Andean Scapes team · Updated
Colombia’s emerald mines
Two belts, eight districts and three famous names. Where Colombian emeralds come out of the ground, how the two sides differ, and why “Muzo” is sometimes a color, not a mine.
Where are Colombia’s emerald mines?
Most Colombian emeralds are mined in Boyacá and Cundinamarca, in the Eastern Andes. The three major mines are Muzo, Coscuez and Chivor.[2]
The deposits sit in two belts on either side of the Eastern Cordillera basin.[1]
The western belt
The western belt holds the districts of Muzo, Coscuez, La Pita, Peñas Blancas and La Glorieta–Yacopí.[1]
Its emeralds sit in black shales and dolomitic limestones 130 to 116 million years old, and formed between 38 and 32 million years ago. In Colombia, trapiche emeralds come only from Muzo, Coscuez and Peñas Blancas.[1]
Coscuez and Peñas Blancas are named hills of San Pablo de Borbur.[5]
The eastern belt
The eastern belt holds Chivor, Gachalá and Macanal. Its emeralds formed about 65 million years ago in a black shale and limestone horizon 135 to 130 million years old.[1]
Historians single out Chivor as the source of the first emeralds traded in the Americas and the first exported after the Spanish conquest.[3] Gachalá gave the 858-carat crystal now at the Smithsonian.[4]
When “Muzo” is a color
In the trade, “Muzo” and “Chivor” often describe color rather than the mine: Muzo a warm, grassy green with hints of yellow, Chivor a deeper green.[2]
So a stone sold as “Muzo” or “Chivor” is a description, not a certificate of origin. Origin is something only a laboratory can give an opinion on, from inclusions, spectroscopy and trace elements.[6]
Visiting a mine
Field notes: what we saw in the region
These are working sites. Visits depend on the operator’s permission, a local guide and the weather on the roads. In our experience in Chivor, the time underground is only part of the day; most of it is the road, the mountain and the people around the mine.
Frequently asked questions
- Where are emeralds mined in Colombia?
- Mostly in Boyacá and Cundinamarca. The three major mines are Muzo, Coscuez and Chivor.[2]
- What is the difference between the two emerald belts?
- The western belt (Muzo, Coscuez) formed 38 to 32 million years ago and is the only Colombian source of trapiche; the eastern belt (Chivor, Gachalá) formed about 65 million years ago.[1]
Sources
- Pignatelli, I., Giuliani, G., Ohnenstetter, D. et al. (2015). Colombian Trapiche Emeralds: Recent Advances in Understanding Their Formation. Gems & Gemology, 51(3), 222–259.
- Colombian emeralds. Wikipedia (English).
- Weldon, R., Ortiz, J. G. & Ottaway, T. (2016). In Rainier’s Footsteps: Journey to the Chivor Emerald Mine. Gems & Gemology, 52(2). GIA.
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Gachala Emerald (NMNH 122078). GeoGallery.
- San Pablo de Borbur. Wikipedia en español.(in Spanish)
- Saeseaw, S., Renfro, N. D., Palke, A. C., Sun, Z. et al. (2019). Geographic Origin Determination of Emerald. Gems & Gemology, 55(4). GIA.