most of the most abundant gemstones in South America, they are in Minas Gerais, Brazil, place that is rich in variety of gems; among which are diamonds, quartz in all its types, topaz, beryls, garnets, morganites, spinels, tourmalines, kunzites, even the precious emeralds and aquamarines, mostly of pegmatite and metamorphic origin.
But, not only the state of Minas Gerais is recognized in South America, but also the state of Rio Grande do Sul, rich in amethysts and agates; or the state of Bahia, with a large number of tourmalines and emeralds, which are highly sought after throughout the world, as well as the Colombian emeralds from Muzo and Chivor, which are considered the best; or else the diamonds from Venezuela and Guayana, the pearls from Isla Margarita, also in Venezuela; lapis lazuli from Chile, rhodochrosite from Argentina, or chrysocolla from Peru; are just some of the gemstones from South America, which are exported to various parts of the world.
In this way, we must recognize that Brazil and Colombia stand out as the two countries in this part of the American continent that produce the largest number of gems; but next we are going to present a description of the precious stones that mostly abound in these lands:
Diamonds: It is one of the most valued gemstones not only in South America but in the world; since it has a very rigid crystalline structure, which, together with great transparency, gives it a unique beauty. Although the main diamond deposits are in India, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Ghana and South Africa; In the American continent, the diamond deposits of South America such as Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru stand out, as well as those of North America in Mexico and the United States.
Emeralds: As we had mentioned before, the South American country with the best emeralds in the world is Colombia, standing out for its quality and beauty; characteristics for which they became known after the arrival of the Spanish, and today they are sought after by the best jewelry brands around the world.
Lapis Lazuli: Chile in South America and Afghanistan are the two countries that have the largest reserves of this gem, but due to the world conflict caused by Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban, they greatly reduced production in that eastern country, so Chile became the largest producer and exporter of lapis lazuli, also known as «blue gold», for its great beauty and usefulness in the world of jewelry.
Amethyst: The exploitation of this precious stone was very limited until the 19th century, but later large deposits appeared in Brazil, which is why South America was recognized as one of the main amethyst-producing regions; to the point that currently Brazil and Uruguay are the largest producers of amethysts in the world.
Citrine: The South American countries that have the largest quantities of this variety of quartz are: Brazil, where the best citrines exist. These are characterized by shades ranging from orange to yellow, but there are also quality citrines in abundance in countries such as Bolivia, Uruguay and Argentina.
Agate: This stone is a variant of the chalcedony mineral, and is characterized by being a microcrystalline species from quartz, with bands of various colors of the same hue, which originate in active volcanoes; whose size can vary from a few millimeters to several meters. The most important deposits of this gemstone are found in southern Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, as well as countries such as the United States, India and Madagascar.
Aquamarine: It is a precious stone highly valued for its beauty, for its pale blue color and its hardness, particular characteristics for which it is widely used in jewelry. 90% of it is extracted in Brazil, which is why South America has become the main exploiter and exporter of this gem.
Topaz: Brazil is currently the largest producer of imperial topaz in the world; although Russia has important deposits. The deposits of Brazil have the advantage that they produce topaz in colors of beautiful shades, ranging from purple to yellow, through orange, pink and salmon, with pink being the least found in the world.
Alexandrite: This is a precious stone that exists mostly in Minas Gerais (Brazil), and although it is not well known, there are important deposits in the Ural Mountains (Russia), the island of Ceylon and the United States. It is a variant of chrysoberyl, and is considered one of the most curious stones on the planet; because it changes color depending on the angle from which it is observed. It is crystallized in rectangular prisms and its weight varies from 3 to 5 grams.
Other beautiful gemstones that can be found in South America include rhodochrosite, fluorite, sodalite, beryl, and opal, among many others; that give life and beauty to this continent rich and diverse in natural resources.