Gem town
Teófilo Otoni
Teófilo Otoni, Brazil
Brazil's gem trading town in the gem-rich northeast of Minas Gerais, with more than 2,000 traders and a large cutting industry. It hosts the FIPP international gem fair, held since 1989.
Teófilo Otoni lies in the north-east of Minas Gerais, Brazil's gem state, close to the pegmatite mines that produce many of the world's coloured stones. It has become Brazil's main gem-trading town, with thousands of traders and a large cutting industry, and is sometimes called the world capital of precious stones.
What you find
Aquamarine, tourmaline (including fine greens, pinks and bicolours), topaz, alexandrite, chrysoberyl, quartz varieties and mineral specimens, rough and cut. Many stones are cut locally before export.
How trading works
Trading happens in dealers' offices, in the town's gem streets and at the FIPP international gem fair, held in Teófilo Otoni since 1989. Buyers come from the United States, Germany, China, Japan and many other countries.
Buying safely
- Heating and irradiation are common treatments for some stones (for example blue topaz and some tourmaline); ask for disclosure.
- Brazil has rules on mineral exports; work with exporters who handle the paperwork.
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