This content was first published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review no. 9 in 2020. The information provided here is therefore current as of the original publication date.
“Fura’s Tears”, an exhibition of the rarest natural emerald crystals, took place in New York from September 26th to December 30th 2019 at the Wilensky Gallery, organized by Wilensky Mineral, an internationally renowned company offering a wide catalog of high quality mineral specimens. “Important emerald stones and jewelry can be found in every gem collection around the world. The same cannot be said about exceptional natural emerald specimens. We estimate that there are less than twenty-five in the world that would qualify. Of those twenty-five, half of them are here on exhibit”, said the company’s President Stuart Wilensky.
Among the many magnificent pieces some are definitely outstanding, such as the reportedly unique hexagonal crystal of vibrant green Emerald embedded within a glass clear quartz crystal, featured on The National Geographic TV special 400,000 US$ as well as a variety of beautiful emerald crystals associated with calcite. On the opening day the world famous Colombian emerald specialist Ron Rinsgrud offered a presentation on the matter and spoke about the legend of Fura and Tena after which the event was named, as a tribute to an ancient myth of an extinguished Colombian indigenous group.
According to the legend the beautiful landscape around Muzo, the famous emerald site, was created by God Are along with one female, Fura, and one male, Tena to take care of his garden. Staying faithful as a couple, they would enjoy eternal youth. When a handsome man, Zarbi, appeared, Fura fell in love and suddenly Tena became an aged man given that the promise of fidelity had been broken. Tena stabbed himself in the heart. Fura cried for many days over her dead lover. Fura’s hopeless screams echoed through the forests turning into butterflies, her tears turned to green stones, emeralds. Are then turned the couple into two mountains to symbolize their eternal love. Zarbi, out of anger, transformed into a river that would forever separate the two.
Gem News published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review #9, Spring 2020
