Which Countries Produce the Most Gemstones?

Gems like rubies, emeralds, and diamonds are found in jewelry all over the world. Some countries are known for their prolific gemstone production. Do you know the countries are the biggest sources of each gemstone?

BriteCo, a jewelry insurance company, analyzed data from the U.S. Geological Survey and the International Gem Society to visualize the countries that produce the most of each type of gemstone.

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The graphic utilizes a world map to show which country produces the most of many different types of gems. The visualization also includes beautiful depictions of each gem included on the map as well as the kilograms of gemstones produced between 2016 and 2020.

These are the top-producing countries of some of the most popular gems:

• Amethyst: Zambia (4,465,166 kilograms)
• Diamond: Russia (22,720 kilograms)
• Emerald: Zambia (129,400 kilograms)
• Garnet: Tanzania (765,768 kilograms)
• Pearl: Burma (9,245 kilograms)
• Quartz: Brazil (69,830,000 kilograms)
• Ruby: Tanzania (99,000 kilograms)
• Sapphire: Kenya (45,339 kilograms)
• Topaz: Nigeria (77,793 kilograms)
• Turquoise: Iran (105,000 kilograms)

Overall, the top producer of gems around the world is Tanzania. The country is the top producer of six gemstones on the list (aquamarine, garnet, ruby, sunstone, tanzanite, and tourmaline). In fact, the name tanzanite was given to the gem by jewelry giant Tiffany & Co. in the 1960s to highlight how it can only be found in Tanzania. The mining area for tanzanite is just 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) long and 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) wide in the Manyara region of Tanzania. Tanzanite was named as a December birthstone in 2002 by the American Gem Trade Association.