If your passion is stones, know the most famous mines in the worldstarting from the premise that there are five precious stones that are the most perfect and expensive, such as: diamond, sapphire, rubies, emeralds.
It is important to note that there are about 4,000 minerals on planet earth, many of which most human beings do not know about and may never know about, due to the way they are presented and the places where they are found. However, some acquire the category of «gemstones» based on their chemical composition, optical characteristics and crystal structure, and are desired by millions of women around the world.
But, when it comes to precious stones, many lovers of their beauty and color are interested in knowing their details, and immersing themselves in the fascinating world of these fabulous minerals; but, in reality, the vast majority of them, when asked about their names, will surely answer diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire, which are the only four stones considered «precious», due to their exceptional nature. structure and appearance.
Considering the importance of the most recognized precious stones, we are going to take a tour of the world, to know the most important mines, emphasizing the four precious stones mentioned above. From a geographical point of view, all the continents have important deposits of gemological material, which provide the countries with important income that strengthens their economies.
So, we invite you to get to know the most famous stone mines in the world, starting with Asia, where there are a number of the most important ruby deposits in the world, specifically in present-day Myanmar, former Burma; that despite possessing these huge mines that represent significant economic resources, it was submerged in wars and scarcity for many decades.
From a historical point of view, India has been the country that has revolutionized the world of diamond extraction and numerous varieties of quartz, where there are several important deposits. Likewise, Russia has diamond mines in Siberia, emerald, aquamarine and heliodor mines in the Ural Mountains, chrysoberyl deposits. and many other gems.
If we talk about sapphire, there are important mines in Sri Lanka, Myanmar. Thailand, in the Kashmir area of India, as well as in Indochina, where there are also spinel and zircon mines, minerals that are not as highly valued and expensive, but which nonetheless bring important dividends to the economy.
Jade is another stone that is widely used in the world of jewelry, and because it has important properties from an energetic point of view, so it is worth mentioning that many of the main deposits of this stone are found in Myanmar. and China, while Afghanistan has large mines of the exceptional lapis lazuli, widely used to make jewels of great beauty, which do not compete with the costs of diamonds, rubies, sapphires and beautiful emeralds, but which do provide utility, beauty and above all all, significant income to the world of jewelry.
If we turn to Europe, we find the world’s most famous and spectacular amber deposits, located specifically on the shores of the Baltic Sea, as well as exceptionally beautiful quartz in the Swiss Alps and Austria, garnets in the Czech Republic, especially the of the variety called “pyrope”, and some other important smaller-scale mines in countries such as France, Italy, Germany and Spain.
If we move to South America, we can find many precious stones, especially emeralds, quartz of many varieties, tourmalines, amethysts, agates, amber, opals, among others, being the richest area in this type of minerals the Brazilian shield, within which The State of Minas Geraes stands out, which is the most famous for its abundance and variety of stones such as: emeralds, aquamarines, diamonds, topazes, morganites, tourmalines, garnets, spinels, beryls, quartz of many varieties, and practically the most stones of pegmatitic and metamorphic origin.
Brazil also has other regions with important mines, including the famous state of Bahia, rich in sources of emerald, apatite and tourmaline extraction, as well as Rio Grande do Sul, where there are significant agate and amethyst mines for the economy of this region of Brazil.
Colombia is another country famous for its beautiful emeralds, with the largest and most important mines in the world, such as the Muzo and Chivor mines; while Chile stands out for the Ovalle mines where lapis lazuli is extracted, Venezuela is known for the pearls from Isla de Margarita, Argentina for its rhodochrosite mines, and amber from Santo Domingo.
If we travel to North America, we can find important deposits of sapphires in the United States, as well as mines of tourmalines, turquoise, topaz, garnets, red beryl and other stones; while in Mexico the fire and noble opals are very famous, as well as the beautiful topazes of San Luis Potosí, and the amethyst mines located in the state of Guerrero.
Moving on to Africa, we find ourselves in a fabulous world, out of a movie and even dangerous for many years, when diamonds and other precious stones were the cause of conflicts between many unscrupulous groups capable of killing to obtain the benefits of extracting this precious mineral. This continent is extraordinarily rich in precious stones; There are large diamond mines of an extraordinary quantity, which make it the most famous true extraction centers in the world.
The main diamond deposits are found in countries such as Ghana, Angola, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Namibia, the Congo, Tanzania and other African countries; while in Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe important mines of emeralds, garnets, sapphires and rubies can be found.
Finally, in Oceania, in more recent times, discoveries of mines have been made that have made it a continent with great mineral wealth, since Australia has become one of the world’s leading diamond producers, in addition to possessing important deposits of sapphires, turquoise and opals, among other stones.
Once we know the most important areas of the five continents in the world, in terms of precious stone mines, we are going to know the most famous mines of diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds, as explained at the beginning of the article, considering that These four precious stones are the ones that really fall into the category of «precious», according to experts.
Let’s start with the largest diamond mines in the world, which are located in the five main producing countries of this precious stone, such as: Russia, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa and Canada; where more than 75 percent of the total production of rough diamonds is processed.
Kimberley diamond mine in South Africa: Diamonds in their original volcanic origin were found there for the first time. Also, there is an igneous rock called kimberlite, which probably contains diamonds. This discovery gave world fame to this site, which has generated a lot of income for South Africa, being vital for its economic development.
Finsch Diamond Mine, South Africa: The total length of the pipeline is about 18 hectares, and estimates from 2015 indicate that there is enough ore to keep the mine running for about two decades.
Venetia diamond mine, South Africa: Reserves are estimated at about 94 million carats, which guarantee the maintenance of its operations until 2046.
Letlhakane diamond mine, Botswana: This open pit mine processed 3.3 million metric tons of rock in 2010 and produced 1.2 million carats.
Orapa Botswana diamond mine: The mine was opened in 1971 and is an open pit mine that processed nearly 13 million metric tons of rock in 2010.
Jwaneng diamond mine Botswana: It is estimated that this mine, discovered in 1972 and which began operating in 1982, is one of the richest in the world; calculating that it will be operational for almost three decades until its reserves are exhausted.
Ekati Diamond Mine, Canada: It is an underground and open pit mine located in the Northwest of Canada, which produces almost one million carats.
Diavik diamond mine, Canada: It is considered the main mine in the region, employing about a thousand people to achieve its annual production of around 7 million carats.
Catoca diamond mine, Angola: The mine went into production in 1997 and has the fourth largest kimberlite pipeline in the world. The mine is expected to produce 60 million carats over its lifetime.
Argyle diamond mine in Australia: The mine produces a large volume of diamonds, with an average production of 8 million carats per year.
Regarding the Sapphire, we must emphasize that the most important and famous mines in the world of this valuable blue stone, considered the second hardest substance on earth after the diamond, are found in Cambodia, Madagascar, Ceylon, Kashmir, Australia, Montana ( United States), Tanzania and Thailand. It should be noted that one of the most important was in Burma, but they have been extinct since the 1980s.
In relation to emeralds, we have that the emerald mines of Colombia are the largest, most famous and most productive in the world, followed by those of Brazil, Zambia and the United States. Most Colombian emeralds are found in the eastern region of the Andes, between the departments of Boyacá and Cundinamarca, with the three main mines being Muzo, Coscuez and Chivor.
Finally, we close with the most important ruby mines in the world, which were disputed by kings for centuries, who fought for the territories of the Mogok Valley, north of Mandalay, in central Burma, known as ‘the land of rubies’, which also includes the ‘Pigeon Blood’ ruby that is only found in these remote areas of Burma, is one of the rarest and most expensive gemstones in the world. Today the country produces more than 80% of the world’s rubies.