Emerald Museum & Jewelry Workshop: Behind the Scenes Tour

Recommended by 95% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Cartagena, Colombia

1 to 2 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Cartagena, Caribbean Coast

4.8

(489)

Private City Tour of Cartagena

from $160

Price varies by group size

Cartagena, Caribbean Coast

5.0

(10)

Tour Guide per Hour (Minimum 3 hours)

from $40

Per group

Birdwatching in a private nature reserve

Cartagena, Caribbean Coast

5.0

(33)

Birdwatching in a private nature reserve

from $358

Per group

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

While in Cartagena, if you don’t know much about the emerald culture, it can be hard to find where to purchase precious gems without getting ripped off. This emerald museum tour takes you through the museum, and gives you insider info about the mining history of the area. Plus, you’ll go into the showroom where you can purchase stones at fair prices from a guide who can tell you about each specific piece.

Learn about Colombian emeralds and the mining history of the area
Choose from Cartagena’s Old Town or New Town emerald museums
Light refreshments are provided upon request
Hotel pickup and drop-off included with this emerald museum tour in Cartagena

What's Included

Light refreshments
Tour escort/host
Hotel pickup
Hotel drop-off
Air-conditioned vehicle

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Meeting point

Caribbean and Emerald Jewelry Museum
Cl. 5 #2-51, Cartagena de Indias, Provincia de Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Caribe Jewelry Museum & Factory

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Reviews

4.8

based on 311 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Emerald Education

JoAnn_G, Feb 2026

The tour was really enjoyable. Our guide, Jera, was such a lovely young lady, full of smiles, friendly, and quite knowledgeable about the emeralds and the manufacturing process. It was a pleasure to learn from her. We liked the mine replica walk-through, as well as the history of emerald extraction, the various types, walking around the lab facilities, and then seeing all the jewellery at the end in the shop. We would definitely recommend this tour as something different to experience while in Cartagena.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thank you for such a thoughtful review! We’re delighted you enjoyed the tour and that Jera made the experience so engaging and informative. It’s wonderful to know you appreciated the mine replica, the history, the lab walk-through, and the jewelry showcase. Thank you for recommending us—feel free to visit again or encourage others to discover this unique experience while in Cartagena. 💚✨

Informative but lacking.

Scott_c, Aug 2025

The tour was interesting but I asked for bilingual and the other members of the party didn’t understand what was happening and told me they were bored. The purpose is definitely to get you to the store your base merchandise but I still learned about emeralds which was the goal.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re glad you enjoyed learning about emeralds during your visit. We do want to clarify that our entire team is fully bilingual and all our guided tours are conducted accordingly. We’re not sure which “party” you are referring to, as all visitors receive explanations in both English and Spanish, depending on their needs. That said, we take your comment seriously and will continue working to ensure every guest feels included and engaged throughout the experience.

Would recommend to anyone visiting Cartagena!

Imogen_G, Jul 2025

I booked the tour in Bocagrande and went by myself and really enjoyed it! I had Jera as my guide and she was super knowledgeable and professional. The museum has the most beautiful emeralds on display from Colombia and other countries, as well as prehispanic artefacts and a walk through simulated mine. I learned so much about what makes an emerald good quality and was shown the entire line of production from 3D printing designs to the finishing touches, and was allowed to try on some pieces in the shop with no pressure to buy anything. 10/10 would recommend

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share your experience! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the tour and that Jera made it both informative and memorable. Our team takes pride in showcasing Colombia’s emerald heritage, from the historical artifacts to the modern jewelry-making process, and it’s wonderful to know you appreciated every part—from the simulated mine to trying on the pieces. We’re especially glad you felt comfortable and welcomed throughout. We'd love to see you again next time you're in Cartagena!

Very interesting

Laura_J, Feb 2025

Very informative trip. Jera was a great guide. We did make a few purchases at the store but felt way more knowledgeable making them than we would have been before the tour

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Thanks a lot for your kind words! We believe our mission is to spread learning about the Colombian emerald. Jera will be glad to hear she is doing great and it's being noticed! Please feel welcome to come back and ask for a special price.

Emeralds

Kalima_S, Dec 2024

Nice museum… it was interesting that these emarlads are a dedicated to this country. We couldn’t find our tour guide but museum was nice

Response from Host, Dec 2024

How good to hear that you spent some quality time in our museum! Come back any time!

Great History with a Gift Shop

Cheryl_M, Sep 2024

This is good tour but they do push selling the emaralds. I enjoyed the history and I wish the museum was separate from the gift shop.

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the historical aspect of your visit. Our aim is to create an immersive experience where our guests can not only explore the beauty of emeralds but also understand their rich history and cultural significance. The museum is an integral part of our store, offering context and insight into the precious gems we showcase. As a token of our appreciation, we’d love to offer you a 5% discount on your next visit. Just mention this review when you stop by, and we’ll be happy to apply it. We appreciate your suggestion and will keep it in mind as we work to enhance the experience for all our visitors. We hope to welcome you back soon!

Informative and interesting tour!

Donmale_G, Sep 2024

What an informative tour and a great history of Caribe Jewlery and emeralds in Colombia! I learned a lot!

