Editor’s Note
This article reports on the remarkable discovery of a 1,064-carat emerald in Colombia’s famed Muzo mine. Such finds are exceptionally rare and highlight the region’s continued significance as a source of the world’s finest gems.
A rare 1,064-carat emerald was recently discovered in the Muzo mine, Colombia. The company Emerald, a specialist in exceptional emeralds, recently announced the discovery of one of the most impressive precious stones ever found in the country.
According to experts, it is “one of the largest and pureest specimens ever revealed in the world of gemology.” Most emeralds extracted in Colombia rarely exceed 100 carats, making this precious stone one of the most valuable ever discovered in the Muzo mine, second only to the Duke of Devonshire Emerald (1,383 carats).
This uncut hexagonal Colombian gem, with deep saturation and near-perfect crystallization, is a rare masterpiece and a once-in-a-lifetime discovery.
According to Emerald, the stone, named Lionis Viridis, is characterized by a deep green hue, the signature of stones from the Muzo mines, known for their rich saturation and exceptional purity. It features near-perfect crystallization and absolute rarity.
Colombia is the world’s leading producer and exporter of emeralds, most of which are extracted from the Muzo mine. Now operated by The Muzo Companies Colombia, Muzo is one of the oldest active mines and the source of the world’s highest-quality and purest emeralds.
Known as the world capital of emeralds, Muzo has been mined by humans since 500 AD, when indigenous people, for whom emeralds were sacred, used them in religious and cultural practices.
A millennium later, Spanish conquistador Don Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada discovered the emerald mines, with mining operations beginning in 1558.
Today, the mine remains the world’s first provider of emeralds, with both local and international actors involved in the industry.
