When you buy Emerald Rings, Emerald Earrings and Emerald Pendants, there are several factors to consider - these are the 4 C's - colour, clarity, carat weight and cut.
Colour Of Emerald
Emeralds occur in a variety of green hues. Some emeralds are yellowish or bluish colours. This tone loses its colour when heated strongly.
The colour of emerald is the most important cause of value. The best colour is emerald green or "grass" green. There is nothing in the world like it that has enough of this colour. It is not too yellow and not too blue, not light or dark, intense and brilliant. Sound of quality, it will glow. Usually, the most beautiful emerald comes from Columbia.
Once again, the most universally accepted and most documented system for grading is the GIA system, but there are also numerous other trade based systems in use.
Emerald Clarity
Unlike most gemstones, clarity is not large enough to determine the value of emeralds on its own. It's definitely not as important as colour. This is because the imperfections are so common in natural emeralds and it is thought not to interfere with its beauty.
Good transparency is still desirable, however, to the extent that the light is able to play in the stone, and it is transparent. Although no complete clarity is needed to make the Emerald exceptional value, completely opaque emerald is not worth much: in fact, even the best emerald, it is completely opaque, can no longer be valuable. Clarity is the second most important of the 4 C when you consider quality.
The clarity of Emerald, as with all other gems, are officially classified as ranging from best VVS (very very slightly included) to VS (very slightly included), the SI-S2 (slightly included) down to I1 , I2, 13 (included).
Weight of Emerald
Very large Emeralds (over 10 cts) of good qualities are extremely rare. Most of them are in museums, crown jewels or the jewellery boxes of the elite. Emeralds over 3 cts are even rare, available to average people for thousands of pounds. An Emerald of good quality of any size is valuable, though the price will go down significantly when the stone is less than 1/2 carat.
Emerald Cut
A good emerald cut means the gem sparkles and shines in full capacity. Good cutting is not as important for the Emerald, as it is for other precious stone, because, as mentioned above, the emerald is worth more for nits colour saturation, and is often very included to sparkle anyway. The form of "emerald cut", which is now a popular diamond cut and also for other jewels, was actually originally created for the Emerald. This type of cut was used to cut emerald because it emphasises the colour rather than shine. However, it is increasingly important to know the difference between a excellent and bad cut, so that when you highlight a selection of Emerald, you can choose a well-cut version. In assessing the emerald cut, you should look for:
"Fish Eye": If the bottom is not Emerald cut at right angles, you will be able to see through Emerald rather than seeing the light reflected back to you.
Uneven facets: especially pronounced in emerald cuts, step cuts, baguette and princess cuts, which are common among Emeralds. These cuts have long straight facets instead of small triangles and diamonds. A poorly cut Emerald of this style will have one end smaller than the other instead of an even length.
Polish: Emeralds can be difficult to polish because of the natural structure of the crystal, so twirl the Emerald around, to see that each facet reflects light like a mirror with no rough or dull spots. Also, Emeralds are prone to internal cracks and fissures which can also appear on the surface. If you see any fine rough lines on the surface facets of the emeralds, it is a flaw in the cutting and you should avoid it as it can make your emerald vulnerable. In the wholesale gem trade, Emeralds are sold on a price per carat basis. Therefore, it would make sense that a 3 carat Emerald would cost more than a 1 carat Emerald, all else being equal. However, an additional factor is that it is rarer to find a 3 carat Emerald than a 1 carat Emerald. Therefore, not only is the total price higher, but the price per carat is also higher because of the added rarity factor.
Emerald Treatments
Almost all Emerald on the market have been treated to improve its clarity. Because Emerald is naturally full of cracks and crevices, making it more opaque and less attractive, it has become an industry standard for filling cracks in Emerald to improve its clarity. Fillers are traditional natural oils such as cedar oil. Over many years these oils fade or "sweat". Although they are accepted and the emerald is not worth any less, there are discussions about the permanence of the treatment. For treatment of precious stones, they must be valued at no less since "permanent". Other methods for filling cracks in Emerald are explored, such as wax, resin and even glass. A substance is considered well for filling cracks in Emerald when it reflects light in a manner very similar to emerald, making fillings less noticeable.
Although sealing cracks, which is acceptable to improve clarity, it is sometimes also used to improve colour. For example when green oil is used. This is generally regarded as misleading and you do not really want to buy these "coloured" emeralds. This can be seen under 10x magnification.
