Conversation – 16

Gems by Michael Valitutti 18″ Gemstone Station Necklace
748-082

Gems by Michael Valitutti Gemstone Flexible Cuff
748-089

Gems by Michael Valitutti Gemstone Hoop Earrings
748-074

Grizzly Emerald is one of the stones featured in my collection for HSN! What makes this emerald so special? Keep reading to find out!
The Grizzly emerald mine is located in the Kafubu emerald mining district, Copperbelt Province, Zambia. It currently is the second largest emerald mine in Zambia and one of the largest in the world. This deposit is referred to as a Schist deposit of emerald. At the mine site you see darker layers of exposed rock which is mica schist. This type of rock formation creates a ‘contact” zone with quartz/quartzite. The emerald forms in this small layer between these two rock formations. The emerald from Grizzly is known for great color, and one of the reasons is the schist itself. Because this contact zone was a relatively small and tight space, the coloring element of chromium is concentrated into a small zone rendering a deeper colored emerald.
Since chromium and beryllium are “geologically incompatible” it’s hard to get a good amount of chromium inside beryl to make a good emerald. The schist is so tight it squeezes all that chromium into a tight area creating well saturated grass green emeralds naturally. Think of a lemon, if you squeeze it into a gallon of water you barely taste it but squeeze that same lemon into a glass of water and you have a lot of flavour. Grizzly emeralds work the same way…lots of color (caused by chromium) happening in a small space giving you tons of color!
Basic emerald formation:
I’ll keep this as simple as I can but its important information as it will explain why emeralds are so rare, why they have inclusions and why it’s hard to find them with great color.
Emerald is a Beryl and in its purest state has no color, it forms in Pegmatite’s which is a special type of gem bearing igneous rock. Chromium (needed to turn beryl into a green emerald) forms in Mafic and Ultramafic rock formations. Pegmatite’s and Mafics form in completely different parts of the earth’s crust and not near each other at all (that’s where the term geologically incompatible comes from).
In order for emerald to form, two big things have to happen:
1. The Pegmatite and Mafic have to come into close contact with each other. This is done through continental drifts and mountains forming (emeralds are 2-3 billion years old!) which push these formation into close proximity.
2. The solid beryl and the solid chromium have to be melted and carried to another location where they meet and reform creating emerald. Nature does this with hydrothermal vents using pressurized hot water steam (steam under pressure can get much hotter than 212 F). This melts the chromium and carries it to the beryl where, if the conditions are correct, precious emerald will form.
This is why emeralds are so rare! In the earth, emeralds make up 0.00001% of the crust!!! This is also why emeralds ALWAYS have inclusions because they formed under pressure within a fast moving river of steam! This is also the reason why finding a good colored emerald is so hard… the chances of getting enough chromium into the beryl is very small which is why most emeralds are not rich in color.
Now you know why Grizzly emerald is so amazing. Emerald is the most expensive colored gem in the world often sold at auction for millions per stone…no other colored gem can lay claim to that.

A piece of raw, Grizzly Emerald straight from the mine.

Sorting gemstone at the Tucson Gem Show.

Gem Week on HSN.

Only a few hours left until this beautiful collection is debuted on the Tucson feature with Sarah Anderson!

How gorgeous are the rings featured as ‘Today’s Special’?! Featuring the finest Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, Tanzanite and Grizzly Emerald, this is a deal you’re not going to want to miss!

Today’s Special for Michael’s debut on HSN is something truly spectacular… don’t miss out on this gorgeous ring, which features the highest quality of your choice of Grizzly Emerald, Tanzanite or Sleeping Beauty Turquoise!

Have A Safe Tuesday! 😎😘