People have admired emerald’s green for thousands of years. There are other green gems like tourmaline and peridot, but emerald is the one that’s always associated with the lushest landscapes and the richest greens. Ireland is the Emerald Isle, Seattle is the Emerald City, Thailand’s most sacred religious icon is called the Emerald Buddha, even though it’s carved from green jadeite.

Egypt was the major sources of emeralds until the sixteenth century, until the Spanish learned of abundant emerald mines in South America, an area that’s still an important source – Colombia.

The most desirable emerald colours are bluish green to green. If the colour is too yellowish or too bluish the stones is not emerald but a different variety of the emerald species called beryl, and its value drops accordingly. 

Colombian, Zambia, Brazil and Zimbabwe supply the great majority of emeralds. Historically, Colombia is the source of the highest quality and the highest volume of emeralds. It has been a leading emerald supplier for centuries. Although Colombian mines produce all grades of emeralds, the finest are the standard against which other countries’ stones re judged.