Understanding Emeralds and their Sources
Even if you’re not a gem enthusiast, you’re likely still aware that Colombia is currently the most famous and important source for emeralds. Source can be a tricky topic—it’s a bit of an old school idea to some, but in many cases can still add considerable desire, and therefore value, to a particular gemstone. However, many gem lovers will tell you that source should be considered much less than it currently is. After all, what matters most is a gem’s overall beauty, regardless of where it was mined. Plus, other key value factors, including colour and clarity, can realistically be found in highly varying qualities in gems sourced from around the world.
What makes an emerald special?
Emeralds are part of the Beryl species, which also includes two other well-known gems: aquamarines and morganites. While the latter are known for their trademark high-transparency and being eye-clean at pretty much any carat size, emeralds are very uniquely one of the most naturally included gems. Since it’s understood that these lush gems will often have a lower clarity grade than nearly every other gem, it naturally makes the quality of their colour all the more important. As a result, any slight change in their hue, tone or saturation can have a dramatic change on their value, which can make them one of the more complex stones to evaluate. When in the market for any emerald, their finest colour grade is considered a slightly bluish-green to vivid green, with medium to medium-dark tone and strong saturation.
Most gems are made out of some combination of aluminum, oxygen and silicon. This is because they’re the most prevalent elements on Earth. Emerald is made out of these three plus beryllium, with beryllium being significantly more rare than the other three. The latter is why emeralds are only found in a few places on Earth. Just like Ruby’s red, trace amounts of chromium is what creates both an emerald’s brightgreen hue, as well as its seemingly magical glow. The more vibrant and glowy an emerald is, the more rare chromium it contains. Trace amounts of iron in an emerald is what creates more of a bluish-green hue. As always, colour preferences are in the eye of the beholder, but can also sometimes be traced back to the environments they are sourced from.
Emerald History + Sources
Emerald History + Sources
Many believe that only 20% of the emeralds that exist in Colombia have been mined to date. So, for this particular source, unlike, say, Kashmir sapphires, scarcity isn’t necessarily what’s contributing most to their value and reputation. Instead, their allure has more to do with historical context.
Emeralds are one of the oldest known mined gems. They were famously the favourite gem of Cleopatra and are believed to have been found in Egypt from as early as 3500 BC—storied mines that sadly no longer exist. We also know that they’ve existed for thousands of years in South America, where they were pivotal to the indigenous people of the area. Of course, this is where they were later discovered by the Spanish in the sixteenth century, who brought them back to Europe, as well as traded them to India. The Europeans already knew about emeralds because of the Egyptians, but the Spanish discovery, along with the fineness of their quality definitely created a new craze for the stone. To this day, Colombian emeralds are a part of some of the oldest pieces of jewellery on Earth, as well as found in collections of crown jewels from Royal families across Europe and Asia.
Colombian Emeralds
There are many mines in the Andes mountains of Colombia, but the two most famous are Muzo and Chivor. Muzo is known for their pure, bright green-hued emeralds, a colour often referred to as alpine green. Chivor is known for producing gems with a slight bluish-tint, which is sometimes referred to as duck’s neck green. It’s interesting to note that, in general, any emerald, regardless of source, which contains a slight bluish tint also tends to have a higher transparency as well as sometimes more lustre and shine.
Zambian Emeralds
The latter especially applies to Zambian emeralds. These slightly bluish-green gems have gained a lot of traction in the emerald market for what is often very high clarity and a rich, duck’s neck green hue. If you prefer this particular shade, an emerald from this part of the world can often offer incredible quality for great value compared to some Colombian varieties.
Other Emerald Sources
Other sources for emeralds include Afghanistan and Pakistan. These gems are generally much harder to find because of how difficult it is to mine these mountainous regions with the added challenge of often severe weather conditions. Both areas have also suffered political strife which greatly affects their supply. However, gemstones from both countries are known for having exhibiting excellent quality and colour, similar to Colombia.
With its close proximity to Colombia, Brazil is another well-known source. However, Brazilian emeralds didn’t actually enter the market properly until the sixties, after gemologists discovered that their chemical structure often contained trace amounts of vanadium, which also contributed to their green hue. For years, many felt that chromium should be the only legitimate colouring agent in emeralds, but luckily, that eventually changed and Brazil is now considered another major source of this very special and rare gemstone.