They say there is nothing in the world like a landscape of Emerald Green, take
Ireland or as many know it, the Emerald Isle. The lush green landscape is used
synonymously with an Emerald to tell people of its beautiful Green Color.
Egypt was the major source for Emeralds until the 16th Century, then the Spanish
heard of the Emerald mines in South America. The Incas gave offerings of
Emeralds to their gods, and tried to keep the mines a secret from the Spanish
invaders. However, the Spanish did locate these mines and ship these rare and
beautiful gemstones back to Europe. Today it is still one of the most desired of
the green gemstones in the world, and flawless Emeralds can sometimes commend
higher prices than flawless diamonds.
So what does impact the value of an Emerald? Color and Clarity are two of most
important factors when looking at an Emerald.
Color. The most prized color for Emerald is a bluish Green to
Green, with a strong Saturation and medium tone. Emeralds are a variety of
Beryl; there are many other different varieties of Green Beryl that sometimes
are called Emeralds incorrectly. A seller who is a gemologist will be able to
make sure that you are purchasing an Emerald and not Green Beryl. Below are some
of the trade terms you will hear when you are looking for an Emerald, as with
all trade terms they are either over used or sometimes incorrectly used.
The term
Colombian is used to describe the most valuable and
rare color of Emerald, bluish green to green with strong or vivid saturation.
The term
Zambian is used to describe Emeralds that have a
darker and more bluish color than Colombian and usually have a greater clarity.
The term
Sandawana is used to describe smaller brighter intense
green Emeralds that originate in the Sandawana district.
The term
Brazilian is used for Emeralds that are lighter in
color and have a low saturation; you will see a lot of these available in
jewelry stores.
The above terms can only be used as a guideline as it is possible to find higher
quality Emeralds in Brazil or any of the other locations, however they are not
as readily available in the quantity and quality of the Emeralds from Colombia.
In your quest for your Emerald you might find your seller calling a bluish Green
Emerald that comes from Brazil, a Colombian Emerald and that is incorrect.
Clarity in Emeralds have a greater propensity for inclusion
than a lot of other gemstones that are sold or made into Jewelry, and flawless
Emeralds are very rare and expensive. So do not be concerned if you are being
shown Emeralds with inclusions, as they are very common. It is important that
the inclusions in the Emerald you are looking at does not distract from its
beauty to you. The industry and gemologists use the following clarity terms for
Emerald inclusions; Slightly, Moderately or Heavily Included, these levels of
inclusions characteristics can be best described as following
Lightly Include, Noticeable inclusions that are apparent to the
unaided eye.
Moderately Included, Obvious inclusions very apparent to the unaided
eye
Heavily Include, Obvious and can have a negative effect on the
appearance and durability
Treatments. It is important that you are aware of the
treatments any gemstone has, but in particular Emeralds as they often have
fracture filling or dying to make them more pleasing to the eye of the customer.
In 1997, the Dateline TV Show produced a segment of their show on how
established jewellers were selling fracture filled Emeralds to clients and not
disclosing any treatments. Some of the confusion was due to jewellers not being
gemologists and taking the word of their suppliers other times it was a case of
the selling not disclosing the facts to the buyer. Since that time we have seen
a greater push by regulators to have sellers fully disclose treatments.
Fracture Filling is the most common treatment used on Emeralds
and is achieved by using various oils in the fractures that reach the surface of
the gemstone. Another method is to use resins, which are a more permanent way of
filling fractures compared to oils that can evaporate or change color over time.
A seller who is a gemologist will be able to identify treatments to Emeralds for
you. The majority of sellers will inform you of any treatment based on their
knowledge, if your seller is a gemologist then you know they have the training
and skill to be able to identify such treatments.
Emeralds will still be one of the most desired gemstones available today, and
with the information above you will be able to make a better decision on who you
purchase your Emerald from, what treatments it might have and know where the
most valuable emeralds come from.
Please visit us at
Jewels by Truros
Derek Parnell is a Graduate Gemologist (GIA) and can be contacted at
Jewels
by Truros a division of Truros Corporation.
