Most fans of mineral stones wonder where the emeralds are mined. Such a procedure was carried out in the desert of Arabia during the period of Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece. Persians and Indians greatly revered this mineral.
In the XVI century, invaders from Spain transported to the European lands the beautiful emeralds obtained by the Incas in the Eastern Cordilleras. In addition, the conquerors from Spain found in the Colombian lands an emerald mine, today popular as the source of Chivor. The extraordinary resources of the emerald from Colombia have not lost their greatness even today.
A bit of history
As mentioned above, emerald mining has been carried out since historical times. In some media, the place where emeralds were mined for the first time describes the desert of Arabia, in others - Namibia. There they found the “Cleopatra mines”, which for unknown reasons were closed for a long period of time and started up again at the beginning of the 19th century.
Another popular source was the mines near Aswan, in the vicinity of the Red Sea. Information about it relates researchers to the period of the reign of Sesostris III, and this is more than 3,000 years ago. The inhabitants of Egypt made mines, the depth of which is estimated at 200 m. It is worth noting that 400 hand diggers at one moment fit there with difficulty.
In historical times, it was commonly believed that an emerald is afraid of light, which is why mining was carried out in its absolute absence. After pulling to the surface, the mineral in the rock was beaten to pieces, and then smeared with olive oil. This approach made it easier to find shining emeralds.
How is emerald mined?
It happens that attackers put the inscription: "Ural" on decorative emeralds. That's just in reality they realize hydrothermal stones. This is one hundred percent deception of man. The places where emeralds are mined in Russia are in the Urals. It is worth noting that in this region the extraction of the mineral is carried out, and not its cultivation in the research center.
There are three sources of the mineral:
- Pneumatic-hydrothermal.
- Pegmatite.
- Placers of emeralds.
On the territory of the Russian Federation are pneumatic-hydrothermal deposits of stone. The crystals are located on mica rocks in the bowels of hyperbasic stones. They are saturated with pegmatite compounds with granite. Under these conditions of emergence, ideal crystals of the highest quality come out. In the process of emerald formation, liquid rocks that create gases due to the enrichment of beryllium and chromium get inside. Creating crystals in this form takes tens of thousands of years.
Where are emeralds mined in the world?
Mineral extraction is carried out by 30 countries on the planet. Below are described in detail those places that are considered to be leaders in terms of reserves of raw materials. These include Colombia, Brazil, Russia, Africa, India, etc.
Colombia
When asked about where emeralds are mined, they usually answer: "Colombia." It is clear because of what - the stones that are mined in this state have the highest quality and incredible beauty.
In the XVI century, in the territory of this country, invaders from Spain found sources of high-quality crystals. From that time period, the "emerald disease" began. Treasures imported from the depths of the earth were imported into European countries.
But there is the following point: the conquerors from Spain took possession of this territory by force, which is why they were not distinguished by politeness. Because of this, the procedure for extracting and cutting stones was carried out in extremely difficult conditions: during the extraction, it was necessary to repel the attacks of the Indians, who regularly tried to repel the sources.
Brazil
The state has a large amount of material, but of average quality. The crystals are lighter than the emeralds from Colombia, and also have a yellowish color. A key advantage of places where turquoise and emeralds are mined in Brazil is incredible cleanliness. In simple words, no deposits. Sources are located in the eastern part of the state - the states of Minas, Gerais, and Bahia. The launch of new sources (1980) enabled the country to become an elite among the importers of crystal in the world.
Russia
Russia also ranks first among those where emeralds are mined. Ural crystals were found thanks to Y. V. Kokovin, head of the diamond cutting factory in Yekaterinburg. They began to be extracted in the 19th century. Sources of the Urals are located slightly north of the city of Asbest. It is worth noting that at the beginning of the 20th century they were carefully examined by the popular geologist of the Russian Federation A.E. Fersman. From the time mining began, more than 15 tons of stone were found in the deposits.
Today, the sources of the Urals are located in the Yekaterinburg environs. They are popular for their emeralds of unique beauty and size. They found the largest emerald in decades: its weight was 637 g, in connection with which it received the name "anniversary". Until this moment, such a find was noticed in 1993, when they found the famous mineral “president”, whose weight was more than 1 kg.
Africa
Reserves where you can get turquoise, emeralds, found in the XX century in the south of the mainland. In terms of reserves, it ranks second after Brazil. Production increased from sources located in the east of the country - Zambia, Zimbabwe, as well as Tanzania. The shade of minerals is bright, similar to the blue-green standard of Colombia, but even better in quality.
It is important to know that only Zambia produces a fifth of the planetary reserve of the crystal. The largest deposit in Africa is Kagem, which produces 6.5 million carats of stone every year. Many emeralds from Zimbabwe are small, but of high quality. The Cobra and Somerset mines in South Africa are well equipped, but only 5% of the volume of crystals of good quality. Many emeralds are light in color, there are a lot of deposits.
India
Sources of India, where it is quite possible to obtain emerald, were launched later than African mines. Today, several small sources are popular there - Gum-Gora, Kaniguman, as well as Teka.
Where else is emerald mined?
Although emerald crystals are considered to be minerals that are rarely found in nature, their extraction is carried out in a large number of countries: Ethiopia, Madagascar, Norway, Cambodia, Canada and many other countries. It makes no sense to be surprised at this list, since the sources in these states are not so large-scale.
Interesting Facts
- Guajiro from Colombia are mineral extractors who extract crystals. All sources are given to foreign investors. Therefore, when an unprocessed emerald is thrown out of the mines, people try to pick up parts of it, even fights happen.
- People who work in Colombian sources undergo weekly training and use simple, inexpensive tools, which is why their lives are constantly in danger. A working day lasts 12 hours, and wages are most often limited by a bowl of soup. At the same time, employees are given a lot of local alcohol called guarapo.
Summary
The extraction of this mineral is important for humanity, since it is not only beautiful, but also has a huge number of useful properties. This crystal is in demand in the world, so it will be advisable to hope that natural stone will be used more often than artificial for a long time.