Muzo News

A superb 12.01 carat emerald, from the legendary mine of Muzo in Colombia, has reached at Sotheby’s sale $ 1’440’219 (Chf 1’314’500), or $ 119’000 (Chf 109’000) per carat, a world auction record price per carat for an emerald.

“Muzo mines produce the most desirable emeralds in the world and Sotheby’s is thrilled to have the opportunity to offer at auction one of the finest and rarest gem originating from the legendary Muzo mines. This superb emerald, weighing 12.01 carats, displays an evenly saturated, deep bluish-green colour combined with a high transparency. An emerald of such size and quality which has been spared of any enhancement is very rare and will surely appeal to international gem connoisseurs.” (Sotheby’s)

VERY FINE EMERALD, SPESSARTITE GARNET AND DIAMOND RING Centering on a hexagonal emerald weighing 12.01 carats between shoulders set with kiteshaped diamonds and calibré-cut cabochon spessartite garnets, mounted in yellow gold and platinum, size 51. Accompanied by SSEF report no. 59427 stating the 12.01 carat emerald is of Colombian origin, with no indications of clarity modification. Further accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Muzo Emeralds stating that the 12.01 carat emerald was cut from a rough emerald crystal extracted from the Tequendama shaft in Muzo, Colombia. Estimate: Chf 365’000 – Chf 550’000 Sold: Chf 1’314’500

The depth of the mine as well as water infiltrations have the effect of raising the temperature which can reach 50oC in the galleries. Thereby, a new ventilation system has been installed in the mine that will make the temperature decrease to ambient conditions, making the air more breathable and drastically improving the miners work conditions.
In the same project, a new pumping system has also been set up resulting in the installation of 20 pumps pumping 24.000 liters of underground water per minute
.

The Muzo International cutting workshops in Bogota obtained the ISO 9001 certification. This official recognition establishes a solid framework for a systematic approach of all internal processes in order to satisfy customers. expectations. The quality objectives are reached by the certification of the quality management system, of the responsibility of the steering, of the resources management, of the product making and of the measurement and analysis. The main points of the quality policy have been drawn as follows:

• Apply best practices, innovation in processes and the best technology
• Ensure an efficient process control
• Providing safe and reliable conditions in the development of our activities
• Comply with legal and contractual regulations in the performance of our activities
• Constantly improve the quality if our services, identifying opportunities and implementing appropriate actions

Muzo International will participate for the second time in the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, from September 19th to September 23rd 2011. The Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair is one of the main exhibitions for jewelry and precious gems. About 3’300 exhibitors from 45 countries present their products to over 44’000 international buyers and worldwide media representatives. The 130’000 square meters of exhibition space allows to offer an impressive choice of jewellery and gems.

The HSEQ Department at the mine drew up objectives to achieve compliance with the legislation in Colombia in topics related to industrial safety, occupational health and environment. Now the Department has achieved the standards set by the Colombian legislation and is developing a management system of continuous improvement in occupational safety and health by taking as a principle the importance of human resources in the development of the company and its role in the organization.

The formation of the Joint Committee on Occupational Health has been a significant achievement that has created a space for workers in which they can express their concerns and opportunities for improvement directly to senior management and establish direct communication mechanisms to achieve the objectives by the company, creating a sense of belonging to employees and who are integral and functional part of the company to participate in the workshops.

Complementary programs are being developed Signaling, Closure of abandoned mines, reforestation, improvement of sanitary conditions, health campaigns and public health, focused on control of tropical diseases like yellow fever, dengue, leishmaniasis with work and vaccination training for adequate control of risk factors, such work is performed with local health authorities and regional health agencies.

Thanks to programs undertaken by the department and the company’s support for its implementation today we are the first and only company in the country’s emerald mining sector that has contributed statistical information to the General Risk System which allows measuring the behavior of our sector compared with other traditional sectors like coal mining, iron and other materials regarding industrial safety and occupational health.

Finally one of the greatest achievements of the HSEQ department is the creation of the education and training to employees on issues related to occupational health and safety, a goal that has had an impact because these issues were unknown to the 90% of the population. Today is gratifying to hear the employees talking about identifying hazards, assessing risks and controls generation, as well as reporting unsafe conditions, but the added value to this process is to observe how it has been creating a culture of self care in the company and awareness of the importance of mining in the development of the region.

Our goal is to create an organizational culture committed to sustainable mining development, which can promote personal and business growth in a responsible framework for the individual, our community and our environment.

Sotheby’s Geneva has sold a striking emerald and diamond tiara for $12,736,927, the highest price ever achieved for a tiara at auction.

The tiara was originally expected to sell for between $5-10 million, but far exceeded expectations. Six bidders competed for the rare emerald and diamond tiara, said to be made circa 1900, which was formerly in the Collection of Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck. It’s sale and the price it fetched represents an auction record for a piece of emerald jewellery.
At the same auction international jewellers Leviev outbid four underbidders to purchase a fancy intense pink diamond, weighing 10.99 carats, for $10,840,358, the third-highest price for a pink diamond at auction.

The total for the entire sale of Magnificent and Noble Jewels was $89,121,687, well in excess of the pre-sale high estimate of $77.9 million.

Commenting on the evening’s sale, David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby’s jewellery department for Europe and the Middle East, said: “Sotheby’s was honoured to offer perhaps the grandest piece of jewellery to come to sale in over 30 years and the market responded with enthusiasm. This evening’s results across the board – in Noble Jewels, diamonds, coloured gemstones, and pieces signed by the world’s greatest jewellers – show the extraordinary appetite among connoisseurs for rarity, quality and provenance.”

Original article (Professional Jeweller)

Angelina Jolie at Cannes Film Festival wore an emerald bracelet and ring from her “Style of Jolie” jewellery collection. Proceeds from the sale go to the star’s charity “The Education Partnership for Children of Conflict.”

Posing next to a panda for the launch of Kung Fu Panda 2 at the Cannes Film Festival, Angelina Jolie used the photo opportunity to raise the profile of her jewels that help raise funds for the charity “The Education Partnership for Children of Conflict.” This emerald tablet bracelet is a hint of what the rest of the “Style of Jolie“ collection will look like. Think big, coloured stones and classic designs fit for a Hollywood diva. And as for prices, well they are as exclusive as the jewels and available only on request. Even if you can afford one of these jewels with a double dose of philanthropic and celebrity sparkle, you will have to get into Procop’s little black book as they won’t be for sale in shops. In fact, this project is so fresh, that you will have to wait a few days to see the full collection at  Robert Procop’s yet to be launched website.

Robert Procop and Angelina Jolie go back a long way. Procop has been draping Jolie in his glamorous gems for almost a decade and most recently, sourced the jewels for Jolie’s latest film “The Tourist.”

Style of Jolie’ Collection
Emerald Tablet Ring
created with L.A. jeweller Robert Procop,
inspired by ancient tablet carvings.

Style of Jolie Emerald Bracelet, a jewellery collection created by Angelina, the proceeds will benefit her charity The Education Partnership for Children of Conflict.

Style of Jolie Emerald Bracelet from her developed with jeweller Robert Procop. The bracelet features 14 Columbian green emeralds.

Original article (The Jewellery Editor)