Resize Text: Everyone knows that the world's leading producer of emeralds is Colombia. However, the second leading producer is relatively unknown to collectors. It is the Kagem mine, the largest emerald mine in the world, in the Kafubu district, Copperbelt Province, Zambia. This mine, which has been producing exceptional gem rough since the 1970s, has recently been the source of wonderful specimens consisting of dark green gemmy emerald crystals in white quartz matrix.
Robert B. Cook, an executive editor of Rocks & Minerals, is a professor emeritus in the Department of Geology and Geography at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.
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