Who were the famous Zares of the Colombian emeralds
In Colombia, land of the best emeralds in the world, prominent entrepreneurs and traders were recognized in the emerald industry. Either for their love of these gems or because they owned mining grounds for these stones, they were popularly known as the Ozars.
Some prominent names in the emerald industry in Colombia include the Carranza family, which has been involved in mining and emerald trade for several generations, specifically Mr. Víctor Carranza and Pedro Nel Rincón, who played an important role in the industry.
However, it is important to bear in mind that the emerald industry in Colombia is composed of multiple actors and companies, and there is not a single person or family that can be considered as the absolute owner of the emeralds in the country.
With the above, in this post we will talk about two of the most named families in the country when talking about emeralds and controversy.
Victor Carranza, a life of controversy and emeralds
Víctor Carranza was a Colombian businessman who was involved in the emerald industry in Colombia. He was born on 4 May 1934 in the department of Boyacá and died on 4 April 2013.
Carranza was known as the Emerald Zaar, due to its influence and control in much of the emerald trade in Colombia. For decades, he was one of the most influential players in the industry and accumulated a great fortune through the exploitation and marketing of emeralds.
Carranza is said to have controlled a significant part of the emerald mines in Colombia, especially in the Boyacá region, where the country's main emerald mines, such as the Muzo and Coscuez mines, are located.
He is also credited with the establishment of the Esmeraldas Cooperative of Colombia, an organization that brings together various actors from the industry and seeks to regulate and promote the trade of Colombian emeralds.
Carranza's relationship with the emeralds was not without controversy. For many years, there were legal disputes and conflicts related to mine ownership and control of the emerald business in Colombia. In addition, he has been linked to illegal activities and illegal armed groups in the region, although he has always denied any link to such activities.
It is important to note that after the death of Victor Carranza, the emerald industry in Colombia has undergone significant changes and has sought greater regulation and transparency in the trade of these precious stones.
Pedro Nel Corner, the emerald pat.
Pedro Nel Rincón was born in Maripí, municipality of Boyacá, and is known as the Pattern of Emeralds. He is imprisoned in Picaleña prison in Ibagué, where he pays a sentence of 20 years and 8 months in prison for the murder of Miguel Pinilla Pinilla, which occurred in May 2008.
He began as a miner in the cuts of José Ruperto Córdoba Mariño, alias El Colmillo, inside the mines of Coscuez. His first capital invested it in his own machinery and became a good plant, with sights of great merchant and with that haunting of which the precious stones are chased.
Between 1989 and 1991, when the second green war was in full swing, Pedro Rincón Castillo, known since those times as Pedro Orejas, accumulated good capital to start having a voice and vote in the decisions of the mines of Peñas Blancas.
But his strong character, which is needed to enforce the lands that belong to everyone and no one, began to make his name that of a feared emerald. In '89 he was arrested for illegal carrying of weapons. Twenty years later, in 2008, one fact would mark his judicial record forever: he was accused of murdering Miguel Pinilla, the bodyguard of Maximiliano Canyon, another of the emeralds of tradition, in the heart of Pauna.
In this case he would be taken to the Picota, but in 2011 he was acquitted. He was also accused of having taken AUC paramilitaries to the Boyacense lands to gain land control, a fact that has not been proven.
Although his fame is due to the emerald business, Rincón also entered politics: he was councillor of the municipality of Pauna (Boyacá) until 2007. For years he was rival of Victor Carranza, the emerald tsar, who died on April 4, 2013.
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.
