La Pita Emerald Mine
When talking about the major Colombian emerald-producing regions, names such as Muzo, Chivor, and Coscuez are usually the first to come to mind. However, there is another mine that holds an important place in Colombia’s emerald history: La Pita.
Located in the municipality of Maripí, Boyacá, La Pita is part of Colombia’s Western Emerald Belt, one of the two major geological regions where Colombian emeralds are found. The National Mining Agency of Colombia includes La Pita among the main districts and projects associated with emerald production in the country.
Where is the La Pita Emerald Mine?
La Pita is located in the western region of Boyacá, in the Maripí area, very close to other areas traditionally associated with emerald mining, such as Muzo, Coscuez, and Peñas Blancas.
The Maripí district includes several emerald mining operations, including La Pita, Cunas, Los Españoles, Totumos, and Polveros. This concentration of mines has made the region an important area within Colombian emerald production.
Unlike the mines of the Eastern Emerald Belt, such as Chivor and Gachalá, La Pita belongs to the Western Emerald Belt, which is geologically associated with the Muzo region.
The History of La Pita
Mining at La Pita began developing during the 1990s. A specialized report published by GIA Gems & Gemology states that the mine began operations in 1995 and that its first significant production occurred in 1999, when miners encountered an area containing emeralds. By that time, the tunnel was already approximately 1,200 meters long.
The history of the mine is connected to the exploration of a mineralized area associated with the Río Minero geological system, a fundamental structure for understanding the presence of emeralds in this part of Boyacá.
Over the years, La Pita became one of the most important mining operations in the region.
What Makes La Pita Emeralds Special?
The emeralds from La Pita belong to the same geological setting that characterizes many of the emeralds found in western Colombia. The mineralization is associated with hydrothermal processes that affected the sedimentary rocks of the region.
One of the interesting characteristics of La Pita is the variety of mineralogical material found at the mine. In addition to emeralds, there are records of trapiche emeralds from La Pita, a particularly recognizable variety known for its radial patterns that resemble the spokes of a wheel.
Large emerald crystals and specimens of interest to collectors and gemological specialists have also been documented.
El Itoco: A Great Emerald from La Pita
One of the most remarkable specimens associated with this mine is “El Itoco,” an emerald found at La Pita in 2009.
According to a mineralogical record citing a publication from Mineralogical Record, the specimen was approximately 10 centimeters long and weighed 472 carats. The piece was documented as originating from the La Pita mine in Boyacá.
Finds like this demonstrate that the importance of an emerald mine is not limited to the amount of material it produces. Some crystals can become historically, mineralogically, or collector-significant specimens because of their size, shape, color, and quality.
Are La Pita Emeralds Different from Muzo Emeralds?
It would not be accurate to say that all emeralds from the same mine have exactly the same color, quality, or characteristics. Every crystal is unique, and its value depends on factors such as color, saturation, transparency, clarity, size, cut, inclusions, and treatments.
However, La Pita and Muzo share a geological setting within Colombia’s Western Emerald Belt. Rather than viewing them as competing mines, it is more interesting to see how each deposit contributes different types of material to the diversity of Colombian emeralds.
La Pita has also produced specimens with characteristics highly valued by collectors, including crystals with good gemological quality and trapiche emeralds.
From the La Pita Mine to a Colombian Jewel
An emerald's story does not end when it is extracted from the earth. After mining, it can go through different processes of selection, cleaning, cutting, and polishing before becoming a gemstone ready to be set into a piece of jewelry.
At Emerald By Love, we work with Colombian emeralds and create jewelry in Colombia, connecting the history of these stones with contemporary designs in gold and other materials.
For us, knowing the origin of an emerald also means knowing a part of Colombia's history. Muzo, Chivor, Coscuez, Gachalá, and La Pita represent different chapters of a mining tradition that has made Colombian emeralds one of the country's most recognized gemstones.
From Colombian soil to your jewelry, every emerald has a story to tell.
Paula A. Bonilla
Social Communicator and Journalist from Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Colombia.