Note: The emerald gem may lose its oils or fillers after many years of wear. This is normal. Emerald stones here are very fragile and are more susceptible to cracking and breaking. Most local jewellers are well prepared for the necessary treatment of emeralds, and you can use the services. The special care needs to be done by a professional jewellers and cannot be tried at home.
Emerald Counterfeits and Imitations
In recent years, synthetic emeralds have been recorded on the market. They come with labels such as "created", "lab", "synthetic", "Chatham"(a major producer of synthetic emeralds). They are "real" Emeralds in the sense that they are the same mineral, the difference is that they were made in a laboratory rather than in the earth's crust. Synthetic emeralds are generally much more transparent than natural emeralds with fewer inclusions. It is also possible to find very attractive colour synthetic emeralds. Emeralds are created about 1/10 the price of natural variations of emeralds.
Wearing Your Emerald Jewellery
Do not do heavy works while wearing emerald jewellery. Protect the jewels from bumps and jolts. Also, do not put near sources of heat, because it can damage the oils and fillers in emeralds that have been treated. When you care for emerald gemstone jewellery you should take into account improvements/enhancements in the gem.
Caring for your jewellery Emerald
Emeralds should never be cleaned with very hot water, steam or any other solution that contains petroleum distillates or solvents.Those jewellery cleaning solutions are sold as such in the markets are not compatible with the oil treatment of emeralds. All jewellery containing emeralds should not be placed in ultrasonic cleaning equipment.
To clean the emerald green emerald jewellery use a soft toothbrush or a cloth dampened in warm water. Avoid soaking in hot water and emerald hot or too cold. Water can enter through cracks and treated fillers to dilute or dissolve. Exposure to heat may cause cracks to expand and make Emeralds very fragile.
Remove jewellery with Emeralds when not needed and stored in a safe place, away from heat or moisture. The idea is to keep your emeralds in good condition, avoiding the need for frequent jewellery cleaning.
The Last Word..,
I have always recommended people should buy Emerald Rings for instance, carefully. Expect to pay more for larger examples, and remember at the end of the day, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". So, then select the stone you want, not what you are led to believe you want! Regardless of the emerald, the size or shape you choose, be sure to use and always enjoy Emerald Jewellery!
Colour Of Emerald
Emeralds occur in a variety of green hues. Some emeralds are yellowish or bluish colours. This tone loses its colour when heated strongly.
The colour of emerald is the most important cause of value. The best colour is emerald green or "grass" green. There is nothing in the world like it that has enough of this colour. It is not too yellow and not too blue, not light or dark, intense and brilliant. Sound of quality, it will glow. Usually, the most beautiful emerald comes from Columbia.
Once again, the most universally accepted and most documented system for grading is the GIA system, but there are also numerous other trade based systems in use.
Emerald Clarity
Unlike most gemstones, clarity is not large enough to determine the value of emeralds on its own. It's definitely not as important as colour. This is because the imperfections are so common in natural emeralds and it is thought not to interfere with its beauty.
Good transparency is still desirable, however, to the extent that the light is able to play in the stone, and it is transparent. Although no complete clarity is needed to make the Emerald exceptional value, completely opaque emerald is not worth much: in fact, even the best emerald, it is completely opaque, can no longer be valuable. Clarity is the second most important of the 4 C when you consider quality.
The clarity of Emerald, as with all other gems, are officially classified as ranging from best VVS (very very slightly included) to VS (very slightly included), the SI-S2 (slightly included) down to I1 , I2, 13 (included).
Weight of Emerald
Very large Emeralds (over 10 cts) of good qualities are extremely rare. Most of them are in museums, crown jewels or the jewellery boxes of the elite. Emeralds over 3 cts are even rare, available to average people for thousands of pounds. An Emerald of good quality of any size is valuable, though the price will go down significantly when the stone is less than 1/2 carat.
Emerald Cut
A good emerald cut means the gem sparkles and shines in full capacity. Good cutting is not as important for the Emerald, as it is for other precious stone, because, as mentioned above, the emerald is worth more for nits colour saturation, and is often very included to sparkle anyway. The form of "emerald cut", which is now a popular diamond cut and also for other jewels, was actually originally created for the Emerald. This type of cut was used to cut emerald because it emphasises the colour rather than shine. However, it is increasingly important to know the difference between a excellent and bad cut, so that when you highlight a selection of Emerald, you can choose a well-cut version. In assessing the emerald cut, you should look for:
"Fish Eye": If the bottom is not Emerald cut at right angles, you will be able to see through Emerald rather than seeing the light reflected back to you.
