Colombian emeralds are known for being the most beautiful in the world and as such, it’s commonplace to see them embellishing fine pieces of jewelry in Europe and North America, alongside diamonds and other precious stones. Their exploitation however, is less shiny as the stones’ brilliance outshines violence, war, poverty, luck and misfortune.

Photographer Patrick Zachmann wanted to explore the story behind the emerald trade in Colombia, the world’s first producer, from the mines’ exploitation all the way to secured labs in Bogota where stones are cut and polished, passed through “traders” that negotiate on the street in plain sight, or in darker, hidden markets.

This reportage begins in the region of Boyaca, which encompasses most of the mines, and two emblematic villages, Muzo and Quipama; exactly where, in the 1980s, ‘Gacha’, a narco with ties to Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel, also known as El Mexicano, started a terrible war, later referred to as the Green War. According to official records, this conflict resulted in 10,000 deaths, though it’s estimated that thousands others perished as bodies were swallowed by the Rio Minero river that runs near Muzo and Quipama’s mines.

Zachmann then looked inside mines, 80 metres below the underground. Mining is carried out by companies as well as by poor ‘Guaqueros’ - men and women coming from every corner of the country to try their luck independently, with only handheld equipment. They search for the stones in the riverbed and the surrounding areas, sifting through waste left by the mining companies.

The story ends at Bogota, with traders and goldsmiths. Laureano Correal, Zachmann’s guide, was a key character in Colombia’s emerald mining industry: he’s the associate owner of the Gachala mine and former chief operating officer of the Muzo mine, a close acquaintance to Gacha, and true survivor of the Green War.



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