Chan Chi Keung, education director of The Gemmological Association of Hong Kong (GAHK), who had travelled to Colombia in April, gave a presentation on “Emerald mines in Chivor & Muzo, a report of recent research to these mines” at Hong Kong Jewelry Manufacturers' Association (HKJMA) on 27 May 2015.
The first part of the seminar focused on Chan’s visit to the Chivor region, which is located in the east of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. Chan explained that the interactions between the Pacific plate and the South American plate had caused the formation of the ‘Emerald Belt’, which is the area in the sedimentary basin of the Cordillera Oriental mountain range, at the base of Andes mountains. Mines in the Chivor region are mostly owned by private companies and are guarded by armed troops.
Trade activities can be found in the downtown of Chivor in small cafés where miners try to sell their rough stones as quickly as possible. However, it is inside the mining regions, which are located about an hour of driving from town, that the best emeralds can be found, according to Chan. Marble is an indication of possible source of appearance of emerald so mining activities are typically seen along formation of marble and pyrite is also commonly found in the mines. While having spotted many emeralds that were good value for money, Chan regretted not bringing enough cash in the local currency, which is the only accepted form of payment there.
Leaving Chivor Chan headed for Muzo in the north of Bogotá. Unlike Chivor, Muzo is filled with self-employed miners often working in teams of two. While one person shovels the sediment on the river bed, the other person quickly scans the sand and mud for any trace of emeralds. The fact that miners were armed with weapons makes the region less secure. Despite that Muzo is renowned for producing the best emeralds in the world, years of mining had probably exhausted the mines so it is extremely difficult to find new stones, said Chan. The finer quality in Muzo region is due to the fact that the current of the river had removed fractured stones, leaving behind only the harder stones. As explosives are not used like in Chivor mines, emeralds found there contain fewer cracks.
Many of the stones Chan bought from both regions contain three-phase inclusions and boast beautiful colours and good clarity. After the sharing he displayed a range of cut and rough stones including trapiche emeralds. Oftentimes real or synthetic emeralds were glued to a piece of rough to be sold as souvenirs in Colombia, Chan advised the audience by the end of the seminar.
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