Lush, warm, and powerful, Emerald is one of the most known and prized gemstones. Your curiosity may have brought you here to learn more about these beautiful gems and where they come from. We are going to dive into three countries that are the leading exporters of emerald and the common differences amongst emeralds mined in different regions.
The finest and often most valued emeralds come from Colombia. They often have vivid hues of green and lighter complexions, thanks to their lighter inclusions. Inclusions are fractures or little cracks in the gem. Do not be worried if your emerald has inclusions, as an emerald free of visible inclusions is extremely rare. Colombia mines all different kinds of emeralds, but the vivid, rich green colored emeralds from Colombia set the standard on which all out countries judge their stones.
Since 1980, some major emerald deposits in Brazil have been found, making Brazil one of the leading emerald suppliers. Brazilian emeralds tend to be less saturated than Colombian emeralds and have a blueish tint to them caused by higher traces of iron. They also tend to be moderately to significantly included. Brazil produces more commercial quality stones when compared to emeralds mined in Colombia.
A third leading producer of emeralds is Zambia. These unique emeralds have a blueish/grey tint, Zambian emeralds were discovered in 1931 and started being commercially produced in 1967. Although the less blue a Zambian emerald contains the more valuable it tends to be, these gems are unique in their own light not only because of their color, but also because of their shape. Rather than growing in a prism shape (like most emeralds), Zambian emeralds grow in irregular shapes. Emeralds from Zambia are darker in hue and as unique as they are, they still leave the fine, vivid green Colombian emeralds unmatched.
Although Emeralds can be, and are mined all over the world, these are the three largest producers of the emeralds we often see made into beautiful jewelry. Other notable mentions of emerald producers are Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Russia, India, Pakistan, Australia, and Tanzania. In 2015, emeralds with exceptional clarity and color started being mined in Ethiopia and a few emeralds have even been mined in the U.S.
Where gemstones are mined is a cool fact to know about the gemstone(s) you own or are looking to purchase and can hopefully give your insight about the quality of your gem. Still, the color of an emerald is the leading contributing factor to the value of the stone and clarity and hue follow behind. When looking to purchase emerald jewelry, make sure the delicate stone is in a sturdy setting and that you are purchasing from a trustworthy jeweler who can explain the quality of the emerald and how to properly wear and care for your jewelry. Visit our website to see all our beautiful custom made emerald pieces in our Palm Harbor, Florida studio.
