MUZO, Colombia — Although he has helped transform Colombia's emerald industry, long a source of violence and environmental damage, former U.S. diplomat Charles Burgess admits that he got into the business on a whim.
"I don't have a mining background," he told NPR during a recent tour of the mine he runs near the town of Muzo deep in the Andes Mountains. "I never in my wildest imagination thought I'd be working in any sort of business like this. But it's been fascinating."
