Buying emeralds is much easier than buying diamonds. Diamonds are appreciated for their brilliance, while emeralds are appreciated for their color.
Emerald deposits are exploited in several countries around the world, such as Colombia, Zambia, Brazil, Afghanistan….
Emeralds from different mines and regions show variations in purity, color intensity, luster, hardness, and size. These differences are due to the nature of the rock where emeralds are formed.
Nowadays Colombian emeralds like cashmere sapphire or Burmese ruby are the most popular because of their high purity and a very particular beautiful green.
The following factors need to be considered when buying an emerald:
Its purity
Most emeralds contain inclusions due to their history during their crystallization. These inclusions can be either water “in the form of frost or droplets” or crystals of another mineral.
The inclusions in the form of frost are poetically called “emerald gardens” and are tolerated even in fine jewelry. They should, therefore, not be an obstacle when purchasing your emerald. It is only preferable that these inclusions are not too visible to the naked eye, and that they allow light to circulate.
There is no international classification for emeralds as there is for diamonds. Talking about VS or VVS purity for an emerald makes no sense. This is why, to facilitate your navigation in our catalog, we have classified the stones according to five purities.
Emerald of poor purity
Emeralds of poor purity are so included that they are almost opaque.
Emerald of good purity
Emeralds of good purity, although included, let light pass through the stone.
Very good purity emerald
Emeralds of very good purity are very bright, despite the few inclusions visible to the eye.
Emerald of excellent purity
An emerald of excellent purity has inclusions slightly visible to the naked eye.
Emeralds pure to the naked eye
Emeralds that are perfectly pure to the eye are extremely rare. Pure emeralds under the magnifying glass do not exist.
The intensity of its color
This is the most critical point in choosing an emerald. The intensity of green is only a matter of taste. The stone must seduce you! Although the most intense stones are the most sought after, there are lighter emeralds but of perfect purity, which gives them a sparkle worthy of a diamond.
Note, however, that a stone that is too dark will lose its luster.
As with all colored stones, there are of course an infinite number of shades of green. We have therefore divided them into five intensities of green.
Its origin
Even more than Ceylon sapphires or Burma rubies, the Colombian emerald is anchored in the collective unconscious. However, its mines produce less and less. Also, the vast majority of stones are treated.
Colombia’s largest mine, Muzo, produces no more than 50 jewelry-quality stones per week! The very rare natural emeralds from Colombia are therefore sold at extremely high prices. It is imperative to require a recognized certificate that will guarantee the natural character of your emerald.
The emeralds presented by the great jewelers, therefore, come mostly from Brazil, but also from Zambia. Brazil is, by far, the leading producer of fine quality emeralds.
The origin of stone should, therefore, not be taken into account when choosing.
Its shape
The two most common shapes for an emerald are oval cut and cut-off cut, commonly known as “emerald cut.”
But there are also pear sizes, ideal for mounting as a pendant, and much more rarely, cushion sizes.
Just like rubies and other sapphires, the round cut exists in emerald. However, it is very difficult to find stones larger than 6.5 mm in diameter (about 1 carat).
Its weight
The emerald is lighter than other gemstones. At equivalent weight, it therefore appears larger than a ruby or a sapphire. For a ring mounting, the most commonly used stones weigh between 1.5 and 3 carats.
Depending on its quality, an emerald of around 2 carats is worth between 4,000 and 7,000 euros for jewelry quality and can reach more than 10,000 euros for exceptional stones. In higher weights, the price differences from one quality to another become very large.
Oil in emeralds
The emeralds being naturally crossed by microscopic cracks, the lapidaries dip them in cedar oil to accentuate their brightness. An impregnating minor is tolerated, but must however, be stated on the certificate. Even more than unheated sapphires or rubies, emeralds that have not been impregnated with oil are extremely rare.
It is, however, forbidden to replace this transparent oil with colored resin. This routine treatment drastically drops the price of an emerald.
Our advice
Choose an emerald of beautiful purity, and it will only be brighter. For color, let your eyes guide yourself. They will naturally stop on one stone more than another.
Remember that a lighter, but purer emerald will stand out for its luster.
What you need to know more
- Avoid putting your emerald in ultrasound it risks being damaged
- Just like diamond, emeralds have great resistance to scratches, and you must avoid dropping them
- Remember to entrust your emerald to a professional “every ten years for example “to put it in colorless vegetable oil to guarantee it an excellent shine and above all to keep its resistance
