The Opportunity

Emeralds

Emerald is a variety of the mineral family Beryl. Emeralds get their distinct green colour from trace elements of chromium and vanadium. The presence or absence of each element and amount determines the colour of the emerald crystal. Therefore emeralds from different countries and mines have different predominant colours.

Typically new emerald finds in the region are accidental, by putting the appropriate risk management system in place, we can effectively rank these discoveries by our criteria allowing us to capitalise only on the most robust prospects according to the appropriate studies and the history of the area.

One major factor that gives a Colombian emeralds a colour advantage over their rivals is the formation of iron pyrites in close proximity to the emerald vein which draws away iron elements that are mixed into the emerald formation. Emeralds found  in other parts of the world are less intense and brilliant green.

Emeralds has many special qualities, but coloured stone professionals generally agree that emeralds are, most of all, about colour.

Emerald has been the standard for green among coloured stones for thousands of years, colour is considered to be 60% or more of the value in a coloured stone.

The price of emeralds has continued to strengthen since 2005, up to today prices have increased by over 150%. Colombia is the leader in quality and quantity in all aspects of emeralds.

Rough is the natural state of an emerald before the stone is cut, shaped and polished, the best rough emeralds are the flat-topped hexagonal crystals that are often considered to be as beautiful as faceted stones. Some buyers particularly cherish the pieces of rough displaying clean ends on the hexagonal crystal above that of its polished counterpart.

Rough stones are often traded in parcels and lots. This system is open to abuse as what appears to be good quality rough may have many bad pieces mixed included. By accurately and truthfully grading our product we can increase our customers’ confidence as well as streamline the sales process.