gems, beryl, emerald, Colombia, Chivor, Somondoco, Cosquez

Latham reports on the recently rediscovered emerald deposits of Somondoco in Colombia, an area known for emerald mining in pre-Columbian and early Spanish colonial times. He describes the location and geological occurrence of the emeralds, their association with veins in the enclosing rocks, and the character of the mining operations and material recovered. The paper places the deposits in their historical setting and discusses their potential as a renewed source of Colombian emeralds.