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The mining in artigas uruguay start on the middle of 19 century. At the beginning the working way was some groups of people with an long piece of iron put into the land and when they heard some crystal noise they start to dig in this place. They used to make a big holes about 3 meter wide by 3 or 4 meters deep. After they get the stones send them to germany to the idar-oberstein city. The export quantity at this time was not much per year, just in the beginning of 1980 the mining companies start to buy small machines to work in the land according on supply the demand from the different countries. These machines work during from 1980 to 1999 so the production became more than 19 century.
The difference was that the destine of this production: Brazil more than other countries. At the beginning of the 21 century the Chinese market was open with the rough agate stone. When this market start many companies start to change this small machines to big machines to supply the demand of the Chinese market. Now a days there are a very good stable market with China, Europe, USA and other countries start to develop more and more business. Since 1998 the mines companies start to work on the rock and use dynamite making tunnels to get the amethyst stones. When start to work in this way more different calcites appears in the amethyst mines.
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