How to start working with Colombian emeralds

We know that emeralds are one of the most outstanding export products in Colombia and being recognized as the best green gems in the world, there are arguments to decide to start in this world.

Being a commissioner or emerald is a rewarding activity, but it requires time, patience and discipline. If you may have in mind selling emeralds and/or jewelry with these gems, maybe it's an article it'll help you understand this profession a little more.

Where should I go?

Each city or municipality of the country where this gem is marketed, has a specific area, neighborhood or location destined for the purchase and sale of 100% Colombian emeralds.

If this is the case and you wish to make your first purchase in a commercial establishment, you must ensure that it has a RUCOM register (Single Register of Mineral Marketingers), since this document will ensure the authenticity of the emeralds and the legality of their marketing.

On the other hand, if you want to make a slightly more traditional purchase, in the city of Bogotá you will find the Emeralds of the emeralds a place located in front of the station of transmilenio Museo del Oro, next to the University of Rosario. There, you'll find the famous commissioners, men and women in charge of marketing this precious gem.

How to start acquiring emeralds?

Undoubtedly, the basis for starting any business is to have good capital to invest for the first time in emeralds of excellent quality. In our experience it is better to start by investing in gems of the best quality, this will ensure that you can recover twice as much in case of re-selling them or in case you ride them in a jewel.

In addition, remember that if your mission is to assemble emeralds in jewelry, you should also allocate a certain percentage of the money to materials and the workforce. As for emeralds, it is a good idea to have a lot destined for gold jewelry (high to medium quality stones) and another for silver or bronze (estred of average quality low or raw.

Another aspect to take into account to invest in Colombian emeralds are the recommendations that we have made in previous articles, with this we mean always verifying that it is a certified Colombian natural emerald, and that there is a good price-quality value in stones.

To learn more about how to invest in Colombian emeralds, you'll be here.

Who to sell to?

Where you can get the most profit is with private customers, for example those looking for gifts or/and products for themselves, however sometimes it is not easy to find such customers and offer them precious jewelry or gems, so at this point it is advisable to have contacts, friends or a commercial space where you can get customers.

Private customers prefer to buy affordable emeralds and jewelry already finished for practical reasons, although some prefer to like to select everything to measure and order their custom jewelry.

To sell jewelry you will have to take into account the sizes, qualities, styles, the most used gems and a set of sales tools; catalogues, samples, tweezers, calibrators, meters and everything a jewelry trader requires.

For their part, selling them to jewelers and/or jewelry stores can be much less profitable and in some cases they require additional documentation such as certificates and export documents, however that depends on the country and trade rules. The benefit you can obtain as an intermediary in a jewelry store will be around 25%, while selling directly to the final consumer that percentage will increase noticeably.

In the meantime, if it is to sell emeralds, customers will always want a backup that certifies that they are buying Colombian natural emerald, so as much as possible certifies the emeralds with the highest sales projection and additionally, present a document of sale of emeralds where they certify that the gem was bought from you or in its establishment.

How much to order or charge for emeralds

To buy or sell emeralds you must take into account several aspects, including

• Form: : Defines what size or cuts you want to acquire or sell. I mean, you want a round emerald, square, emerald carving, trapiche, oval, heart, cabin, etc. This will be important to define the value of the gem.
• Size: Like most gemstones, emeralds can be presented in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from 0.02 to 0.5 carats to gemstones of 1 to 5 carat gemstones.
• Check the color: emeralds come in a wide range of colors. Color is one of the most important factors in determining the value of an emerald.Therefore, it should be taken into account if it is a crystalline emerald (clear, transparent totone) or an emerald of good color (green bluish or intense green).
• Look for inclusions: The inclusions are all material (such as gas bubbles or tiny crystals) that has been trapped inside a gemstone during its formation. An emerald with excessive inclusions that diminish its transparency or clarity is worth less than an emerald with less inclusions.
• Treatments: Due to the fact that emeralds often have notorious inclusions, it is well known that some emeralds and jewelers choose to apply treatments with oil, acids or other substances to be applied to stones so that emeralds light up purer. Therefore, you should bear in mind that when a stone is treated its value decreases. Likewise, the less treatment you will be the more appeached, therefore, the more expensive.
• Certify your emeralds: In order to properly assess the value of an emerald you consider buying, you can request a report from a gemological laboratory. This will identify the type, size, cutting, clarity, color and origin of the emerald.

This assessment will give you a degree of confidence in the quality and value of the precious stone, even before you get the quote from a third party.

On the other hand, jewelry with emeralds have two factors to take into account, the first is the value of the metal, regularly it is charged per grams or ounces either in silver, gold or platinum and also for the purity of the metal (14k, 18k, 22k...etc), at the price you must also add the labor, the logistics, other processes such as settings, plywood or jewelry cleaning.

The second factor is gems, these have a more qualitative value and can be much more profitable than the same work in gold or silver.

Paula A. Bonilla

Social communicator and journalist from Sergio Arboleda University in Colombia. She is also a jeweler and is passionate about constantly learning about precious gems and national high jewelry.

Currently, she is working for one of Bogotá's most important jewelry stores, Emerald by Love. This jewelry store has over 40 years of experience and has 2 physical branches in the capital city of Colombia, located in the city center.