Emeralds have been mined in Ethiopia sporadically in the past couple of years, in various rural villages including the mining area Shakiso.

Here at The Gem Vault we’ve been seeing some very fine rough and cut stones from this exciting new find!

As the GIA described in a recent article, there is a great potential for this deposit, yielding some very high quality and untreated stones:

“Even though most of the material is commercial grade, lighter in saturation, and moderately to heavily included, fine gem-grade crystals of exceptional size, color, and clarity are obtainable and can produce stones that do not require clarity enhancement.”

Likewise, what is found in gem-quality can be found in “exceptional size, color and clarity and can produce stones that require no clarity enhancements like oiling”, according to a recent report from National Jeweler.

The mines are currently open, but with tight restrictions. Entering the mine is not allowed and buyers must provide legal documented permissions in order to buy. With these laws being strictly enforced, acquisition of these fine gems is (for now) more limited and exclusive!

Here at The Gem Vault we expect to see more rough from this deposit in November of 2017. Join our mailing list to be the first to know when new gem rough arrives.

First image credit: Author Michael Nemeth sorts through parcels of gem-quality rough emeralds from the open market in Shakiso. Rough crystals can weigh more than 20 g, with reports of some weighing almost 100 g. Photo by Michael Nemeth via GIA.edu.

Remaining images taken by Jason Baskin of The Gem Vault: existing in-house rough and custom cut gems available for purchase.