Emerald Jewelry Making Class in Colombia

A visit to the School of Jewelry of the Caribbean in Colombia gives its students the chance to become bona fide emerald jewelry makers. // © 2014 Zorianna Kit

The Petra, considered the largest emerald matrix ever found in Colombia, has more than 60 emerald crystals embedded on a white calcite bed. // © 2014 Zorianna Kit

Visitors to the Emerald Museum can also observe factory workers behind a glass wall. // © 2014 Zorianna Kit

Winding a wire around a raw emerald to make a ring at the School of Jewelry’s emerald jewelry making workshop. // © 2014 Zorianna Kit

The Emerald Museum’s electronic commerce director Jose Villalba explains how to use a blowtorch to melt the silver as students look on. // © 2014 Zorianna Kit

At the Diaz brothers’ emerald factory, these gemstones are in the process of being turned in to stunning rings to be sold in the showroom. // © 2014 Zorianna Kit