Gemstones are one of the most popular creations of mankind for at least several thousand years symbolizing richness, status and beauty. Different countries of the world are famous for their qualitative gemstone and the variety of colors of their gemstones and their types are completely distinct and different from each other. In this article the reader will learn about gemstones linked to a number of countries, and aspects such as the composition, background, mining methods, and cultural value.
1. Introduction to Gemstones
First let’s consider what a gemstone is before we get into which countries produce the best stones. Gemstones are solid, objects ii minerals or rocks found in nature and have been polished and cut for purposes such as fashion accessories’ purposes. They can be classified into two main categories: To be precise we find diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethyst, and aquamarine among other gemstones that are categorized as precious or semi-precious.
1.part 1 The Factors Determining Quality
The quality of gemstones is generally assessed based on the “Four Cs”: Otherwise known as the four C’s – Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat weight. All of them are important in that they influence the value and demand of a certain gemstone. Besides, there is a crucial factor referring to the place of origin, indeed, stones coming from particular zones may have the highest quality and higher cost.
2. Top Producers of Gemstone
2.1 Brazil
Gemstones: Amethyst, Topaz, Emerald, Aquamarine
Brazil is also one of the largest producers of gemstones including amethyst, topaz, emerald and aquamarine deposits. Owing to large deposits of pegmatite, the country has a rich mineral resource base with gemstones featured greatly.
2.1.1 Amethyst
Brazilian amethyst is darker and many times occurs in geodes. It is for this reason that we are dealing with a silica that in most cases presents itself as clean and bright with good color penetration.
2.1.2 Topaz
A well known member of the topaz family is the Brazilian topaz with Imperial being the popular brilliant blue types of topaz. This type of topaz is very hard to come by and it has an onion-like, golden-orange hue to it.
2.2 Colombia
Gemstones: Emerald
Colombia is thought to be the world’s largest producer of emeralds – especially those from the Muzo and Chivor mines. It has been established that Colombian emerald is the best quality equivalent to other gems known as ‘Emerald’.
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Emeralds of Columbia are usually green in nature due to the presence of very small quantities of chromium and vanadium. The stones are always characterized by the presence of inclusions called “jardin,” which improve the value of the rocks.
2.3 Sri Lanka
Gemstones: Sapphire, Ruby, Cat’s Eye
The country also called as Ceylon has a history of gemstone mining. The country is more famed for its corundum and other types of sapphire that includes the famous cornflower blue ones.
2.3.1 Sapphires
Typically, the Ceylon has trademark brightness and comes in good variety of blues to yellow and pink. Kashmir sapphires are much more expensive of the two, although Sri Lankan sapphires are well within the reach of the average consumer.
2.3.2 Rubies
Sri Lanka is also famous for its rubies that may have translucence in various shades of red; pinkish red being the most frequent. Many Sri Lankan rubies are considered excellent quality making them popular in jewelry.
2.4 Australia
Gemstones: Opal, Sapphire
Opals are the gemstones most commonly associated with Australia, especially those with an impressive and colourful appearance in Coober Pedy and Lightning Ridge.
2.4.1 Opal
The opal found in Australia is renowned for its fine play-of-color and among the varieties of opal the black opal stands as the most valuable. I especially love the bright colors that exist within these opals, that makes them very popular among jewel collectors.
2.4.2 Sapphires
Lately, there are also found Australian sapphires as in Queensland there are usually discovered of different color – blue, green and yellow.
2.5 India
Gemstones: Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire
India has been involved in the business of gems and jewels especially in diamond for centuries. India has the major diamond mines known as the Golconda mines that used to produce diamonds.
2.5.1 Diamonds
India was the sole supplier of diamonds in the past and the specially famous Golconda mines are attributed to the theta of having been origin to some of the most famous diamonds around the world including the Koh-i-Noor and the Hope Diamond among others.
2.5.2 Emeralds and Sapphires
Apart from diamond, there are emerald and sapphire that can also be found in India. The country has a very active market for those kind of stones for both the domestic market and export market.
