Gemstone Mines around the world 3

The last blog for our miniseries of Best Gemstone Mines Around the World will introduce you to . . .

The Emerald Mines of Muzo, Colombia

(Emerald form Muzo)

Dating back to 400 B.C., but known only to the indigenous people of Colombia at the time, the emerald mines at Muzo, Colombia have produced some of the finest emeralds the world has ever seen. Muzo lies at about 3,000 feet above sea level and like the emeralds it holds is surrounded by lush rainforest. As with the mines in Mogok, wild and dangerous animals live in the thick jungles surrounding Muzo. 

(Mining Emerald form Muzo)

According to the ancient Andean Indians, emeralds were the tears that an ancient princess shed upon the death of her prince. The Inca and Aztec peoples used emeralds for both decorative and spiritual purposes, and many emeralds from pre-Colombian times have been found in burial mounds. Indeed, Muzo is named for the tribe that inhabited this beautiful mountainous region during the Spanish conquests of Muisca or present-day Colombia in the early sixteenth century. Initially searching for gold (the famed El Dorado of Spanish folklore) the Spanish were astounded on seeing Muzo emeralds which were far more beautiful than the emeralds coming from Egypt—the only known source of emerald at that time. Therefore, unlike the fine rubies of Burma and Afghanistan and sapphires of Sri Lanka which adorned kings and queens for well over a thousand years, the arrival of Colombian emeralds was more recent. 

(Mining Emerald form Muzo)

Colombian emeralds were introduced to the world only about 500 years ago when the enchanting green stones began making their way into European royalty thanks to Spanish benefaction. Later, Colombian emeralds took the royal courts of India, Persia and Turkey by storm with exceptional crystals making their ways to these lands. The Indian Mughal rulers were especially fond of using large emeralds as imperial seals. The emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the famous Peacock Throne, a magnificent throne made from solid gold and encrusted with the finest emeralds, rubies, sapphires and pearls. The Spanish controlled the Colombian emerald mines for about 250 years until Colombia’s independence in 1819. After independence, the mines of Muzo as well as other famous deposits like Chivor swung back and forth from government control to private. 

(Rough Emerald form Muzo)

During the 1980s to 2000s the mines in Muzo and Chivor saw unprecedented bloodshed when vicious gangs vied for control of the emerald mining. Hundreds of miners and dealers were brutally killed in what was to be known as the “Green Wars”. Things got so bad that the Catholic Church appealed for peace between the warring parties—a peace which was largely respected until the tragic murder of Pedro Oretgon, one of Colombia’s most prominent emerald dealers. Since then though, with the help of government programs which assures greater fairness between the miners and dealers, Colombia’s emerald mines are being worked in peace and mutual benefit for all.

Nasim Ahmad Accredited Gemologist

Blog writer at GemTrust.io

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TAG Gemstone mines, buy gemstone, sell gemstone, India, Colombia, Burma, best gems mine, emerald, Colombia emerald, Muzo emerald.