Travel to Colombia to Purchase Emerald?

[Eli22]

Hello fellow CS lovers!

I am searching for my OETRTA (one emerald to rule them all). I want something that will be THE emerald in my collection.
Requirements: 3-4 carats, Colombian, vivid green (Muzo a plus), insignificant/minor.

Here are a couple of stones that I have been considering to give you an idea of what I am looking for:


My husband thinks that we should go see the stones in person and meet the sellers. I thought it might make for a fun trip/adventure (and get his buy-in for my purchase )

Has anyone here traveled to Colombia to purchase/view emeralds? Any tips?

 

[HockeyMama]

That sounds like quite a memorable trip! I have not heard of that but I know George (who is popular here) has travelled to the US with his stones. I don’t remember who, but a PS’er met him. An adventure would be amazing too, though! Keep us posted!

 

[HockeyMama]

Found the thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-my-emerald-ring.271233/post-5152997

 

[Neptune]

Im so excited for this, just cannot hide!

 

[LilAlex]

NY, SF, or London -- absolutely. (In fact, one of my dreams is to go to Berganza some day. My wife does not share this dream. ) Colombia -- hmmmm. Maybe to meet the Muzo guy himself (is that George?). For anyone else, I would not bumble about a developing country with six figures in US cash. I know parts of Colombia are safe and modern. For comparison, we were recently in a safe country that shares a border with Colombia and we barely brought our plain gold wedding bands.

EDIT: I agree that at that price-point, seeing in person is a must. Or using a trusted broker like an Inken. I would need an independent set of eyes on it. Same for an unheated Burma ruby. Any mid-five-figure stone will be a knock-out when viewed in isolation -- and it's easy for a vendor to pose it next to inferior examples so you think "It's gotta be that one, baby!" And it is almost impossible to get a report that captures the subjective colored-stone factors like saturation and light return -- except for maybe a Gubelin numerical grade.

 

[mayday]

Coordinate with Muzo emeralds when they (regularly) visit Miami!

 

[Eli22]

That sounds like quite a memorable trip! I have not heard of that but I know George (who is popular here) has travelled to the US with his stones. I don’t remember who, but a PS’er met him. An adventure would be amazing too, though! Keep us posted!

Found the thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-my-emerald-ring.271233/post-5152997

Thank you @HockeyMama ! It was actually George who said we could come to view the stones, with a potential visit to the mines!

Thank you for finding that thread as well. If traveling all the way to Colombia is too much of an ordeal, I will definitely ask for his USA schedule. I also wanted to see the emerald “scene” there for the experience!

 

[Eli22]

Im so excited for this, just cannot hide!

It’s actually all your fault, @Neptune

 

[Eli22]

NY, SF, or London -- absolutely. (In fact, one of my dreams is to go to Berganza some day. My wife does not share this dream. ) Colombia -- hmmmm. Maybe to meet the Muzo guy himself (is that George?). For anyone else, I would not bumble about a developing country with six figures in US cash. I know parts of Colombia are safe and modern. For comparison, we were recently in a safe country that shares a border with Colombia and we barely brought our plain gold wedding bands.

EDIT: I agree that at that price-point, seeing in person is a must. Or using a trusted broker like an Inken. I would need an independent set of eyes on it. Same for an unheated Burma ruby. Any mid-five-figure stone will be a knock-out when viewed in isolation -- and it's easy for a vendor to pose it next to inferior examples so you think "It's gotta be that one, baby!" And it is almost impossible to get a report that captures the subjective colored-stone factors like saturation and light return -- except for maybe a Gubelin numerical grade.

I appreciate your input @LilAlex ! George is fantastic (and trusted) and his videos are high-quality but there really is something about seeing the stones in person. I’ve been fairly lucky purchasing emeralds online, but for something this significant, I’d want to see it first.

Obviously we wouldn’t be traveling with cash (I’d wire the funds) or even the gemstone (I’d have it sent directly to AGL). It also seemed like a fun adventure to see the “birthplace” of the gem.

 

[Eli22]

Coordinate with Muzo emeralds when they (regularly) visit Miami!

Thank you so much! I didn’t realize they came that often (I guess I never asked)

 

[Neptune]

I thought I heard that Colombia has become a popular destination this year! I like to read all sorts of travel reports before leaving and here is an interesting one.

Trip Report: Colombia, February 2024 - Rick Steves Travel Forum

**Trip Report: Colombia, February 2024** **Intro:**<br> We went to Colombia in early February 2024. This was a pretty short trip for us – just 12 days (constrained by work schedules). Intended as a mid-winter getaway from the cold, gray, drippy Pacific Northwest, it would be our first foray i...

community.ricksteves.com

A while ago, George posted photos of an UK (?) couples traveling to the mine and they picked a gigantic cushion cut emerald for her e ring. I thought that was fabulous! And those barnyard chicken meals shared by him, delicious!! Haha.

