This content was first published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review no. 13 in 2021. The information provided here is therefore current as of the original publication date.
We are familiar with the beautiful Colombian emeralds and the intense green African ones, but what about Australian emeralds? The SSEF Institute has been analyzing samples of the Riverina deposit and has released a note on some rather intriguing gems.
Before SSEF also Gem-A was concerned with Australian emeralds and has organized a trip through the “emerald desert”.
As for the Riverina deposit, located in Western Australia, precisely in the New South Wales state, we know that the extraction took place from the early ’70s until early 2000. The pegmatites containing emerald are interspersed with veins of plagioclase and quartz and are found in a band formed by metamorphosed mafic lava and sedimentary rocks.
Most of the crystals mined in the area exhibit milky greenish-blue colors that are unattractive. But the beauty of the material analyzed by the SSEF is surprising, as it can be seen from the photos, in contrast with the previous Australian samples that did not seem so beautiful.
Gem News published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review #13, Autumn 2021
