London-based miner and supplier of coloured gemstones, Gemfields Group, expects to garner a record price following the sale of one unusual emerald at an upcoming auction.
In March of 2020, Gemfields uncovered a cluster of 187,775 carats of emerald at the Kagem mine in Zambia. The mass contains very few other minerals, meaning that despite its size the ‘Kafubu Cluster’ qualifies as a single emerald.
Bidding for the emerald closes on 17 November and Kagem assistant sort-house manager Jackson Mtonga said that in his 28 years of experience he has never encountered an emerald of this kind before.
“Rarity is one of the factors that makes emeralds hold such a special value in many cultures around the world, but the combination of this crystal cluster formation, the overall quality and the sheer enormity of the Kafubu Cluster is something I never thought possible,” he said.
The emerald within the cluster are high quality and vivid green with varying levels of crystallisation.
Gemfields believe that once manufactured, the Kafubu Cluster will yield tens of thousands of carats of commercial to fine-quality polished emeralds.
Kagem is believed to be the world’s single largest producing emerald mine and it is 75 per cent owned by Gemfields in partnership with the Zambian government.
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