By Zambian Emeralds Co - Open Publications Magazine, January 2026

Cryptocurrencies have seen wild price swings in the past and are expected to continue to do so, as various fronts throughout the world are experiencing political uncertainty, volatility and military tension.

What was once seen as the future of money, has since proved to be a shaky ground in face of uncertainty and times of peril. With Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum posting losses in the last year, many investors are looking to exit the crypto markets.

Investors are now starting to look to turn to safe haven assets such as gold, in a trend that is expected to accompany the markets throughout the upcoming year of 2026.

Gold has been around since the beginning of time and there is a reason why it has been used as money. Silver is also expected to show gains as investors look to own silver as an industrial metal and a sound store-of-value. What’s even more interesting is that wealthy investors are turning to gemstones and other tangible assets they can hold on their physical self as a way to store their wealth.

Many gemstones and diamond dealers have reported increases in purchases as previously crypto investors turn to other stores of value. As investors trade out of cryptocurrencies - they are purchasing hard assets. Therefore, we expect a direct correlation between cryptocurrency declines and trading into physical markets. Not only are we expect increases in gold and silver purchases - but diamonds and gemstones as well.

Purchases of diamonds and gems are different from normal buying trends. Crypto investors that are purchasing diamonds and gems are less price sensitive and are focusing on investment grade products versus jewelry grades. Many of these new buyers are asking questions about Cryptos when making purchases. Many people are seeing gemology labs now including cryptocurrency information on their reports. Things such as country of origin, scarcity, and past sales prices are being listed.

Naturally, under these market conditions and as one of the only producers of emeralds in Africa, Zambia is expecting to experience a sharp increase in interest for their emeralds. Many people feel that Cryptocurrencies have no true intrinsic value but Zambian emeralds do. Not only do investors feel that Cryptocurrencies aren’t a good store of value during times of peril, but Zambian emeralds offer privacy. Many investors that were in Cryptocurrency are turning to Zambian emeralds as an alternative.

Instead of focusing on jewelry grades these investors are looking to own larger sized stones that have the best color. While demand for Zambian emeralds skyrockets there is limited supply as there is only few mine locations in Zambia that produces emeralds. Zambian emeralds offer investors privacy and many investors feel that cryptocurrencies can be traced back to them. Demand for Cryptocurrency have plummeted while Zambian emeralds have increased.

We expect these trend to come into fruition within the upcoming weeks.

Disclaimer: The views and analyses presented here are the authors' personal opinions, based on their private research on stocks, gemstones, gold, artwork, and other investment classes. These opinions and thoughts are openly shared with the public solely for educational, hobbyist, and entertainment purposes, for free and without any guarantee of accuracy, and on an “as-is” basis. This content does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or legal advice, nor does it recommend buying, selling, or holding any asset. All investments involve risk; please perform your own due diligence and consult a qualified professional before acting on any information. The authors and this website are not liable for any losses or damages resulting from reliance on this content.