Long considered two counties yet to fulfill their economic potential, eastern Taiwan's Hualien and Taitung are ready to shine at the Eastern Taiwan Gems and Jades Exhibition. Hosted by the National Taitung Living Art Center from Oct. 10 to 20, the event features more than 1,000 pieces of precious stones and jewelry.

Three famed gemstones found in eastern Taiwan, hornblende (commonly known as Taiwan jade), blue chalcedony and red coral are the highlights of the fair-a joint effort between the government and industry aimed at kick-starting the island's dormant jewelry industry and generating local employment opportunities.

According to Hsieh Jing-lin, chairman of the ROC Gems and Jades Association and co-host of the exhibition, in the 1960s and 1970s, Taiwan hornblende held a 90-percent share of the global jade market. "Back then, Hualien's Fengtian Village was a mining town best known for the precious stone and the county boasted more than 1,000 gemstone factories," he said.

But toward the end of 1970, Hualien's jade industry went into steep decline as local deposits of hornblende were exhausted. "Over the years, many people believed that untapped veins of the stone could be found in the county's mountainous regions," Hsieh said.

"Exploration was never carried out because at that time, Taiwan did not possess the know-how to prospect for these deposits," he added.

A native of Taitung, Hsieh considers Taiwan's blue chalcedony-distributed over ranges in Hualien and his hometown--to be the world's most beautiful "natural" specimen of the quartz. "Unlike blues from abroad, Taiwan's stones do not need heat treatment to improve their color," he said. "They naturally possess a pure luster and clarity, which make them the darlings of Japanese collectors." The gem dealer said the region's old mining towns, if tastefully transformed into tourist attractions, could breathe added life into eastern Taiwan's precious stone enterprises. "People would be interested in trekking along winding paths through mines where gemstones exposed can be seen," Hsieh suggested.

But gemstones are not the only source of potential riches for the nation's jewelry industry. Red coral, long treasured as a symbol of dignity and felicity in traditional Chinese culture, is another possibility. Jeng Ming-shiou, research fellow at the Academia Sinica's Research Center for Biodiversity, pointed out that red coral, or Corallium rubrum, which grows along the east coast of Taiwan, could generate huge revenues if properly harvested and designed.

The biologist explained that the organism's durable and intensely colored red or pink skeleton makes it a highly sought-after material in jewelry manufacture. "The Japanese discovered the coral in Taiwan's surrounding seas more than 100 years ago," Jeng said. "The animals live at depths from 100 to 2,000 meters and thrive especially on ocean bottoms bordering undersea volcanoes."

A seasoned scuba diver, Jeng said although reports of red coral being found near Taitung's Green Island and Orchid Island surface from time to time, so far, he and his fellow researchers have never seen the species for themselves. This is because the organisms live at depths that divers can only reach with great difficulty. Fishing boats usually employ specially designed nets to bring the coral to the surface, he added.

Acknowledging the significance of conserving the rare coral species, Jeng said research is yet to be carried out on how to collect it in an environmentally friendly manner. "It is vital that we strike a balance between economic development and ecological protection," he said.

"Only three countries in the world produce red coral jewelry," noted Hsiao Hsin-tsai, chairman of the Taiwan Jewelry Industry Association. "They are Taiwan, Italy and Japan. Our country's techniques for designing pieces made out of the material surpass all others."

Involved in the trade for more than four decades, Hsiao said he envisioned the creation of a "gemstone village" in Taitung 30 years ago. The businessman, who runs jewelry companies in Beijing and Guangzhou, said he has been contemplating the relocation of his factory to Taitung since joining a trip organized by the center to explore the shimmering opportunities associated with the resurrection of eastern Taiwan's precious stone enterprises.

"If possible, I hope the relocation of my factory can take place next year," Hsiao said. "But the big problem is that the counties do not have enough qualified gemstone craftsmen or jewelry designers at present."

To address the lack of professionals in the industry, the center collaborated with the Council of Labor Affairs' Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training to launch a gemstone design workshop in Hualien's Fengbin Township eight months ago. The goal was to instruct local residents, mainly aboriginals, in the requisite skills so they could participate in the born-again industry.

Wu Yi-sheng, a gemstone artisan who is facilitating the program, said he has taught students in elementary and junior high schools about gem and jade designs for 20 years. "Few people wanted to enter this trade because it is a solitary walk of life," he explained. "Another reason for the profession's lack of appeal is that related manufacturing activities in the field have been dormant for decades."

While instructing the Hualien workshop students how to evaluate, grade, cut, chisel and polish precious stones, Wu remarked that it takes at least three years to train a qualified gemstone designer. "A good jewelry craftsman needs patience and a good eye. Without these, he could ruin a choice gem or jade," he said. "Today, with the government sponsoring and subsidizing the project, it is less difficult to recruit trainees."