Editor’s Note
This article explores the complex history of Colombia’s Coscuez emerald mine, tracing its indigenous origins, state ownership, and the persistent challenges of illegal extraction that have shaped its modern operation.
The Coscuez Mine has a history of several hundred years, which may be closely linked to the history of the Muzo Mine. Long before Europeans arrived in Colombia in the 16th century, locals were already mining Coscuez.
In 1886, the Colombian Constitution formally stipulated that the Coscuez Mine belonged to the state. However, illegal mining and mismanagement forced the government to lease the Coscuez Mine to the private mining company ESMERACOL. Due to rampant illegal mining, a large number of emeralds were smuggled out of the Boyacá region (Rio Itoco) during this period. At its peak, approximately fifteen thousand people were engaged in illegal mining in this area daily.
The Coscuez Mine is located only 10 kilometers from the Muzo Mine, and the two regions share many geological characteristics. Therefore, the emeralds produced from the Coscuez Mine are very similar in physical properties to Muzo emeralds, except that the former tends to have a brighter color with some yellow tones, and generally contains fewer inclusions than those from the Muzo Mine.
Both the host rock and single crystals of Coscuez emeralds have distinctive features. The most notable characteristic of this mine is that crystals are often clustered together, with many emerald crystals visible on a single rock mass. The emerald crystals produced from the Coscuez Mine are longer than those from Muzo but shorter than those from the Chivor Mine.
According to expert predictions, the Coscuez Mine is expected to have increased output in the future, with promising prospects.