How to Travel Brazil: Gemstones Edition

Robert Weldon, GG

October 6, 2015

Brazil is a tropical locale well-known for exotic animals and plants, futból, sandy beaches and jungle-clad mountains. Some of these mountains rise like monuments in the middle of cities, such as Sugarloaf Mountain in the ever-colourful and playful Rio de Janeiro. The country also contains the renowned Amazon River, not to mention superb gemstones in a kaleidoscope of saturated, luscious colours.

If you’re a gem lover, Brazil is the dream destination, sure to top your bucket-list of must-see places in the world.

If you're planning your dream holiday, read these travel tips and information to help you get the most out of your trip to Brazil.

Tourmaline

In tourmaline alone: orange, yellow, green, blue and violet varieties hail from almost every corner of this enormous country. They are particularly found in Brazil’s state of Minas Gerais (a name which appropriately translates to “General Mines”). It is also home to Paraíba tourmaline, a unique, electric blue-green variety, which derives its colour from microscopic traces of copper. These gems are found in the northern state of Paraíba, to which they owe their name. Occasionally, the colours in tourmalines are mixed, resulting in bi-colour or multicoloured gemstones. There’s enough choice in tourmaline to capture everyone’s fancy.

Almost every member of the beryl family is represented as well: ocean-blue aquamarines and leafy green emeralds, delicate pink morganites and bright yellow heliodors make up this interesting Brazilian gem family. Cat’s-eye chrysoberyls and the extremely rare colour-change alexandrites are found in Brazil as well.

Take a trip down to Southern Brazil, known for its quartzes. Amethyst, citrine, rock crystal and a huge variety of agate come from the state of Rio Grande do Sul. From the state of Bahia to the north comes one of Brazil’s most exotic quartzes, the dazzling, rutilated quartz. This beautiful gemstone features gleaming streaks of golden rutile running through the gem. One of Brazil’s most celebrated and unique gems is mined close to the colonial baroque town of Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais. It is the orangey-gold variety of topaz that is often tinged with pink. In the trade, it lives up to its exalted name, “imperial topaz”.

Other gems you might not necessarily associate with Brazil are found here too, such as opals with strong play of colour, as well as fire opals. Garnets are found in Brazil as well, and delicately-hued pink kunzite.

Few people are aware that Brazil was once the foremost source of diamonds, and that it remains an important source today. In the 1700s and early 1800s, some of the world’s most celebrated diamonds were found in this enchanting land, including extremely rare red diamonds as well as green and other fancy colours. Alluvial diamonds continue to be found in Brazil, mostly mined from riverbeds and from conglomerate host rock.

The sprawling cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo are both hosts to some of Brazil’s most venerable jewellers, such as H. Stern, Amsterdam Sauer, Natan and Manoel Bernardes. Beyond these two metropolises, each of these jewellers also has retail outlets in Brazil’s principal cities and in many hotels and airports. They have deep roots to the gem sources of Brazil, in many cases owning mines in Brazil’s interior.

H. Stern is famous for taking busloads of newly arriving international passengers to its premiere headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. A tour of the facilities includes a walk through a virtual mine, a chance to see gemstones being cut and polished, and a glimpse behind the scenes to observe jewellery being made. It is a unique mine to market experience with a special Brazilian flair. Amsterdam Sauer has a museum that features Brazil’s most celebrated minerals and gemstones. The city of Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais has one of the country’s most important gem and mineral museums, the Museu das Minas e do Metal.

If you are travelling into the interior of Minas Gerais, the baroque colonial city of Ouro Preto is a must-see for its picturesque architecture, spectacular churches and rolling hills. It is near to the imperial topaz mines and a gold mine that you can visit. Diamantina is also a baroque colonial city that was once the centre of the diamond business in Brazil – hence the name. Both of these towns are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

If you’re travelling in Brazil, a few words of caution. Because of a disparity in incomes and rising populations, visitors need to be aware of some dangers. As anywhere in the world, tourists need to be cautious of pickpockets and theft. Even though Brazil is extremely photogenic, cameras and other valuables such as mobile phones and jewellery should be kept concealed as much as possible in larger cities. In fact, we recommend leaving your most valuable jewellery behind to remove the possibility of it getting lost or stolen. Rio de Janeiro has made great inroads in halting crime along its beaches, but petty theft remains ubiquitous, even in broad daylight. This threat diminishes dramatically as a traveller goes into smaller towns and villages in the interior of Brazil.

Rio de Janeiro is famous for its beaches and also for Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar), a peak that rises dramatically in the middle of the city of Rio de Janiero. A trip to the summit of Corcovado is a must, from where you can see the spectacularly beautiful layout of the city with its bays and inlets and islands. If you have a chance to watch a football game at the famous Maracana stadium in Rio, you will experience Brazilian fervour at its zenith. São Paulo is in Brazil’s interior, devoid of Rio’s laid-back beach atmosphere. It is a sprawling metropolis filled with art galleries, shopping centres, gardens, cathedrals and swanky restaurants. São Paulo was the Portuguese colonists’ springboard to the discovery of Brazil’s interior in the 1600s.

Brazilians love meat. When you’re in any big town in Brazil, a visit to Fogo de Chão, or another churrasqueria is a must, but you should arrive with an empty stomach. For those who prefer to skip the meat at the famous Brazilian steakhouses, the salad bar will supply ample diversion. Pão de queijo, a small cheese-laden bread made with yucca flour, is found throughout the state of Minas Gerais, which is a huge agricultural region (in addition to mining). Feijoada is a bean-based meat and corn stew that is enjoyed across Brazil. Another stew called moqueca, in which seafood is cooked in coconut milk, is found in coastal cities to the north, such as Salvador in Bahia. Yum!

Brazil and its people are among the world’s warmest and most hospitable. Brazil is one of the greatest gemstone sources in the world and a place where you will also be able to enjoy the deep-rooted culture, the country’s delectable food, the passion of its people and the spectacular landscapes.

When you go home, take a gemstone with you. You’ll be returning with a small piece of Brazilian real estate, and memories to last a lifetime. Before you pack your bags for your trip, you might want to brush up on your gem photography skills with these 6 Tips for the Best Gem Photos.