Most of the most abundant gemstones in South America are in Minas Gerais, Brazil, a place that is rich in a variety of gems, within which diamonds, quartz in all types, topazes, beryls, garnets, morganites, spinels, tourmalines and kunzites stand out, even precious emeralds and aquamarines, mostly of pegmatitic and metamorphic origin.
But not only Minas Gerais state is well-known in South America, but also Rio Grande do Sul state, rich in amethysts and agates, or Bahia state, with a large number of tourmalines and emeralds which are highly sought after all over the world, as the Colombian emeralds of Muzo and Chivor and which are considered the best; or the diamonds of Venezuela and Guyana, the pearls of Margarita Island, also in Venezuela; the lapis lazuli from Chile, the rhodochrosite from Argentina, or the crisocola from Peru. They are just some of the precious stones of South America which are exported to various parts of the world.
In this way, we must acknowledge that Brazil and Colombia stand out as the two countries in this part of the American continent that produce the greatest amount of gems; but next we will present a description of the precious stones that mostly abound in these lands:
Diamonds: They are one of the most valued gemstones not only in South America but also in the world, since they have a very rigid crystalline structure, which combined with great transparency, give them a unique beauty. Although major diamond deposits are in India, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Ghana and South Africa, in the American continent, diamond deposits in South America such as Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru stand out, as well as those in North America, specifically in Mexico and the United States.
Emeralds: As we mentioned before, the country of South America with the best emeralds in the world is Colombia, standing out for its quality and beauty; characteristics by which they became known after the arrival of the Spaniards, and today they are searched by the best jewelry brands around the world.
Lapis Lazuli: Chile, in South America, and Afghanistan are the two countries that have the largest reserves of this gem, but due to the global conflict caused by Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban, the production in that eastern country was greatly reduced, so Chile became the largest producer and exporter of lapis lazuli, also known as “blue gold” because of its great beauty and usefulness in the world of jewelry.
Amethyst: The exploitation of this gemstone was very limited until the 19th century, but later large deposits appeared in Brazil, which is the reason why South America was recognized as one of the main producing regions of amethyst, to the point that Brazil and Uruguay are currently the largest producers of amethysts in the world.
Citrine: One of the countries of South America that has the largest amounts of this variety of quartz is Brazil, where there are the best citrines. These are characterized by having tones ranging from orange to yellow. But there are also quality citrines in abundance in countries such as Bolivia, Uruguay and Argentina.
Agate: This stone is a variant of the chalcedony mineral, and is characterized by being a micro crystalline species from quartz with multi coloured bands of the same hue. It originates in active volcanos, and its size can vary from a few millimeters to several meters. The most important deposits of this gemstone are in southern Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, as well as countries such as the United States, India and Madagascar.
Aquamarine: It is a precious stone highly valued for its beauty, for its pale blue colour and its hardness; particular characteristics for which it is widely used in jewelry. It is extracted in a 90% in Brazil, so South America has become the main operator and exporter of this gem.
Topaz: Brazil is currently the largest producer of imperial topaz in the world; although Russia has important places. The deposits of Brazil have the advantage that they produce topaz in colors of beautiful hues, ranging from purple to yellow, going through orange, pink and salmon, being the pink shade the least found in the world.
Alexandrite: This is a gemstone that exists mostly in Minas Gerais (Brazil), and although it is not well known, there are important deposits in the Ural Mountains (Russia), Ceylon Island and the United States. It is a variant of the chrysoberyl, and is considered one of the most curious stones on the planet because it changes color according to the angle from which it is observed. It is crystallized in rectangular prisms and its weight varies from 3 to 5 grams.
Other beautiful gemstones that can be found in South America include rhodochrosite, fluorite, sodalite, beryl and opal, among many others that give life and beauty to this rich and diverse continent in natural resources.
ALFA