 

[musicloveranthony]

Colombia was a fantastic place to visit. We went in 2011 - I understand it has become substantially more popular as a tourist destination in the interim. It was great visiting the emerald stores there and seeing the pre-Columbian gold museum. My sister and I are both adopted from Latin America (from Colombia and Costa Rica respectively), so we blended in well and never felt out of place or unsafe. We did have an interesting experience of someone else telling us we were unsafe, though. We had left our hotel in Cartagena (the beach, not the old city or the new city) and upon return we were stopped by security and told that it wasn't safe for us to leave the hotel grounds by ourselves. Again, I think a lot has positively changed in the subsequent 13 years and I would absolutely love to return - especially if I had the opportunity to visit a specific emerald miner/vendor.

I think you should strongly consider it

 

[lala646]

I thought I heard that Colombia has become a popular destination this year! I like to read all sorts of travel reports before leaving and here is an interesting one.

Trip Report: Colombia, February 2024 - Rick Steves Travel Forum

**Trip Report: Colombia, February 2024** **Intro:**<br> We went to Colombia in early February 2024. This was a pretty short trip for us – just 12 days (constrained by work schedules). Intended as a mid-winter getaway from the cold, gray, drippy Pacific Northwest, it would be our first foray i...

community.ricksteves.com

A while ago, George posted photos of an UK (?) couples traveling to the mine and they picked a gigantic cushion cut emerald for her e ring. I thought that was fabulous! And those barnyard chicken meals shared by him, delicious!! Haha.

Ok, I read that trip report, and now I need to visit Colombia!

 

[newtojewels]

I went to Colombia for a short trip and bought some cheapie emerald earrings while there! Does that count?

They're raw emeralds that I got from from Lucy Jewelry in Cartagena. I don't know anything about their pricing or how legit they are for 'real' emeralds, I just wanted something commemorative and it was all I could afford from a store that didn't seem like a total scam from a quick glance. I found out I passed my qualifying exam that day so obviously had to celebrate! It was my first ever CS purchase and first non-sterling purchase. The store also helped with the tax refund which I think was 15% back or so, hopefully you can do the same with your purchase. But I'm obviously no emerald expert, I just liked the earrings. Here's one incredible ring -- to my untrained eye at least! -- on the store's Instagram:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Cartagena was beautiful but there was one beach I went to than had a lot of armed guards on one side, which was a little alarming. Other than that I felt totally safe but that was a few years ago and I don't know how things have changed for the better or worse.

I can't wait to hear what you end up doing!

Here are my little earrings:

 

[JPie]

There are a lot of glowing reviews for George and I debated whether to share this, but I think it’s worthwhile if it helps a fellow PSer make more informed decisions.

I bought a small, relatively inexpensive emerald from George that came with a lab report. What he didn’t disclose and I didn’t know until I had the emerald in hand was that the pavilion had a chip in it. When I asked him about it, he confirmed that it was part of the rough and the cutter deliberately worked around it so it’s not visible when you’re looking down through the table. I kept the emerald because it seemed fairly priced with the chip and I didn’t want to deal with sending it back.

Later, I met someone who also had issues with the goods sold not matching what he said.

The lesson I learned is that I should never buy without a report, photos of the gem from top to bottom, and asking for flaws to be disclosed.

Being able to visit and inspect the emeralds in person should be low risk, assuming that the emeralds have lab reports.

 

[newtojewels]

There are a lot of glowing reviews for George and I debated whether to share this, but I think it’s worthwhile if it helps a fellow PSer make more informed decisions.

I bought a small, relatively inexpensive emerald from George that came with a lab report. What he didn’t disclose and I didn’t know until I had the emerald in hand was that the pavilion had a chip in it. When I asked him about it, he confirmed that it was part of the rough and the cutter deliberately worked around it so it’s not visible when you’re looking down through the table. I kept the emerald because it seemed fairly priced with the chip and I didn’t want to deal with sending it back.

Later, I met someone who also had issues with the goods sold not matching what he said.

The lesson I learned is that I should never buy without a report, photos of the gem from top to bottom, and asking for flaws to be disclosed.

Being able to visit and inspect the emeralds in person should be low risk, assuming that the emeralds have lab reports.

I'm really glad that you shared this. It would be one thing if it were a private seller or non-specialist dealer who might not know better, but a good specialty vendor should share that information from the outset and let the customer decide if they mind the flaws or not. Inspecting in person relies on a level of knowledge that I don't personally have so I would want my vendor to be my eyes for a major purchase. I'm glad you felt the price was still fair in the end, at least, but it sounds like you wouldn't have purchased it originally if you had been fully informed.

 

[Neptune]

Ok, I read that trip report, and now I need to visit Colombia!

Me 2!

 

[Neptune]

There are a lot of glowing reviews for George and I debated whether to share this, but I think it’s worthwhile if it helps a fellow PSer make more informed decisions.

