The challenges of acquiring a Colombian emerald

Whether you know of gemologa and emeralds, or that on the contrary you have no idea of this world, when acquiring this precious stone you must follow certain recommendations.

To obtain Colombian emeralds there are many places where you will surely find stones of very good quality. However, since the trade of these gems, tourists and their own have faced several challenges.

Expensive purchases from resellers, synthetic stones marketed as natural and even stones from other countries mixed with Colombian ones, are challenges faced from day to day by those who seek to acquire a Colombian emerald.

Therefore, and so that you can buy a stone safely, we will tell you about some of the current challenges in the acquisition of emeralds and some recommendations not to fail in the attempt.

Where to go to buy emeralds?

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 purchase in a commercial establishment, you must ensure that it has a RUCOM (Single Register of Mineral Marketingers), since this document will ensure the authenticity of the emeralds and the legality of their marketing.

In the case of Emerald by love, we worry about always delivering quality emeralds. For this reason, our customers are sure to buy certified natural emeralds, which are further carefully evaluated in quality, origin, treatments, etc.

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

In addition, you can also purchase emeralds directly from the mines, with the assurance that they were extracted from their site.

In the northwestern area of the department of Boyacá, it is where the largest emerald deposits are concentrated, there are the mines of Muzo, Borbur, Coscuez, Chivor, Peñas Blancas, La Pita and Quípama. Gachetá and Gachalá, located in the northeast of Cundinamarca, complete the most important area of emerald exploitation in the country.

Common challenges to buying emeralds

Then we will delve into the most common challenges, which in our experience, arise when buying emeralds. We have divided the purchase of these gems into two types of challenges:

Depending on the place

• Buying in unauthorized establishments: As mentioned above, it is important that when buying an emerald in a commercial establishment it is verified that it has the permits by the institutions responsible for authorizing the trade of emeralds.

It must therefore ensure that the Minerals Register (Single Mineral Marketers) register, as this document will ensure the authenticity of emeralds and the legality of their marketing.

• Buy people on the street: once you are in the supported area for the purchase and sale of emeralds in your city, you are likely to come into contact with the so-called commissioners, who are in charge of selling lots of emeralds of their own or some emeralds.

In order not to fall into the common error of buying overvalued or sometimes synthetic emeralds, you must ask the seller to certify through a laboratory the emerald stone, if possible, accompany it and see with your own eyes that the emerald you are delivering for analysis is the same size, color and weight that initially offered you.

According to the seller's ethics

• Buying Brazilian or African stones: If there is an emerald quality that resembles Colombian stones it is that from Zambia, in Africa. On many occasions, the lots of emeralds from this place mix or become of Colombian origin.

Similarly, Brazil surpasses Colombia in the massive production of these gems, which means that in the case of needing a large-scale order, this type of merchandise is used to cover the order.

For this there are two possible solutions, the first would be to buy in a trusted place or person with which you can be sure that they will not sell foreign stones without your consent.

In addition, if so, require a verbal or written certificate of the origin of the emerald. If it is a large lot, they will have to report to you how many gems are of Colombian origin and which foreign ones.

• Buy uncertified: throughout this article we mentioned the importance of certifying an emerald stone. Therefore, we could say that it becomes the golden rule to buy this precious stone.

Under no circumstances and in no way can they deny you to certify an emerald. None of the reasons given to you must justify buying an uncertified stone. In the event that the seller denies him this assessment, it is better that he goes to another establishment not to look for another seller.

• Buy synthetic stones or imitations: Be sure to find out if the emerald you're going to acquire is a natural stone or a synthetic one. Very clear gemstones or a very vivid green, without any inclusion, can be too perfect - which indicates that it is a synthetic emerald.

If you have doubts when buying an emerald, being unsure whether it is natural or synthetic, the only way to make sure you receive an authentic gem is through a certificate issued by the GIA. If you want to make a good purchase, you can ask the seller to take a stone test to check its veracity.

• Lack of ethics in treatment: As with synthetic stones, or of foreign origin, it is in the ethics of the seller and the company that markets them to verify in a verbal or written way if the care that it will acquire contains some kind of treatment or improvement.

There are different types of treatments for an emerald, some more powerful than others and that by their position will improve their color and eliminate some damage. In the event that the emerald has powerful treatments, its price should be cheaper.

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.