The gem’s performance isn’t accidental. As a member of the Grossular Garnet family, Tsavorite has a higher refractive index ...

MUZO, Colombia — Although he has helped transform Colombia's emerald industry, long a source of violence and environmental damage, former U.S. diplomat Charles Burgess admits that he got into the ...

RALEIGH, N.C. – An emerald so large it's being compared with the crown jewels of Russian empress Catherine the Great was pulled from a pit near corn rows at a North Carolina farm. The nearly 65-carat ...

Jewels, birthstones, gemstones—so many names for the glitzy, glamorous stones so many of us love to wear each and every day. This got us thinking: Is there a difference between jewels and gems? To ...

NPR ventures into a Colombian emerald mine — which used to be more dangerous, with potential explosions inside and gunfights outside. The CEO, a... Inside the emerald mines that make Colombia a global ...

Rocks retrieved from a mine in Muzo, Colombia, show some of what makes the country the biggest producer of high-value emeralds. (Carlos Saavedra for NPR) MUZO, Colombia — Although he has helped ...