What are Emerald mineral specimens?
Emerald specimens are the best examples of how Emeralds occur
in their natural habitat. The mineral material that an
Emerald crystal grows in (host rock) is called the matrix.
In Colombia, Emeralds occur in pegmatic veins of white and
grey calcite. Other associative minerals and rock typcially
found within the same areas are black shale, quartz and
pyrite.
What makes a great Emerald mineral specimen? Beauty and
perfection are the two most important characteristics. Along
with those two characteristics, a great specimen will
demonstrate the crystallography of Emerald which is a member
of the hexagonal system.
Emerald specimens from Colombia exhibit distinct crystal and
matrix characteristics which can help identify which
mining area they
originated from. Please visit our Crystal Character and
Matrix Character pages
for further details.
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