Gemfields’ Kagem mine in Zambia discovers 5,655-carat emerald

Kolkata: Mining group Gemfields on Monday announced the discovery of a 5,655-carat emerald crystal, named Inkalamu or the lion emerald, in a mine majority owned by it in Zambia.

Inkalamu was discovered at Kagem, the world’s largest emerald mine, which is 75% owned by the London-based company and 25% by the state-run Industrial Development Corporation of Zambia.

Inkalamu was discovered in the eastern part of Kagem’s largest open-pit mine on October 2 by geologist Debapriya Rakshit and emerald miner Richard Kapeta, the company said.


This area of the mine has proven to be particularly fertile in recent months with the Kagem team recovering several significant crystals there.

The naming of uncut emeralds is a tradition reserved for the rarest and most remarkable gems. While no official records exist, perhaps two dozen have merited their own name and with the majority weighing less than 1,000 carats, it said, adding that Gemfields named an emerald in 2010, when it unveiled the ‘Insofu’ or ‘elephant’ emerald.