World`s biggest emerald shines in Colombia

The 11,000-karat raw green gem weighs 2.27 kg & is on show in Bogota 12 years after it was mined.

Bogota: A massive uncut emerald on exhibit
in Colombia`s capital is being touted by its owners as the
biggest in the world, officials said.

The 11,000-karat raw green gem weighs in at 2.27 kilos
and is on show in Bogota 12 years after it was mined in Muzo,
in the South American nation`s emerald country in Boyaca
province.

"It is priceless," Santiago Soto, spokesman for the
Minergemas 2011 gem industry trade fair under way in Bogota,
said of the stone owned by the firm Coexminas.

No more than 15 people at a time are allowed to view the
stone, with five guards looking on.

Colombia produces 55 per cent of the world`s emeralds,
exporting them for about USD 200 million a year.

PTI