THE GEMSTONE LIBRARY
Emerald (Malipo)
Emerald from Malipo County, Yunnan, China, with the GIA research on this deposit.
A Chinese emerald source
Emeralds were discovered near Dayakou in Malipo County in the late 1980s, associated with tungsten deposits. The material has supplied mineral specimens, carvings and some cut gemstones.
What makes the color distinctive
Yang Hu and Ren Lu’s 2019 study found abundant vanadium to be the main coloring element in the samples they examined, alongside relatively low chromium. The authors describe yellowish green color and distinctive inclusion features. Those measurements apply to their studied samples.
The surrounding minerals
The paper illustrates emerald in quartz, feldspar and dark mica matrix, and identifies associated microcline, scheelite, phlogopite and pyrrhotite among other minerals. Our July photograph is the collection image for this locality. The study is linked below for the full geology and analytical results.
Reference: Yang Hu and Ren Lu, Unique Vanadium-Rich Emerald from Malipo, China, 2019.
Reference: GIA, original Malipo emerald paper (PDF).