Gemfields will sell a cluster containing 187,775 carats of emeralds at an upcoming rough tender, expecting it to garner a company record price for a single emerald piece.
The miner recovered the Kafubu Cluster in March 2020, it said Wednesday. It is named for the river that forms the natural boundary of its Kagem emerald mine in Zambia. The mass contains only a very small amount of ore and other minerals, meaning the piece is almost entirely made up of emeralds, the company explained.
“Rarity is one of the factors that makes emeralds hold such a special value in many cultures around the world, but the combination of this crystal cluster formation, the overall quality and the sheer enormity of the Kafubu Cluster is something I never thought possible,” said Jackson Mtonga, assistant sort-house manager for Kagem, who has been working for the company for 28 years.
The stones in the cluster are high quality and vivid green, with different levels of crystallization, Gemfields said. The miner believes that once manufactured, it could yield “tens of thousands of carats” of commercial- to fine-quality polished, it noted.
Gemfields will showcase the cluster until bidding closes on November 17.
“Given its size and quality, it is likely that the Kafubu Cluster will be the most expensive single emerald piece ever sold by Gemfields,” the company added.
Image: The Kafubu Cluster. (Gemfields)
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