Discovery of Largest Uncut Emerald in Zambia Sets New Guinness World Record
This photo released by the Bahia Mineral Cooperative shows a 4.3-foot tall emerald weighing more than 600 pounds in Bahia, Brazil, Monday, May 22, 2017.
Sangeeta YadavPreviously, two other huge emeralds, named ‘Insofu’ and ‘Inkalamu’, were also discovered at the same site, in 2010 and 2018 respectively. While the second largest emerald stone, ‘Insofu’ weighed 6,225 carats (1.245 kg), Inkalamu comes in third in the Guinness World Records at 5,655 carats (1.131 kg).The discovery of the world’s largest uncut emerald, measuring 7,525 carats (1.5 kg) in Zambia has made its way to the Guinness World Records (GWR).The gemstone was unearthed at the Kagem mine in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province by a team led by Indian geologist Manas Banerjee and Richard Kapeta associated with the emerald mining company Gemfields in partnership with the Zambian government’s Industrial Development Corporation.As per the official website of GWR, “The gigantic gem was named ‘Chipembele,’ meaning “rhino” in the local indigenous dialect of the Bemba people of Zambia.” After its discovery in 2021, Gemfields issued an official statement in which they said that Chipembele was formed under near-perfect conditions, allowing the combination of the elements to crystallize into large, distinct hexagonal crystal structures with glassy surfaces.In November last year, Gemfields auctioned the Chipembele emerald, only for it to be acquired by Eshed – Gemstar (Israel), an international supplier that manufactures, trades and markets natural diamonds and emeralds.Chipembele set a Guinness World Record this month after Eshed – Gemstar applied for it on April 22 this year and sent it for a laboratory test at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).