Giant green emerald crystal of 5,655 carats in the "golden green hue" discovered by miners

A huge emerald crystal was unearthed in early October in the largest emerald mine in the world in Zambia.

Geologist Debapriya Rakshit and experienced miner Richard Kapeta have discovered the impressive 5,655-carat emerald at Kagem's largest open-pit mine, which is partly owned by Gemfields, a London-based mining company. The gems inside the mine would have been formed hundreds of millions of years ago.

The 5655-carat Zambian Emerald Crystal has "remarkable clarity and a perfectly balanced golden green tone," Gemfields said in a press release on Monday.

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He was spotted on October 2 in the eastern part of the Kagem mine, where a team of miners has been lucky in recent months.

"This area of ​​the mine has proven particularly fertile in recent months." The Kagem team has recovered several important crystals, but none with the combined size, color and clarity of the Emerald Lion, "said the mining company.

Elena Basaglia, a gemologist from Gemfields, described the discovery as an "important discovery" for the emerald world.

"The demand for high quality Zambian emeralds from major brands, especially European ones, is rising sharply. All admire the rich color and unique transparency of our precious stones, qualities that make them unique among emeralds, "said Basaglia in an online statement" It's hard to estimate how many individual gems will be carved in Inkalamu , but the expertise in cutting Gemfields' auction partners means that this gemstone will impose in the exceptional gem history books. "

Gemfields has named the huge "Inkalamu" rock, which translates as "lion" in the local Bemba language, in recognition of its three-year partnership with the non-profit organizations Niassa Carnivore Project and Zambian Carnivore Program.

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"These partners work tirelessly to harmonize relationships between African carnivores and local communities in large, isolated and challenging areas.The health of carnivores is widely regarded as a good indicator of the health of the eco-system within the meaning of broad because of the status of carnivores at the top of the local food chain, "Gemfields said.

The Emerald Lion will go on sale in Singapore in November.

"We expect Inkalamu Crystal to produce great quality emeralds," said Adrian Banks, general manager of products and sales at Gemfields, in a statement. "These important pieces bring value to the buyer, and hundreds of falls can be turned into smaller gems, cabochons and pearls, but the bottom line is the recovery of high quality parts. Since this emerald is a rare pearl, it is also perfectly conceivable that the buyer will choose to buy it as an investment. "

Although this is a huge discovery, the Emerald Lion is not the biggest crystal coming from the Kagem mine. In 2010, Zambian miners recovered an emerald of 6,225 carats that they dubbed "Insofu" or "Elephant" because of its size, reported The Telegraph at the time.