A town in central Colombia known for its mines, which produce what are widely considered to be the world’s finest emeralds. Though emeralds had been extracted from the mountains of Muzo since pre-Colombian times, the Spanish pioneered large-scale mining here starting in 1538, exporting the gems throughout the world. Muzo emeralds are known for their desirable highly saturated bluish-green appearance, large size, and superior clarity. Furthermore, Muzo emeralds, along with stones from some other nearby Colombian mines, posses a unique chemical make-up among world emeralds sources which causes them to fluoresce in normal light, enhancing their already ideal hue.
