About Colombian Emerald
Scarce.
At the pinnacle of rarity and desirability of the colored gemstones industry, Colombian emeralds are prized throughout the world for their unmatched radiating color and exquisite natural beauty. However, few know how many experts and artisans are required to work behind the scenes in order to bring even a single Colombian Emerald from the hidden depths of the earth - to the shelves of the world's finest boutiques and most reputable auction houses.
For a single gem to be brought up to be set in the Jewelry of the most famous celebrities or to be stored as a store-of-value asset in the safes of the world's most renowned investment funds - an extensive group effort of thousand of people, worldwide, is required to be coordinated.
Each Colombian emerald is a testament to humanity's greatest achievements in engineering and determination. Investors, miners, diplomats, lawyers, bankers, scientists, gemologists and cutters are just a few of the many skilled specialists who are required to combine their expertise and labor to find and elevate nature’s masterpiece into your perfect gem.
The Colombian Emerald Company is a multinational producer and supplier of rare, high quality emeralds. Our collection comes from Colombia’s most renowned mines.
Emerald is one of the world's rarest minerals. Twenty times more rare than a diamond: For every 20 diamonds that are being mined, only a single emerald can be found.
Among the rarest and most praised emeralds, are those coming from Colombia. A radiating, pure, watery green - these emeralds obtain their status as the benchmark of the highest quality of emeralds, and of the most coveted demand.
The rare Emeralds in front of you are the result of thousands of people, working in tandem in multiple nations throughout the globe, and combining their knowledge, expertise and labor - to search for, find and cut a single finished Colombian Emerald. A trophy of the diligence and talents of mankind.
Every trained professional is essential for this achievement. From the engineer whose designs allowed the mining process to be held in the first place, the miner who searched for the rough within the depth of the earth, the lapidary expert that unleashed the hidden beauty inside the raw emerald, and the certified Gemologist who played a key role in grading and certifying the final result - the journey of one of the most sought after gems in the world is paved with the success and achievements of these masters of craft.
This is the path our emeralds take: from the hidden mines of Colombia, through the master cutters of Ramat Gan, and from the expert graders and gemologists of Europe's most reputable gemological laboratories - to be presented in front of you, our patron, for your consideration.
Learn about this human chain of knowledge, labor and expertise, and gain a better understanding of why Colombian emeralds are so scarce and sought after.
Search for Rough
Colombia, South America
At the exotic terrain of Muzo, Cosquez, Chivor and other parts of Colombia's famed mining districts, Colombian emeralds are mined and produced thanks to experts from many engineering fields:
- Exploration geologists head up teams travel in search of chromium and vanadium bearing black shale deposits.
- Teams of mineralogists survey drill cores to confirm beryl, the mineral group that emeralds are part of, is present.
- Mining engineers create mine plans that show how best to excavate tunnels in a sequence that will allow for the maximum extraction of ore without risking tunnel collapses. They are responsible for the design of and oversee construction of the mine layout such as tunnels, ventilation and haulage drifts, drainage systems and hoists within the mine.
- Civil engineers design roads leading into the mines as well as on-mountain processing plants and other above ground structures.
- Ventilation engineers calculate how fresh air can be supplied to underground tunnels to ensure breathable air for miners and to avoid dangerous methane explosions.
- Metallurgical and process engineers design improvements to how the ore is hand sorted and washed to allow for the maximum amount of gemstones to be produced.
- Hydrogeologists assess how groundwater could affect mineral deposits.
- GIS analysts and remote sensing specialists interpret overhead imagery to create detailed models and drill down on areas most likely to yield the rough.
- More recently, data engineers and other technology specialists have been hired to help mines transition to digital monitoring equipment and other forms of automation.
- Geotechnical engineers ensure the stability of rock faces to prevent tunnel collapses and provide safe working environments.
- Mechanical engineers ensure proper maintenance of machinery used for extraction while electrical engineers ensure the power infrastructure that runs the mine.
- Process engineers maximize efficiency of ore handling and sorting processes.
The miners themselves form the center of the operation. They perform skilled labor that is strenuous, yet necessary. Miners in Colombia work within developed tunnels to mine ore bearing rock via mechanical equipment and careful hand mining.
Blast technicians carefully use explosives to create new areas of rock exposure, then miners extract the ore around these crystals so they are not damaged.
Sorters and ore processors look at the rough product on the surface and determine what is emerald bearing calcite vein and what is considered waste rock.
