economy and provides about 30 jobs.