An enchanting and exquisite form of beryl, emerald has been successful in capturing the fascination of people for centuries. Found in alluvial deposits, pegmatite deposits and hydrothermal veins, the stunningly beautiful emerald gemstones are very ancient and have a rich history. They have been used by various cultures across the world for their sheer brilliance and interesting features. The radiance of the gemstone has won the hearts of famous personalities throughout the history of mankind.
Sources Of Emerald
Emerald has been around for millions of years. Even if we were to fix a period for its origin based on the evidences available, we find it date back to thousands of years. Some of the most ancient sources of emeralds include Zimbabwe. The major source at present is Colombia. Apart from these countries, emerald is found in various parts of the world including Zambia, Brazil, Afghanistan, China, Russia and United States. Let us have a look at some of the sources of emerald.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is one among the sources that were part of the early history of emerald. Some of the stones found here are amongst the most ancient emeralds of the world. The gemstones obtained from here are found in saturated green color. The most famous source of emerald in Zimbabwe is Sandawana. Zimbabwe emeralds possess constant physical properties in comparison with gemstones found in other parts. Their refractive indices are high. Some of the common inclusions found in Zimbabwe emerald include apatite and albite. Fluid inclusions are rare and minimal.
Colombia
Colombia is not only one of the major sources of emeralds but it produces some of the best emeralds the world has ever seen. Nearly 150 places have been identified on this land to produce emerald. Emeralds from Muzo and Chivor were the most popular in ancient times. Now Coscuez in Colombia contributes nearly three quarters of the total contribution of emeralds from the land. Emeralds from Colombia display a shining green color, which does not have bluish tint. Some of the rare varieties in emerald namely Trapiche emeralds are mined here. Columbian emeralds are so highly regarded that emeralds with inclusions from this part of the world are accepted.
Brazil
The leading producer of emeralds is Brazil. Though a leading producer, the emeralds from Brazil do not rank at the top when it comes to commercial value. However, the land earned the entire attention of the jewelry world when ‘Bahia Emerald’, weighing an enormous 840 pounds was unearthed in the year 2001. The huge gemstone contained approximately 180,000 carats of the famous emerald crystals. It earns a rightful place in the list of largest emerald specimens ever found.
Zambia
Zambia ranks next to Brazil in the list of leading producers of emerald gemstones. The gemstones are rich in color. The quality of Zambian emeralds is superior. River Kafubu in Zambia is famous for emerald deposits.
Emerald gemstones found in various parts of the world have certain qualities that set them apart. Some of the Chinese emeralds share similarity with Brazilian emeralds in color. Pakistan produces some large specimens that are uncommon. The colors of emeralds from Nigeria are bluish green.
Emeralds are popular and widely used by various civilizations. The gemstones are unique and famously quoted by many famous personalities for their color and character.
