Rumors of a possible civil war in Bolivia—the source of the world's supply of natural-color ametrine—have been blamed for the shortage of that gemstone. But news organizations have been speculating about a Bolivian civil war for several years, yet, so far, no war.
“Our country, once again, is going through an apparent major change,” says Ramiro Rivero, owner of Minerales y Metales del Oriente, Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Rivero controls the Anahi Mine, the only known commercial source for natural-color ametrine. According to Rivero, the government is moving to the far left and assuming control of natural resources formerly managed by private companies.
But Rivero doesn't believe the government is interested in amethyst, citrine, and ametrine. “It is believed that they are referring to large-scale foreign mining companies,” Rivero says. “There is no reason why Minerales y Metal