Emerald from the Chivor District, Colombia – Large Crystal on Matrix

This Emerald specimen from the Chivor District in Colombia features a prominent elongated prismatic Emerald crystal on a light-colored mineralized zone over dark host rock. The crystal has a strong green color and stands out clearly against the light matrix.

With dimensions of 7.5 × 6.5 × 3.8 cm and a weight of 224.8 g, this is a Cabinet specimen. The Emerald crystal is opaque and shows several clearly visible breaks and fractures extending through individual parts of the crystal.

Elongated Emerald crystal with visible fractures

The dominant Emerald crystal has an elongated prismatic form and extends prominently across the mineralized surface of the matrix. Its green color creates a strong contrast with the light-colored accompanying minerals and the dark host rock.

The detail photograph clearly shows several breaks and fractures within the crystal. These locally interrupt the crystal surface, while the overall prismatic form of the Emerald remains readily recognizable.

The surface of the specimen also contains numerous small light-colored crystals and fine-grained mineralized areas surrounding the Emerald, clearly separating the mineralized zone from the darker host rock.

Emerald from the Chivor District in Colombia

The Chivor District in Boyacá belongs to Colombia’s eastern emerald belt and is one of the country’s classic emerald regions. Emerald mineralization there occurs within light-colored, carbonate-rich mineralized zones hosted by darker sedimentary rocks.

This specimen displays that contrast particularly well: a large green Emerald crystal is positioned on a light mineralized zone surrounded by dark host rock. The geological setting of the crystal is therefore clearly visible within the specimen.

Despite the existing breaks and fractures, the specimen remains an illustrative example from the Chivor District because of its size, strong color contrast and clearly recognizable crystal form. Read more about Chivor and the emerald regions of Colombia in my detailed article about Colombia’s emerald deposits.