2.6 Africa
Gemstones: Diamond, Tanzanite, Tsavorite
Africa is a leading producer of gemstones with south Africa Tanzania and kenya being some of the leading producers in the world.
2.6.1 Diamonds
South Africa also popular for Mines especially diamonds in Kimberley. It must be stated that the country is the leading producer of some of the biggest and best known diamonds ever discovered.
2.6.2 Tanzanite
Tanzania is the only known source of tanzanite-a blue-purplish gemstone identified only in the latter part of the 1960 S. Its black hue and progressively more scarce availability have boosted its demand in the last years.
2.6.3 Tsavorite
Tsavorite is a green garnet originating from Kenya, and it is among the rarest gems in the world since they are usually not highly brilliant as well as not very expensive when compared to their cousins the demantoids. It has found a lot of market acceptance as people look for a substitute for emerald owing to its hard and flashy nature.
2.7 Myanmar (Burma)
Gemstones: Ruby, Sapphire, Jade
Rubies and jade are well known products from Myanmar and especially the Mogok area. The country has been in the production and export of these gemstones for many years.
2.7.1 Rubies
Burmese rubies are those that have deep red and shade of red and are widely sought after because of there quality. The best-known rubies are vibrantly red, or “pigeon’s blood”, stones.
2.7.2 Jade
Myanmar is also becomes famous for her gemstone, especially for jade, specially the jadeite, which has importance symbol in Chinese tradition. Jade in this country has been fashioned into artistic designs and used in making jewelries and other ornaments.
Some of the elegant and precious stones originating from Pakistan are very much in demand all over the world. Here are some of the best and most notable gemstones found in Pakistan:
1. Emeralds
– Location: The Swat Valley and the Punjab region.
– Description: The superior quality of these emeralds is that of Pakistani emeralds with most of them being derived from Swat valley. The country has been acknowledged for polishing good quality of stones which is so desirable by jewelers.
2. Rubies
– Location: The Hunza Valley.
– Description: The gemstones found in Pakistan are primarily ruby which is deep red colour especially when mined from the region of Hunza. These stones bear a close resemblance to the best quality Burmese rubies and are highly prized for their clarity and intense colours.
3. Sapphires
– Location: The Kashmir territory.
– Description: The blue sapphire from Pakistan mostly from the Kashmir area is said to be among the best quality. The Kashmir sapphire is held in high esteem and is one of the superior quality of sapphire and it has a smooth texture and has a high saturation.
4. Topaz
– Location: Different other areas of Pakistan including Gilgit Baltistan.
– Description: Pakistani topaz is available in different hues, it comes in blue, yellow and pink. The blue topaz that is often heat treated is commonly used in most jewelry products.
5. Peridot
– Location: Concerning the regions, the northern areas particularly in Gilgit.
– Description: Peridot from Pakistan is known for its fire, brilliance and clarity which make it a famous choice among collectors and traders of gemstone.
6. Tourmaline
– Location: Different regions with a particular focus on Gilgit Baltistan.
– Description: Tourmaline from Pakistan comes in all shades of green, pink, and even multicolored stones. This makes them so attractive since they come in various beautiful colors.
7. Aquamarine
– Location: The northern regions.
– Description: Pakistani aquamarine, famous for its incredible blue shade, is perfectly clear and is traditionally utilized in jewelry.
8. Lapis Lazuli
– Location: Near the border with Afghanistan there located the Badakhshan region.
– Description: While Afghanistan is well known for its lapis lazuli deposits it is also available in Pakistan. It is desired for deep blue hue which combined with golden particles of pyrite mineral called ‘fool’s gold’.
Conclusion
Pakistan has a rich geological endowment, which qualifies the country as a major contender in the gemstone business. A multitude of different gemstones and their quality distinguishes this place, and attracts gem lovers and other interested jewelers from around the world. Every gemstone here is a true reproduction of the original shape and color derived from the natural resource endowment of those regions and thus are some of the best gems in world being produced here in Pakistan.