Uneven facets: especially pronounced in emerald cuts, step cuts, baguette and princess cuts, which are common among Emeralds. These cuts have long straight facets instead of small triangles and diamonds. A poorly cut Emerald of this style will have one end smaller than the other instead of an even length.
Polish: Emeralds can be difficult to polish because of the natural structure of the crystal, so twirl the Emerald around, to see that each facet reflects light like a mirror with no rough or dull spots. Also, Emeralds are prone to internal cracks and fissures which can also appear on the surface. If you see any fine rough lines on the surface facets of the emeralds, it is a flaw in the cutting and you should avoid it as it can make your emerald vulnerable. In the wholesale gem trade, Emeralds are sold on a price per carat basis. Therefore, it would make sense that a 3 carat Emerald would cost more than a 1 carat Emerald, all else being equal. However, an additional factor is that it is rarer to find a 3 carat Emerald than a 1 carat Emerald. Therefore, not only is the total price higher, but the price per carat is also higher because of the added rarity factor.
Emerald Treatments
Almost all Emerald on the market have been treated to improve its clarity. Because Emerald is naturally full of cracks and crevices, making it more opaque and less attractive, it has become an industry standard for filling cracks in Emerald to improve its clarity. Fillers are traditional natural oils such as cedar oil. Over many years these oils fade or "sweat". Although they are accepted and the emerald is not worth any less, there are discussions about the permanence of the treatment. For treatment of precious stones, they must be valued at no less since "permanent". Other methods for filling cracks in Emerald are explored, such as wax, resin and even glass. A substance is considered well for filling cracks in Emerald when it reflects light in a manner very similar to emerald, making fillings less noticeable.
Although sealing cracks, which is acceptable to improve clarity, it is sometimes also used to improve colour. For example when green oil is used. This is generally regarded as misleading and you do not really want to buy these "coloured" emeralds. This can be seen under 10x magnification.
Note: The emerald gem may lose its oils or fillers after many years of wear. This is normal. Emerald stones here are very fragile and are more susceptible to cracking and breaking. Most local jewellers are well prepared for the necessary treatment of emeralds, and you can use the services. The special care needs to be done by a professional jewellers and cannot be tried at home.
Emerald Counterfeits and Imitations
In recent years, synthetic emeralds have been recorded on the market. They come with labels such as "created", "lab", "synthetic", "Chatham"(a major producer of synthetic emeralds). They are "real" Emeralds in the sense that they are the same mineral, the difference is that they were made in a laboratory rather than in the earth's crust. Synthetic emeralds are generally much more transparent than natural emeralds with fewer inclusions. It is also possible to find very attractive colour synthetic emeralds. Emeralds are created about 1/10 the price of natural variations of emeralds.
Wearing Your Emerald Jewellery
Do not do heavy works while wearing emerald jewellery. Protect the jewels from bumps and jolts. Also, do not put near sources of heat, because it can damage the oils and fillers in emeralds that have been treated. When you care for emerald gemstone jewellery you should take into account improvements/enhancements in the gem.
Caring for your jewellery Emerald
Emeralds should never be cleaned with very hot water, steam or any other solution that contains petroleum distillates or solvents.Those jewellery cleaning solutions are sold as such in the markets are not compatible with the oil treatment of emeralds. All jewellery containing emeralds should not be placed in ultrasonic cleaning equipment.
To clean the emerald green emerald jewellery use a soft toothbrush or a cloth dampened in warm water. Avoid soaking in hot water and emerald hot or too cold. Water can enter through cracks and treated fillers to dilute or dissolve. Exposure to heat may cause cracks to expand and make Emeralds very fragile.
Remove jewellery with Emeralds when not needed and stored in a safe place, away from heat or moisture. The idea is to keep your emeralds in good condition, avoiding the need for frequent jewellery cleaning.
The Last Word..,
I have always recommended people should buy Emerald Rings for instance, carefully. Expect to pay more for larger examples, and remember at the end of the day, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". So, then select the stone you want, not what you are led to believe you want! Regardless of the emerald, the size or shape you choose, be sure to use and always enjoy Emerald Jewellery!
About the Author:
John S Stewart has over thirty years expertise in the jewellery trade, and suggests visiting Globe Jewellery now, for the nicest range of Emerald Rings and other amazing Emerald Jewellery!
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