Ethiopian Emerald

Ethiopian Emerald Mines

The Ethiopia emerald mines are relatively small in comparison to other important emerald mines located in Colombia, Zambia, Brazil etc. But it resources some of the best gem-quality green Beryl (emerald belongs to the Beryl mineral family) that can be faceted to form clean and eye-pleasing green emerald gemstones .

• Ethiopian emerald mines are primarily located in the Oromia region , in the southern part of this country. The emerald deposits in Ethiopia have been found in the rural villages of Dermi, Shakiso and Kenticha which are situated in the Seba Boru District .

• Ethiopian emerald mines are currently open but with tight restriction. The overall contribution of this mine to the gemstone industry is nominal ( 1.5% of the world’s total annual emerald supply) but still stands alone as an exclusive class of emerald due to its unique appearance and superior quality.

• Ethiopian emerald has emerged as a promising emerald variety for the gem and jewelry traders. With the discovery of large size emerald crystal with good color resembling those produced in the Bogota mine of Colombia, gem retailers and suppliers are quite hopeful about the glorious future of this magnificent emerald variety.

Ethiopian Emerald Prices

The astonishingly beautiful Ethiopian emeralds is relatively from a new origin. It is less popular in comparison to other pioneer varieties such as Colombian emerald and Zambian emerald . Due to restricted mining in the region, its availability in the market is also limited. Therefore, it will be too early to give an exact estimate about this gem’s relative value in the market. But as per certain gem retailers, the high-quality Ethiopian panna can be sold on par or at a premium equal to the fine quality Zambian emerald and Brazilian Emerald .

Note – In India, the prices of Ethiopian emerald start from ₹ 5,000 per carat ($80 approx.) and goes as high as ₹ 1 lakh per carat ($1540 approx.) and above.

• Color

  – Generally, the more vivid and deeper is the green color, higher will be the Ethiopian emerald price. Some clean pieces in slight bluish green hue can also manage to draw a good value in the gemstone market. However, poor color consistency and low saturation often reduce the beauty and create a decrease in the gem’s prices.

• Clarity

  – Highly transparent Ethiopian emerald exists but is quite rare and precious. Even the transparent stones may contain few eye visible inclusions. Generally, the prices of Ethiopian emerald are not influenced much if the inclusions don’t hamper the color and overall beauty of the gem. But the highly included, opaque pieces appear less beautiful and therefore sold at a discounted price.

• Cut

  – Emerald cut stones are common but round and oval emeralds are also easily available in the gemstone market. Due to the good accessibility, Ethiopian emeralds in the oval, round and emerald cut can be purchase at highly affordable prices. However, for stones in highly customised cuts like brilliant cut, princess cut etc, the prices can be surprisingly high. This is because more rough stone is wasted during the cutting process.

• Carat weight

  – Being a newly introduced variety, it will be too early to state how the prices of Ethiopian emerald will rise with increase in stone’s size. Limited availability also restricts the gem traders from giving a clear picture about the Ethiopian emerald price trend in the market. Since, large size rough stones are available, one can find Ethiopian emerald loose stones in bigger size. But the per carat price is often increases significantly for big size stones due to its limited availability.