Today's article will give you a more extensive look about the gemstone emerald, its origin, characteristics, most common imitations and treatments. Read carefully because it will provide you with valuable guidance when choosing emerald jewelry.
Origin
Emerald is the most precious variety of the mineral Beryl. With a hardness of 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale and its lovely green color, it ranks among the most famous and desirable gemstones used to make jewelry. Beryl is a rare mineral with the chemical composition Be3Al2Si6O18. The element beryllium occurs in very small amounts in the earth's crust, so it is unusual for a sufficient amount to be present to form crystals. In addition, the conditions under which beryllium is present in significant amounts are different from the conditions under which chromium and vanadium, the sources of the green color of emerald, occur. Emerald is therefore rare and occurs only in a small number of places. The most important deposits of emeralds in the world are - Colombia (Muzo and Chivor), Zambia, Brazil, India, Afghanistan, Russia, etc. Interesting fact is that emeralds are also found in Bulgaria near Urdini Lakes (Rila). Beautiful specimens from this deposit can be seen in the Earth and People Museum (Sofia).
Color
The color of an emerald is the most important factor in determining the price. The richer, brighter and deeper it is, the more valuable the stone. Pale or too dark emeralds are of lower value. The iconic green color is due to impurities of the elements chromium, vanadium or a combination of the two. Iron ions, on the other hand, determine exactly what shade of green it will be; it can range from relatively more yellowish-green tones to bluish-greenish ones.
Clarity
Unlike other gemstones, clarity in emerald is not as weighted in determining value. Inclusions in emeralds are considered normal, and stones with no visible inclusions of intense color are extremely rare and their price increases many times over. In some cases, the imperfections help saturate the color and the stone has a more attractive appearance as a result. The term 'jardin' (from French for garden) is adopted to describe the unique presence and distribution of said imperfections (inclusions) in each transparent emerald, due to the similarity of the internal landscape with roots and stems. A garden can differ greatly from one emerald to another. Gems with fewer inclusions receive higher values. Colorless inclusions are preferred as opposed to colored or black inclusions. Imperfections on the surface of gemstones are undesirable, as they can cause cracks and reduce the resistance of the emerald.
Cutting
Because of the shape in which emeralds grow - long prismatic - hexagonal crystals are more commonly cut into elongated shapes such as an oval, pear or the step cut (emerald cut) named after it. The aim is to maintain a higher carat weight. Crystals with multiple inclusions, blemishes, or opaque ones are most often worked in cabochon form.
Carat and Price
Carat, as with all gemstones, measures the weight of the stone. Larger specimens are rarer, so the price increases progressively with increasing weight. Price is determined as a combination of all factors, and can range from tens of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars per carat. The most expensive are large, untreated, well-cut stones, with rich and bright color, and no inclusions visible to the naked eye. Of course, very few people can afford to own such valuables.
Treating
Treating stones is done to improve their appearance. There are various types of enhancements which include fillings, impregnations and paints. Almost all enhancements to emeralds can tarnish over time and be repeated. Most often emeralds are oiled. This type of treatment lasts from 6 months to 1 year and is for the purpose of filling cracks to make their garden more pleasing. Most often cedar oil is used, which has the same refractive index. The stones are dipped in the hot oil, which penetrates the cracks and hardens on cooling. This type of treatment can be seen in over 95% of commercial emeralds.
Imitations
Imitations of gemstones have existed from ancient times to the present day. Any green stone that presents itself as an emerald but has a different chemical composition is considered an imitation. The most common imitations are green glasses, tourmalines, peridots, etc. They are easily recognized by professionals.
Synthetic emeralds
A synthetic stone is one that is made in a laboratory but has almost all the chemical, optical, and physical characteristics of its natural mineral counterpart. Over the past century, researchers have developed a number of different ways to create these synthetic gemstones in the laboratory. Most of these methods fall into two main categories - melt or solution. Tens of thousands of carats of commercial quality emeralds are produced monthly. Their cost is many times less than natural ones.
Doublets and Triplets
Composite stones has been used since ancient times. Because of the popularization of faceted stones and because of the low hardness of the imitations, doublets and triplets are entering the market. For imitation emeralds, two pieces of rock crystal glued together with green cement are used, the crown is chosen clean, and numerous fingerprints are placed on the pavilion to imitate the "emerald garden". Such imitations are still produced today and sold to tourists in Colombia as "semi-precious emerald" . Since 1965 very convincing triplets composed of pale greenish aquamarine, damaged cement layer and tourmaline are produced. They are sold under the name Smaril. Another variation from 1968 is a colourless Siberian emerald with a thick girdle, destroyed and reassembled with green enamel on the girdle.
Tips:
- When you are looking for emerald jewellery and are offered a beautiful, deep green, transparent and flawless stone at an enticingly low price, it is surely an imitation or synthetic.
- There is no guarantee that the emeralds are natural even if they are set in gold diamond jewelry.
- The market is flooded with synthetic and other imitation stones of all quality. Don't be fooled, especially if you have no experience with gemstones.
- Affordable emeralds are out there and they are so because of their imperfections, deviations from perfect color or cut. But even identifying them requires gemological knowledge.
- Rely on specialists if you want to make sure you own a natural stone.
- If a stone appeals to you, choose it, even if it doesn't have the most perfect quality.
When choosing emerald jewelry, trust our expert gemstone appraiser for help choosing the most optimal price/quality option. contact us to get the best customized offer according to your budget!
Efir offers both jewelry from its own collections and making gold jewelry with emeralds and other gemstones according to customer's design. We work only with natural stones and precious metals. Our Expert Gemologist will take care of finding the perfect matching emerald.