I bought a small, relatively inexpensive emerald from George that came with a lab report. What he didn’t disclose and I didn’t know until I had the emerald in hand was that the pavilion had a chip in it. When I asked him about it, he confirmed that it was part of the rough and the cutter deliberately worked around it so it’s not visible when you’re looking down through the table. I kept the emerald because it seemed fairly priced with the chip and I didn’t want to deal with sending it back.

Later, I met someone who also had issues with the goods sold not matching what he said.

The lesson I learned is that I should never buy without a report, photos of the gem from top to bottom, and asking for flaws to be disclosed.

Being able to visit and inspect the emeralds in person should be low risk, assuming that the emeralds have lab reports.

Appreciate your feedback.

 

[Eli22]

I thought I heard that Colombia has become a popular destination this year! I like to read all sorts of travel reports before leaving and here is an interesting one.

Trip Report: Colombia, February 2024 - Rick Steves Travel Forum

**Trip Report: Colombia, February 2024** **Intro:**<br> We went to Colombia in early February 2024. This was a pretty short trip for us – just 12 days (constrained by work schedules). Intended as a mid-winter getaway from the cold, gray, drippy Pacific Northwest, it would be our first foray i...

community.ricksteves.com

A while ago, George posted photos of an UK (?) couples traveling to the mine and they picked a gigantic cushion cut emerald for her e ring. I thought that was fabulous! And those barnyard chicken meals shared by him, delicious!! Haha.

Thanks for this! I also found that article when looking for info on traveling to Colombia and it seems the poster had a great time! I’ve only heard good things from people within my circle who’ve traveled there, so I’m encouraged by that!

 

[Eli22]

Colombia was a fantastic place to visit. We went in 2011 - I understand it has become substantially more popular as a tourist destination in the interim. It was great visiting the emerald stores there and seeing the pre-Columbian gold museum. My sister and I are both adopted from Latin America (from Colombia and Costa Rica respectively), so we blended in well and never felt out of place or unsafe. We did have an interesting experience of someone else telling us we were unsafe, though. We had left our hotel in Cartagena (the beach, not the old city or the new city) and upon return we were stopped by security and told that it wasn't safe for us to leave the hotel grounds by ourselves. Again, I think a lot has positively changed in the subsequent 13 years and I would absolutely love to return - especially if I had the opportunity to visit a specific emerald miner/vendor.

I think you should strongly consider it

So glad to hear you enjoyed it and did not feel unsafe! I think it has definitely changed for the better, so I look forward to potentially visiting. Even if I don’t purchase THE emerald on the trip, it will have been a fun adventure!

 

[Eli22]

I went to Colombia for a short trip and bought some cheapie emerald earrings while there! Does that count?

They're raw emeralds that I got from from Lucy Jewelry in Cartagena. I don't know anything about their pricing or how legit they are for 'real' emeralds, I just wanted something commemorative and it was all I could afford from a store that didn't seem like a total scam from a quick glance. I found out I passed my qualifying exam that day so obviously had to celebrate! It was my first ever CS purchase and first non-sterling purchase. The store also helped with the tax refund which I think was 15% back or so, hopefully you can do the same with your purchase. But I'm obviously no emerald expert, I just liked the earrings. Here's one incredible ring -- to my untrained eye at least! -- on the store's Instagram:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Cartagena was beautiful but there was one beach I went to than had a lot of armed guards on one side, which was a little alarming. Other than that I felt totally safe but that was a few years ago and I don't know how things have changed for the better or worse.

I can't wait to hear what you end up doing!

Here are my little earrings:

That TOTALLY counts!! How fun you were able to visit and buy those cool earrings to commemorate your trip! I LOVE buying jewelry on my travels- it just adds more meaning to the item. Thank you for sharing your experience - I’m getting even more excited!

 

[Eli22]

There are a lot of glowing reviews for George and I debated whether to share this, but I think it’s worthwhile if it helps a fellow PSer make more informed decisions.

I bought a small, relatively inexpensive emerald from George that came with a lab report. What he didn’t disclose and I didn’t know until I had the emerald in hand was that the pavilion had a chip in it. When I asked him about it, he confirmed that it was part of the rough and the cutter deliberately worked around it so it’s not visible when you’re looking down through the table. I kept the emerald because it seemed fairly priced with the chip and I didn’t want to deal with sending it back.

Later, I met someone who also had issues with the goods sold not matching what he said.

The lesson I learned is that I should never buy without a report, photos of the gem from top to bottom, and asking for flaws to be disclosed.

Being able to visit and inspect the emeralds in person should be low risk, assuming that the emeralds have lab reports.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience @JPie ! I appreciate any feedback/info that helps me make more informed decisions. I saw in a previous thread by Atwater that she also experienced a chip issue. I have learned that with a lot of vendors, being fully armed with the right questions to ask is half the battle, so thank you. I do look forward to seeing multiple emeralds of varying quality in person - often I just see a few (usually already set) in display cases, so this will be a good test of my “emerald eye”!