Cut and Polish
Asia & North America
After the rare rough Emeralds are mined in the exotic terrain of Muzo, Cosquez, Chivor and other of Colombia's legendary locations, the rough is sent to Ramat Gan or Florida for cutting.
There, it is handed over to the care of expert cutters with years of experience, perfecting each raw emerald into a high quality piece of art.
The art of gem cutting requires deep knowledge and familiarity with the type of gem being cut, and the optical science of how light moves throughout the crystal.
Cutting emeralds is a task that requires an even higher degree of skill and care than cutting other gemstones, since emeralds are more rare, more delicate, and have many natural inclusions that give them their "Jardin", or garden-like, appearance.
After initially inspecting the raw stone and determining inclusions, cracks, and concentrations of color, a cutter must properly plan out the stone’s yield. Then the cutting process begins which includes sawing, bruting, faceting, and polishing.
There are many different cuts that can be done on emeralds, but the most common are the emerald cut and cabochon cut. Emerald cutters must work carefully not to damage the gemstone and find a way to highlight its beautiful green color. Most Emeralds are cut into rectangular emerald cut, which helps bring out the color depth that Emeralds are known for.
Master lapidaries (many of whom are trained as apprentices for years at the centers like Bogotá) assess each piece of rough for its color, transparency and pattern of inclusions. Pre-formers then begin to shape the rough before cutting, using specially designed tools.
Cutters carve the facets that will make up each stone using wheels studded with diamond abrasives. Polishers follow up with each individual facet to produce a mirror shine.
Gem cutters are responsible for assessing and creating the cut of every gemstone. The cut refers to the finished appearance of the stone and heavily influences a stone’s value. Good cutting and polishing can bring out symmetry and color saturation within a stone as well as its overall brilliance. A skillful cut has the ability to raise the value of a stone tenfold. Special care is taken to achieve perfect proportions, symmetry and brilliance, giving the emerald maximum brightness and color consistency.
The cutting and polishing process that transforms rough emerald into finished gems represents some of the most intricate workmanship and artistry in the production process.
Grading and Certification
Europe
After being cut, each emerald is sent to reputable ISO‑9001:2008 certified gemological laboratories in Zürich, London, Ramat Gan or Antwerp, to be independently evaluated by objective, third-party gemologists.
Third party Gemologists confirm each emerald's authenticity, and grade its color, clarity and cut quality, as well as provide a professional valuation.
Gemological laboratories test natural rare Colombian emeralds to provide an unbiased report on each emerald's quality. Every gem undergoes rigorous testing with spectrometers, microscopes, and UV fluorescence machines to analyze the chemical make-up, crystallization, and optical characteristics. Their findings are then documented in an official report called gemological certificate. The gemological certificate is like a birth certificate for any piece of gemstone, describing the emerald's carat weight, color grading, clarity scales, and quality of cut.
When it comes to natural rare Colombian Emeralds, the report will verify that the emerald is natural and the degree of treatment that the emerald went through.
The lab reports their findings by way of a Gemological Certificate and places the stone under a tamper evidence security tag stamped with the laboratory director's signature which is returned to us.
Quality control gemologists approved each stone under set lighting and magnification before certification.
Oiling or resin filling are very common and should be taken into consideration when purchasing an emerald. We only include emeralds that were oiled with a minor amount of natural ceder oil, as traditionally done since ancient times - or emeralds that were not treated at all.
Only premium emeralds that meet the highest of standards are presented to our clients.
Listing
Limassol
Before moving to the final step of Listing, the emeralds are being photographed using state-of-the-art photography equipment and microscopes, in order to be able to depict the most accurate digital representation of each emerald for our patrons.
From the Gemological Laboratories, the certified emeralds are being sent to our offices for listing. Only the emeralds that achieved a premium grade are then offered to you, our patron.
If you are looking to acquire a unique masterpiece for your personal collection, custom jewellery design or take advantage of a high quality store‑of‑value for your family office or hedge‑fund - we have provided verified gemstones for all these purposes.
Suzerain Universal LTD
The Colombian Emerald Company is a fully owned division of Suzerain Universal LTD.
Among Suzerain's activities in the world of rare and precious gemstones, Suzerain produces and sells rare natural Emeralds from the renowned mines of Colombia, as well as rare, natural Imperial Topaz from the mines of Ouro Preto, and natural Padparadscha Sapphire from Sri Lanka, along with other scarce gemstones and minerals.