Elegant Emerald – The Birthstone of May

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OVERVIEW

ABOUT EMERALD

Gem experts differ on the degree of green that makes one stone an emerald and another stone a less-expensive green beryl. Most gemmologists, gemmological laboratories and coloured stone dealers call a stone green beryl when its colour is “too light” for it to be classified as emerald. Even among that group, however, there’s a difference of opinion about what’s considered “too light”.

BIRTHSTONES & ANNIVERSARIES

As the gem of spring, emerald is the perfect choice as the birthstone for the month of May. It’s also the gem of the twentieth and thirty-fifth wedding anniversaries.

2.97 BILLION YEARS

Age of the oldest emeralds, from South Africa.

CLEOPATRA

Pharaoh known for her passion for emeralds.

$6,578,500

2011 sales price for Elizabeth Taylor’s emerald pendant – a record $280,000 per carat.

FACTS

  • Mineral: Beryl
    Chemistry

 

SYNTHETICS

Some gemstones have synthetic counterparts that have essentially the same chemical, physical and optical properties, but are grown by man in a laboratory.

IMITATIONS

Any gem can be imitated – sometimes by man-made materials or by natural materials chosen by man to impersonate a particular gem.

gem love

WHY WE LOVE THIS GEMSTONE

1

THREE-PHASE INCLUSIONS

Three-phase inclusions in Colombian emeralds contain tiny crystals of rock salt, liquid and a bubble of gas.

2

HEXAGONAL CRYSTALS

The best emerald crystals are gorgeous flat-topped green hexagonal columns that are as beautiful as faceted stones.

3

ANCIENT EGYPT

The first known emerald mines were in Egypt. It is believed that these mines were worked as early as 3500BC.

QUALITY FACTORS

Emerald has been the standard for green coloured stones for millennia.

COLOUR

quality factorsThe most desirable emerald colours are bluish green to pure green, with vivid colour saturation.

CLARITY

quality factorsIn Emerald expect to see inclusions that dealers like to call an internal “jardin”, or garden.

CUT

quality factorsDue to the crystal shape emeralds are commonly cut as rectangular step cuts called emerald cuts.

CARAT WEIGHT

quality factorsBecause its density is lower, a one-carat emerald will appear larger in size than a one-carat diamond.