Brazilian Beauties
February 29, 12
If Brazil is not on your radar yet, it soon will be. Goldman Sachs says it will be among the four most dominant economies in the world by 2050, along with Russia, India, and China. In the more immediate future, the World Cup is coming home to one of the most football (soccer) crazy nations in the world in 2014 and the country is set to host the Olympics in 2016. But Brazil has a lot more to offer than just sports.
With more than 100 different types of gemstones found in its soil, Brazil is one of the most important sources of colored gems in the world. To name just a few, it’s the world’s number one producer of amethyst, citrine and white topaz, it produces the incredible Paraiba tourmaline, it’s the source of the finest aquamarine, alexandrite and chrysoberyl cat’s eye, it’s a world class source of green, blue tourmaline and rubelite and it is the only producer of true Imperial Topaz.
 Jewelry by Carol Kauffmann |
According to estimates from the Brazilian Gems & Jewellery Trade Association (IBGM), Brazil produces about one third of the world’s precious stones by volume (with the exception of diamond, ruby and sapphire).
The Brazilian jewelry sector consists of some 15,000 companies – 12,000 of which are retailers, 2,150 manufacturing fashion/plated jewelry, 900 producing gold and silver designs and 450 that cut and polish gems. Nearly three quarters of the industry is comprised of small and medium sizes companies. Sales for all gem and jewelry sectors in 2010 totaled $6.5 billion ($2.8 billion of which was retail), with exports totaling $2.2 billion, up from $1.7 billion in 2009.
In total, the country exports some 80 percent of the gemstones it produces. However, a strengthening economy has led to increased domestic demand; a situation that is set to increase in the future.
The state of Minas Gerais, to the north-west of Rio de Janeiro, produces about 80 percent of Brazil's precious gems and minerals – hence its name, which means “general mines” in Portuguese.
Not surprisingly, it is Brazil's most important commercial center for colored gemstones, with around 55 percent of the country's gemstone output sold there. So rich is Minas Gerais with gemstones that they have been found in such unlikely locations as excavations for building foundations, drainage ditches, water wells and road cuts.
Minas Gerais produces aquamarine, tourmaline, topaz, emeralds, alexandrite, quartz, kunzite and morganite and most of it makes its way to the city of Teofilo Otoni to be sold.
Most of the largest and most beautiful aquamarine stones come from Brazil, One stone measuring 19 by 16 inches weighing in at an extraordinary 520,000 carats was found in 1910 near Marambaia, which is close to Teofilo Otoni. Its yield of 200,000 carats is said to have supplied the world market for cut aquamarines for several years.
Emeralds, however, are a fairly recent discovery in Brazil. The country’s geologists and independent miners long theorized emeralds must exist somewhere in Brazil, but the first deposits weren’t discovered until 1963, in the states of Piau and Bahia.
Not surprisingly, with such a fantastic range of color inspiration, Brazilian companies are some of the most creative and exciting jewelry designers in the world.
 Jewelry by Denoir |
“Brazilian brands are being recognized worldwide for their unique design, sensibility and charisma,” describes,” says Hécliton Santini Henriques, president of the IBGM.
One of the first to exploit the beauty and potential of Brazil’s plethora of gemstones was Hans Stern, the founder of renowned jewelry house H.Stern, who passed away in 2007. The company is now the largest jeweler in Brazil and Latin America and one of the largest and most recognized jewelry brands in the world.
Dubbed “the king of colored gemstones” by Time magazine in 1964, Stern created and promoted international interest in colored gemstones. At a time when gemstones meant rubies, sapphires and emeralds, Stern helped to popularize the “other” colored gemstones such as aquamarine, tourmaline, amethyst and topaz. These “alternative” stones became known as “Brazilian colored gemstones” whether they were produced in the country or not.
Through the IBGM, the country is working to further increase the reach of Brazilian jewelry companies internationally.
The organization partnered with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to present nine companies’ jewelry collections (Antonio Bernardo, Brazil Boutique by Carlos Beré, Brumani, Bruner, Carol Kauffmann, FR Hueb, Mary Esses, Vianna and Yael Sonia) at last year’s Couture show in Las Vegas.
The IBGM also hosted an evening event, “the celebracao” with Brazilian food, drink and music to help draw attention to its standing in the U.S. market, which currently accounts for somewhere in the region of 49 percent of the country’s jewelry exports.
Better start watching out for Brazil!
Founded in 1977, the Brazilian Gems & Jewellery Trade Association (IBGM) is a private, non-profit association. With its head office in Brasilia, its membership consists of 18 state trade associations and 43 companies. It represents the entire production chain and operates in three main areas: institutional, technical and promotional. One of IBGM’s major focuses is helping Brazilian companies in the international market, which it does through an Export Promotion Program with APEX – Brasil.