Brazilian Gemstone Hotspots
Let’s say for your vacation this year, you want to combine it with your love of gemstones. What better place to go than to Brazil, which is known for its high quality aquamarines, among other top notch gemstones such as imperialtopaz and Paraiba tourmaline. If you don’t have the time or the money to actually go to Brazil, read on for a mini tour.
Since Brazil is a big country, it might tough deciding where to begin, but if it’s gemstones you’re after, you most likely will want to head for the state of Minas Gerais which includes the Marambaia River valley. Minas Gerais, one of twenty-six Brazilian states, is located in the southeast part of the country. Its Portuguese name, when translated means “general mines.” An even more poetic name was its original one, Minas dos Matos Gerais, which means “mines of the general woods.” Either one of these names emphasizes the importance that the Portuguese gave to it when they settled in Brazil. They knew that they had found a found rich land rich which seemd to be overrunning with gold and gems.
It didn’t take too long for the gold to “pan out,” but the gems have just kept coming. It’s almost impossible to go anywhere within Minas Gerais and not find a mine or a gem trading center. One important stop is Ouro Preto. Renowned for its imperial topaz, this old city was among the first mining towns in Brazil. And to the northeast, Governador Valadares and Teófilo Otoni are gem-trading hotspots, mainly because they are located near so many actual mines.
So what makes Minas Gerais so rich in gems? The hills of the region are made up of pegmatites. Mineralogically speaking, a pegmatite is a mineral bearing rock which can vary in size from a few feet to thousands of feet thick, and the granite pegmatites of Minas Gerais are some of the richest in the world. They have produced some of the largest and finest aquamarines, including the ones from Ceara Santa Maria, which are known for their deep color.
It almost seems that it would be impossible not to find a gemstone in Minas Gerais, but maybe it could happen—if you weren’t looking.