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful words! We love that you enjoyed and learned. That makes us feel our mission is being accomplished! Please feel welcome to come back and ask for a 5% discount in any of the pieces you find in our store!

Emerald Museum tour

Patricia_S, Jul 2024

The personal is very professional and polite, they pick me up at my hotel and dropped mi there at the end, they provided very important information and and answered all my questions.

Response from Host, Jul 2024

We appreciate your comment a lot! . We hope you can come back and learn a bit more about Colombian jewelry. Please visit us again and claim a 5% additional discount on any of your purchases in gold.

Great Tour and Emerald Excursion

Renetta_H, Apr 2024

We did not know we were getting a 3-4 hour tour. Was fabulous!! The museum was great. And we had private car tour of the town. We did buy a beautiful emerald.

Such an Amazing Tour

Devin_E, Apr 2024

Moses was so knowledgeable! He knew so much about the history of the Colombian emeralds and was very prompt to show us the beauty and his personal favorite emerald in the museum. The service with the pick up from the place you are staying and back which was amazing. Would highly recommend this tour. Also bring some money if you wanna get something sweet for your significant other!

Very interesting museum...

Fiona_H, Mar 2024

Very interesting museum tour and tour of the city. Such a unique experience and one that my mother & I greatly enjoyed. Moises did a fantastic job communicating & coordinating prior to the trip and made it a very easy process. Highly recommend if you're interested in history, geology, or just want to see some beautiful jewelry!

Recommend-worthy!

Victoria_R, Feb 2024

despite crazy traffic, Martin and driver Ivan made the round trip very enjoyable. Museum tour was super. Learned so much!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you so much for your kind words! Part of our mission is to share our passion which is the beautiful Colombian emerald!

Excellent correspondence and information

Cathy_M, Jan 2024

Daniela was a wonderful and knowledgeable tour guide. The correspondence I had with her prior to the tour was first rate. She picked us up from our hotel and made sure everything went smoothly.

Wonderful owner and staff

Krysteen_H, May 2023

The tour was nice, informative, but a bit rushed. Some advice.. if you book this tour and use their pickup service from the cruise port or hotel. Make sure you ask the driver in advance what he expects to be paid, and make sure you let them know if you want a city tour (which they will charge you a Lot for) or to just take you straight to the museum. I thought I was going straight to the museum but suddenly was stopping at historical sights. I felt very uneasy and asked why we stopped there, are we on a different tour? He said no it’s just extra fun. I asked what he is charging me for this extra fun and he said $200. I told the museum when I got there and the owner handled it, the owner also told me to only tip them if we want when they drop us back off at the cruise ship. I can’t say enough about the honestly of the Caribe owner and staff. I felt taken care of and welcomed.

Emerald

Marina_Z, Mar 2023

Nice and cozy tour massiva was nice and professional I have learned a lot of things on emerald that I didn’t know Highly recommended

Nice dat in Cartegena.

Cheryl_S, Dec 2022

The museum was informative with samples of emeralds from around the world. The factory is small, but it was interesting to see people working with the gems. Martin also took a trip thru the old city so we could see the wonderful old buildings and narrow streets and painted building. It was a fun tour.

Thank You!

Samuela_G, Feb 2020

This is a wonderful unique tour! for anyone interested in gemology, the emerald heritage of Colombia and emerald jewellery..My tour guide was very friendly and so knowledgeable on each aspect, I've learnt so much.. they even show you the making process in the factory which is above the museum. They collect you from your hotel at the time you choose and there is also a beautiful shop with various emerald jewellery made there, with your guide helping you to choose the best quality stone for your budget if you want to buy one.

A definite to do !!!

Linda_M, Nov 2019

The arrangements that were made by Maria a museum employee could not have been better she is excellent Our tour of the museum was very educational and gave the six of us a clear understanding of the history of emeralds as well as an understanding of the colors and related values We did make several purchases and felt the value was significant The entire staff was friendly not pushy and made the experience very pleasant Maria also arranged for our transportation as well as a tour of Old Town. Which was the best tour on our ten day cruise We would strongly recommend this experience to everyone

We highly recommend this new tour...

Nadene H, Feb 2018

We highly recommend this new tour choice in Cartagena. We had an easy time connecting with our tour's driver. He drove through the Old City and pointed out many of the key sites to see. We arrived at the Emerald Museum and Factory where we were guided through the 3-story building in the new part of the city of Cartagena. The museum contains replicas of the emerald mines and miners and follows the emerald processing through to final jewelry. Artists, who create the gem quality stone, are trained and do their craft at the same factory location. One of the owners took the time to meet us. A number of emerald sample specimens fill the museum. The quality of Colombia emeralds compared to those found in other parts of the world are displayed and explained. The tour ends in the retail store where you have the opportunity to purchase emerald jewelry. The owners have hired local Cartagena low income students to learn the emerald making craft, contributing to the advancement of the local population. Everyone we met was very kind, helpful and gracious. We highly recommend this tour to anyone with an interest in gemology or who wants to understand the interesting journey gems take from the mine to the jewelry store.