List of emeralds by size

Gachalá Emerald, one of the largest gem emeralds in the world, at 858 carats (171.6 g). Found in 1967 at La Vega de San Juan mine in Gachalá, Colombia. Housed at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

This is a List of emeralds by size.

Emeralds

Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. [1] Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale.[1] Most emeralds are highly included,[2] so their toughness (resistance to breakage) is classified as generally poor. Emerald is a cyclosilicate.

Emeralds in antiquity were mined in Egypt at locations on Mount Smaragdus since 1500 BCE, and India, and Austria since at least the 14th century CE.[3] The Egyptian mines were exploited on an industrial scale by the Roman and Byzantine Empires, and later by Islamic conquerors. Mining ceased with the discovery of the Colombian deposits; only ruins remain.[4]

Colombia is by far the world's largest producer of emeralds, constituting 50–95% of the world production, with the number depending on the year, source and grade.[5][6][7][8] Emerald production in Colombia has increased drastically in the last decade, increasing by 78% from 2000 to 2010.[9] The three main emerald mining areas in Colombia are Muzo, Coscuez, and Chivor.[10] Rare "trapiche" emeralds are found in Colombia, distinguished by ray-like spokes of dark impurities.

Zambia is the world's second biggest producer, with its Kafubu River area deposits (Kagem Mines) about 45 km (28 mi) southwest of Kitwe responsible for 20% of the world's production of gem-quality stones in 2004.[11] In the first half of 2011, the Kagem Mines produced 3.74 tons of emeralds.

Notable emeralds
Emerald Origin Date Uncut size Cut size Location Ref
Bahia Emerald Brazil 2001 180,000 carats (36,000 g) [lower-alpha 1] Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department [12] [13]
Carolina Emperor United States 2009 310 carats (62 g) 64.8 carats (12.96 g) North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh [14] [15]
Chalk Emerald Colombia 38.40 carats (7.680 g) 37.82 carats (7.564 g) National Museum of Natural History, Washington
Duke of Devonshire Emerald Colombia >1831 1,383.93 carats (276.786 g) Natural History Museum, London
Emerald of Saint Louis Austria [lower-alpha 2] 51.60 carats (10.320 g) National Museum of Natural History, Paris
Gachalá Emerald Colombia 1967 858 carats (171.6 g) National Museum of Natural History, Washington [16]
Mogul Mughal Emerald Colombia 1107 A.H.[lower-alpha 3] 217.80 carats (43.560 g) Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar
Patricia Emerald Colombia 1920 632 carats (126.4 g) [lower-alpha 4] American Museum of Natural History, New York [17]
Mim Emerald Colombia 2014 1,390 carats (278 g) [lower-alpha 5] Mim Museum, Beirut [18]

See also

Bibliography

Notes

  1. crystals in host rock
  2. probably Habachtal
  3. (1695–1696 AD)
  4. dihexagonal (12 sided)
  5. dihexagonal (12 sided)
  1. Hurlbut & Kammerling 1991, p. 203.
  2. "Emerald Quality Factors". GIA.edu. Gemological Institute of America. Archived from the original on November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  3. Giuliani G, Chaussidon M, Schubnel HJ, Piat DH, Rollion-Bard C, France-Lanord C, Giard D, de Narvaez D, Rondeau B (2000). "Oxygen Isotopes and Emerald Trade Routes Since Antiquity" (PDF). Science. 287 (5453): 631–3. Bibcode:2000Sci...287..631G. doi:10.1126/science.287.5453.631. PMID 10649992. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 7, 2011.
  4. "Romans organized the mines as a multinational business..." Finlay, Victoria. Jewels: A Secret History (Kindle Location 3098). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
  5. Badawy, Manuela (June 13, 2012). "Emeralds seek the 'De Beers' treatment". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  6. Dydyński, Krzysztof (2003). Colombia. Lonely Planet. p. 21. ISBN 0-86442-674-7.
  7. Branquet, Y. Laumenier, B. Cheilletz, A. & Giuliani, G. (1999). "Emeralds in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. Two tectonic settings for one mineralization". Geology. 27 (7): 597–600. Bibcode:1999Geo....27..597B. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0597:EITECO>2.3.CO;2.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Carrillo, V. (2001). Compilación y análisis de la información geológica referente a la explotación esmeraldífera en Colombia. Informe de contrato 124. INGEOMINAS
  9. Wacaster, Susan (March 2012). "2010 Minerals Yearbook: Colombia [ADVANCE RELEASE]" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 13, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  10. Emerald Mining Areas in Colombia Archived September 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, with location map of these three districts.
  11. Behling, Steve and Wilson, Wendell E. (January 1, 2010) "The Kagem emerald mine: Kafubu Area, Zambia", The Mineralogical Record  – via HighBeam (subscription required) Archived May 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  12. Allen 2010.
  13. Weil 2017.
  14. Gast 2010.
  15. Stancill 2012.
  16. Smithsonian Institution 2019.
  17. American Museum of Natural History 2019.
  18. Boulliard 2016.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.