GEMSTONES

Rough emeralds from ColEmerald Ltd

Gemstone dealers
positive on emerald demand outlook
By Bennet Sto. Domingo and Marie Feliciano

E
meralds continue to enchant gemstone connoisseurs and
traders all over the world, with buyers from Asia stimulating
robust market demand. According to emerald experts
interviewed by JNA, the allure of emeralds lies in their saturated to
pure green colour, clarity and cultural significance, making them one
of the most beloved and cherished treasures in the gemstone world.

COLEMERALD LTD
Despite a challenging 2016, emerald expert ColEmerald
Ltd of Hong Kong saw its business improve further during
the year mainly due to rising demand for top-grade
Colombian emeralds.
ColEmerald Director Michael Haag said fine-
quality, untreated emeralds with notable colour and
clarity, which the company specialises in, remain
highly sought after in the market.
According to Haag, demand for Colombian
emeralds is expected to further pick up in 2017, with
major markets such as China and the rest of Asia,
fuelling the growth.
“Mainland China is driving activity in the Colombian A pair of pear-
shaped Colombian
emerald trade and we expect this trend to persist
emeralds from
next year. We see significant improvement in the
ColEmerald Ltd
business,” Haag said.
The company likewise operates a branch
in the US, and while ColEmerald has had
a good experience in the US market
in the past, the year 2017 does not
look particularly rosy for the American
market, the emerald specialist noted.
“I do not see any development in
the US market next year but we will
Emerald cabochons from ColEmerald Ltd

58 ︱December 2016
GEMSTONES

still participate in the Tucson and Las Vegas shows.

Our focus will be on Asia in 2017,” continued Haag.
He added that the company is planning to join
more international trade shows in China in the coming
years to further expand its market reach.
Buyers are likely to look for top-quality Colombian
emeralds of 1 carat to 10 carats. Those with vivid
or Muzo-green colour and minor to insignificant
treatments will be at the top of clients’ shopping
lists, said Haag.
The biggest challenge, however, is the tight supply
of Colombian emeralds, which could lead to further
price increases.
“ColEmerald will continue to supply select, well-
cut and high-quality goods, from single stones
to matched pairs. Most of our stones come with
gemmological reports,” Haag said. “ColEmerald is
participating in the March, June and September
shows in Hong Kong, in addition to shows in Beijing The ColEmerald Ltd team
scheduled for April and November. Our office in Hong
Kong also offers a wide range of top-grade emeralds.”

From left: Oval-shaped Colombian emerald;

M. GOLAB CO LTD
a pair of emerald-cut Colombian emeralds
Emerald specialist M. Golab Co
from ColEmerald Ltd
Ltd of Thailand is counting on stable
demand for emeralds in 2017
despite economic and political
uncertainties in the global market.
The company supplies only high-
end, rare emeralds from Colombia
mainly to China, the US and the Middle
East. It has an extensive inventory of stones,
which it presents at international jewellery exhibitions.
In an interview, company president Mehrdad Golab
said while the emerald trade in general was slow in
2016, M. Golab Co saw solid demand from its loyal
customer base. top-quality Colombian emeralds is also expected to
“We cannot really complain despite a challenging remain strong, remarked Golab.
year because there was a steady flow of orders from “We are optimistic that there will be a steady upturn
our customers. We are lucky to have earned the trust in the emerald business next year. We are training our
and confidence of our clients over the years,” Golab sights, not only in the US and China, but in Europe
said. and the rest of Asia,” revealed Golab. “We are also
Apart from macroeconomic and political difficulties, planning to do a fresh marketing approach by offering
which are affecting the global market, emerald traders a new and more varied product range.”
also face stiff competition in Hong Kong, particularly High-quality emeralds of 10 carats and below are
during trade shows, he said. expected to move fast. Clients will most likely look for
“The key is to continue offering premium-quality emerald and cushion-cut gemstones that are priced
products and customer service to stand out from $10,000 and above per carat, he added.
the competition. We have a resilient relationship with
clients and this is one of our competitive advantages,” PAUL WILD OHG
continued Golab. Coloured gemstone dealer Paul Wild OHG is
The company is directing its focus to major upbeat about the demand outlook for emeralds in
markets around the world to spur more substantial 2017. The company, which counts India among its top
market movement next year. The market’s appetite for markets in Asia, said the green palette is anticipated

60 ︱December 2016

Mehrdad Golab of M. Golab Co Ltd
to be among the trending colours in the coming year.
Emeralds weighing more than 10 carats and in all
qualities – from stones with minor enhancements to
“no-oil” goods – would likely draw higher interest in the
coming months, the gemstone company added.
One of Paul Wild’s exceptional emerald
specimens is a 330-gram stone recovered from the
Malyshevskoye mine in Russia.
In terms of product preferences, customers mostly
ask for Colombian emeralds of more than 10 carats
and Brazilian stones of about 2 to 5 carats, with fine-
quality goods commanding higher prices, according to
Paul Wild.
SARA GEM
US-based Sara Gem Corporation said demand
for emeralds has always been steady worldwide,
and even more so now that Gemfields has started
marketing the stones on a professional basis.
“One of the biggest markets for emeralds is the
Middle East,” said Sara Gem’s Ron Rahmanan. Large-
sized stones are enjoying solid demand although
consumption has taken a hit from low oil prices in
recent months.
“In the last a few years, the US and
China have also been major and
consistent consumers of emeralds.
Even though price levels have been
on the rise in the last few years, we
have seen a slow and steady decline
in sales and prices for certain kinds of
emeralds this year.”
Large-scale production and the
holding of regular auctions coupled with
GEMSTONES
a slower global economy
have put a damper on
sales expectations.
“At this point, we
are just sitting tight and
watching the situation
closely since we believe
this is not the time to adopt
an aggressive approach. All
the markets are slowing down
and growth is slow for coloured A 6.54-carat round
gemstone sales. We will continue Brazilian emerald
from Paul Wild OHG
to participate in major trade shows
in the US and Hong Kong but
we are cautiously optimistic about 2017,” said the
gemstone dealer, adding that his company has been
exercising prudence when it comes to procuring
rough goods.
Top-end stones will always be in demand,
Rahmanan continued.
“There will always be strong and steady demand
for fine, rare and gem-quality emeralds. This is
especially true for Colombian goods since they are the
most beautiful and most coveted of all emeralds. Right
now, however, demand is mainly focused on emeralds
below 8 carats and of high quality,” he said.
“Sales of large-sized stones have been lower
recently but very special stones in bigger sizes have
always been in demand, especially untreated gems.”
Asked how the company fared in 2016, Rahmanan
said it had been a year of challenges for the industry.
“The Chinese consumers’ appetite for gemstones
declined this year, and we saw Russia completely
dropping out of the market. The US is seeing extra-
slow growth,” he said. “In spite of these, we have
been able to expand our market share and increase
our sales. We have also developed a big line of
matched pairs in all precious stones colours. Currently,
we have one of the biggest collections of fine quality
matched pairs in the market, and this gives
us an edge. Sales of our fancy
cut division, which supplies
fine-quality melee stones in
different sizes and shapes –
from diamond and princess
cuts to baguettes – and in
very fine quality recorded
strong sales in 2016.” JNA
A 4.27-carat oval-shaped Colombian
emerald from Paul Wild
︱December 2016
61