Countries Where Emeralds Are Found

Emeralds are rare and luxurious green gemstones that have been prized for centuries by the Egyptians, Incas and Aztecs. They were viewed as holy gems with healing properties and were thought to bring good luck. The hardness on the Mohs scale is between 7 and 8. Since emeralds are more precious than diamonds, check with a gemological institute to make sure they are real.

South America

The two primary countries in South America where emeralds are found are Columbia and Brazil. Columbia is the world's major producer of emeralds. Columbian emeralds are bright green, highly valued and set the standard by which other emeralds are measured. The three famous mines that produce Columbian emeralds are Muzo, Chivor and Coscuez. In 1963 Brazil began to sell emeralds and they are also considered high quality gems. Emeralds from Brazil vary from light to rare, dark green tones, which are produced in the Nova Era mine. Brazil also produces a unique cat's eye emerald that has star-shaped rays.

Africa

Emeralds can be found in Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and in the rain forests of Madagascar. Of these, Zimbabwe and Zambia are internationally recognized as producing high quality emeralds. The oldest emeralds, which date to around 2,600 million years ago, come from Zimbabwe. They are small and yellowish-green in color. Zambia has the second largest emerald deposit but mining is limited due to the use of hand tools. Emeralds from Zambia are deep green and have bluish undertones.

United States

In the United States North Carolina presents a unique opportunity because the public is allowed to look for emeralds. Located near the Brushy Mountains in Hiddenite, North Carolina, the Emerald Hollow Mine has more than 60 types of gems. Many of the emeralds found at the mine have broken records as the world's largest emeralds. There are three methods that the public can use to look for emeralds: sluicing, which involves washing buckets of ore to look for gems; creeking or searching water from the mountain that may have gems due to erosion; and digging.

Russia

Emeralds have a long history in Russia. The first emerald was found in 1830 and the first mine, St. Mary's Mine, was discovered in 1833. Mining of emeralds ceased after World War I and it was not until 2005 that the Urals Mining Company gained the rights to a large deposit of emeralds and reintroduced them to the market. Emeralds from Russia are pale or forest green with high clarity.

References

• International Colored Gem Association: Emerald
• Thaigem.com: Emerald
• Jewelinfor4u.com: Important Emerald Mines in the World
• Hiddenite Gems, Inc: Emerald Hollow Mine: Public Mining Information
• Serenity New York: Sources of Emeralds