Discover The Natural Swat Emeralds: Unearth the Beauty of Authentic Gemstones

Explore the Allure of Swat Emeralds - Shop for Authentic Natural Gemstones Online

Swat valley is popular province in Hindu Kush Mountain on KPK side of Pakistan. KPK abbreviation is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. KPK is popular for its rich historical background in rich culture, language and other historical conditions. The Swat Valley in KPK is beautiful and mesmerising natural scenery. Swat Valley is a district that has many other popular valleys such as Kalam, Behrin, Malamjaba and many others.

The geology of Swat Valley has been ideal for formation of natural emerald stones. It has been process of million years having combination factors of temperature, pressure and mineral rich fluids which is necessary for beryllium, aluminium and silicate crystallisation. Such an environment was enough to create emerald stones.

Formation and Origin of Swat Emeralds Stones

The Swat emeralds stone primary rick source is schist which is also known as talc-magnesite schist. This type rock is abundant in the Swat district. The hydrothermal fluids permeate the schist, gradually depositing beryllium and other trace elements over an extended period.

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This slow process allows for the growth of large and high-quality emerald crystals. The particular geological conditions including pressure, temperature and other mineral presence contributed to the formation of emerald stone

Pakistan Emeralds or Swat Emeralds Deposits

The estimated emerald reserves in Pakistan consist of 70 million carats especially in Swat valley alone. The Swat valley inside Pakistan has one of the largest emerald reserves with the most fine and rich color. . The reserves of emeralds are estimated around 70 million carats in Pakistan of emeralds in Swat Valley. The Swat Valley emeralds are popular for their vibrant colors.

There are four locations of emeralds in Pakistan. They include

• Swat Valley in Swat District,
• Chitral
• Gandao in Mohmand Agency, B
• Barang in Bajaur Agency
• Khaltaro in Gilgit-Baltistan

Swat valley has one of the largest emerald deposits in Pakistan than other areas. There are 5 mines in Valley of Swat

• Shamozai,
• Mingora,
• Gujar Killi,
• Charbagh
• Makhad

Learn about Swat Emeralds how they were discovered initially.

In 1958, Mingora was identified as one of the earliest emerald mines in Pakistan (Khan, 2018). Initially, Mingora, along with Gujar Killi, Charbagh, and Makhad, were under the management of the state-owned enterprise "Gemstone Corporation of Pakistan (GEMCP)". However, ownership of these mines changed hands over time, passing to various individuals or companies. The year 1981 marked the introduction of Swat emeralds into the market during the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (Kazmi et al., 1986). Gubelin lab (1982) pioneered the initial research in Swat emerald gemology. Furthermore, Gublin was the first entity to investigate Kashmir Sapphire, ruby, and peridots, which are found in the Batakundi area.

Phenomena of Swat Emerald Deposits

The fusion of the Indus suture zone extends eastward to the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone in Tibet. Here, it encompasses components originating from the upper mantle and oceanic crust of the Neo-Tethys. These fragments were accreted onto the continental margin, establishing a demarcation line separating the Kohistan Arc sequence and the Eurasian plate to the north from the Indo-Pakistan plate to the south.

Within the Kohistan region lies the Indus suture zone, characterized by diverse rock formations such as the Shangla blue schist amalgamation, the Charbagh green schist amalgamation, and the Mingora ophiolitic amalgamation. Ophiolitic rocks are found in variously sized lens-shaped bodies, widely scattered along the Main Mantle Thrust, prominently observable in areas like Barkotkai-Lilaunai, Gujar Killi village, Spin Obo-Kuh, and the town of Mingora.

Gemological Properties

Source of image: GIA https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/fall-2020-trace-element-characteristics-emeralds#:~:text=The%20main%20chromophores%20in%20Swat,green%20color%20(figure%2022).

Prominent Characteristics of Swat Emeralds

1. Dazzling Green Hue: The main characteristic of natural Swat Emeralds is their deep rich green color. The intense saturation of emeralds is ranging from a vibrant green to a deep lush forest shade. This differentiates Swat emeralds among others.
2. Exceptional Clarity: Melee size of Swat Emeralds are known for their exceptional clarity.
   
   Melee sizes are fixed in watches like rolex and other diamond settings. Swat has one of the best melee size emeralds. They are highly demanded in diamond industry for that.
3. Exquisite Cut and Shape: Mostly Swat emeralds consist of hexagonal shaped crystals mixed with stunning colors. Hexagonal shapes are perfect for lapidary artists due to their complete shapes to play with them. Swat melee size also have proper hexagonal crystal shapes which make them unique among other emeralds.