Lusaka: Gemfields is offering the Kafubu Cluster emerald cluster weighing 37,555-gram (187,775 carats) at its ongoing emerald auction, with viewing and bidding closing on 17th November. Given its size and quality, it is likely that the Kafubu Cluster will be the most expensive single emerald piece ever sold by Gemfields.

Discovered at the Kagem emerald mine in Zambia in March 2020, Kafubu is a colossal cluster of emeralds. Close inspection of the cluster reveals that it contains very little matrix or other minerals, meaning the piece is almost entirely made up of emeralds, which, given its sheer size and formation, makes this an extraordinarily rare find.

Jackson Mtonga, Kagem Assistant Sort House Manager, commented: “Rarity is one of the factors that makes emeralds hold such a special value in many cultures around the world, but the combination of this crystal cluster formation, the overall quality and the sheer enormity of the Kafubu Cluster is something I never thought possible.”

The Kafubu Cluster derives its name from the Kafubu river which forms the natural boundary of the mine in the southern part of the Kagem licence.