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Jewelry Artisan • Gemologist • Designer
SUPERIOR DETAIL AND ACCURACY
Zambian Emeralds
EMERALD
Zambia (South Africa)
Gemstone Marketing Trade Term: "Zambian"
Geography: Schist-Hosted (High-Iron)
Crystal Structure: Hexagonal
Composition: Beryl (Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈) + Chromium, Vanadium, Iron trace elements
Beryl is typically colorless. The Trace Elements render certain colors in the mineral.
The Chromium and Vanadium elements work together to give off radiant greens. Iron creates blue and yellow colors in Beryl; or secondary colors in an otherwise Green Emerald. High amounts of Iron create the blues and yellows seen in Aquamarine and Heliodor, which are also a variety of Beryl.
Northern Zambia, Kagem, one of world's largest open-pit Emerald mines (approximately 100 miles south of the Congo)
Zambian Emeralds can be just as exquisite as Colombian Emeralds. Their greens vary. Zambian Emeralds can range from a slightly bluish Green to a deep forest green, which they are known for. Most South American Emeralds do not produce a deep forest green because of their low iron content. Just the same, no other Emerald can glow like a Colombian Emerald.
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Lusaka City, Zambia (250mi south of Kagem mines) Zambia Chamber of Mines
The country of Zambia considers its mineral and land as spiritual. Kagem helped Zambia to advance their mining process in order to retrieve fine Emerald rough. Zambian Emeralds are mined strategically. Zambia predominantly uses the open-pit mining process. Rather than create shafts and tunnels, mining is done by extracting large amounts of rock at once. This ultimately creates a pit as the digging continues; a large open pit.
Kagem works with the Zambia Chamber of Mines in Lusaka City to preserve land and wildlife. Geologists are brought in to determine where to mine in order to help production. This also conserves the land so there is no excessive digging. The government limits the tools they use. Industrial Equipment is minimized so as not to disturb nature. This makes the mining process harder with purpose. When an open-pit mine is depleted, trees are planted to maintain vegetation and better the environment for the wildlife.
Inclusions & Clarity Characteristics
The inclusions in Zambian Emeralds contain very interesting characteristics that identify them. Here are two. They have many unique crystals like the one seen below to recognize them.
Black dendritic inclusions are also common and distinctive in Zambian Emeralds. Other schist-hosted Emeralds tend to lack them.
brownish-Red rutile prism Kafubu Emerald Field Northern Zambia
dendritic high relief ilmenite inclusions
If the Emerald is free of inclusions, the gemstone should be submitted to GIA for a chemical analysis with further instruments for testing origin and clarity enhancements. Emeralds are classified as type III in clarity, meaning it commonly forms with inclusions. These characteristics can identify where the mineral was mined.
Some sellers are dishonest and have been known to submit an Emerald to GIA without any Clarity Enhancements. They can treat them after the fact and sell them without disclosure; fraudulently using the GIA report as confirmation.
