Colombian emerald. (Jewel of the Month).

Jewelers Circular Keystone, May, 2003 by Roskin, Gary

A gemstone's country of origin suggests to the jeweler/gemologist a certain quality or perceived quality. For colored gems, that generally means top color, and so it is with emeralds: More often than not, emeralds of the finest color have come from Colombia.

History. Colombian emeralds have been found in archeological digs dating back to pre-Columbian times, from the 1200s, as artifacts such as crystals set in solid gold. Tribes such as the Mayans, Aztecs, Toltecs, and Incas, as well as the lesser-known Chibcha Indians, appreciated the green gems. By the mid-1500s, when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in what is now called Colombia, emeralds had already traveled all over Central and South America.

Prior to the 16th century, Cleopatra's Egyptian...

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