The old gold-rush city of Ouro Preto (“black gold”) in Minas Gerais, Brazil, sits in the only place on Earth that produces imperial topaz, the sherry-to-pink stone found nowhere else, and Minas Gerais is one of the greatest gem provinces in the world for tourmaline, aquamarine and emerald besides. The city itself is a UNESCO World Heritage jewel of the 18th-century gold boom. Fee-dig and mineral dealers abound; the historic mines are PRIVATE.
Imperial topaz, tourmaline
See it on the map
Other places on the map within a couple of hours.
