Chopard Buys Huge 6,225-carat Emerald
January 26, 22
(IDEX Online) - Chopard has acquired one of the world's largest raw emeralds - weighing 6,225 carats - for an undisclosed sum.
The Swiss jeweler said it would be able to "create a dedicated high jewellery collection with infinite possibilities".
The 1.22kg gemstone (pictured) was recovered more than a decade ago, in February 2010 by London-based Gemfields at its Kagem mine, in Zambia.
It was named Insofu, which means "elephant" in the language of the Bemba people indigenous to the region where it was mined.
Chopard tweeted that the emerald had been bought by its co-president Caroline Scheufele.
It will be the highlight of its Exceptional Gemstones presentation at Chopard's flagship store in Paris.
At the time the Insofu was recovered, Gemfields CEO Ian Harebottle said: "This is a unique find. The Insofu displays wonderful color and good translucency. Its sheer size, rich color and fine protective biotite shell makes it difficult to see deep into the gem.
"However, all indications suggest that the core of the emerald is competent and that it should yield a number of cut gems of significant size."
Earlier this month an even bigger emerald, also from the Kagem mine, weighing 7,525 carats, was bought by Israel-based Eshed - Gemstar.
No official record exists for the world's largest emerald, but finds over 1,000 carats are considered "extremely unusual".