Emerald A Timeless Stone

The Bvlgari emerald suite, including this necklace given to Elizabeth Taylor by Richard Burton Circa 1962-1967.

The legendary Egyptian Queen Cleopatra reportedly had a deep passion for emeralds, which she presented to foreign dignitaries engraved with her image as a symbol of power. Wouldn't you love to go back in time to get one? Gimme!

Since I wrote about the other precious stones, I must cover this one too.

Columbia is where the most famous emeralds are mined. It supplies about 70% of the world's emeralds. Other places of origin include: Zambia (the 2nd largest supplier), Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Madagascar, Australia, France, Germany, Canada, the USA, and pretty much the rest of the world.

All photos of the Bvlgari emerald suite -Time magazine

 The most coveted emeralds are an intense, sometimes bluest green color. A pure green desirable hue is the perfect balance between blue and yellow. Emeralds that are more yellow than blue hold less value.

Like diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, jewelers consider emeralds a precious stone. Like Aquamarines and Morganites, emeralds are a variety of the mineral beryl. Chromium (and sometimes vanadium) give the mineral its green color. Chemically, they're called beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate, but the name beryl will certainly do! The lovely green stones rate an 8 on Mohs Scale of Hardness, so it is strong enough to wear as jewelry. Of the 4 natural precious stones, emeralds are the rarest and most brittle.

Earrings from Bvlgari emerald suite.

One characteristic emeralds share with sapphires and rubies is, there are few "clean'' ones in nature. Nearly all have imperfections or "inclusions." These may include gas bubbles; "jardins" (which are lines and branch-like imperfections); or fractures. While inclusions often tell experts the origin of the gem, naturally, the fewer, smaller and less noticeable the imperfections are to the naked eye the better. Greater clarity gives the emerald greater value (along with the other c's: carat, cut and color).

The ring from the Bvlgari emerald suite.

Emeralds are almost always oiled to enhance their color and hide inclusions. The oil isn't harmful or permanent but allowed as a standard treatment that doesn't lessen the gem's value. Other treatments need to be disclosed to a buyer, such as using dye to improve the color or filling in any cracks with resin or polymer to increase its clarity. The latter treatments do lessen an emerald's value, as the stones' natural beauty has been artificially improved. Also emeralds are a brittle stone, so fillings potentially impact the longevity of the stone. At any rate, they need to be cleaned carefully and should be priced accordingly. 

Photo: Macy's - Costs far less, and yet still a pretty little thing.

You never want to pay top dollar for inferior stones, but perhaps don't mind spending a lot less for treated (and disclosed treatments of) emeralds in a pretty setting. Or a lighter hue that is still appealing at a lower cost. A fair trade-off.

Do you have emeralds in your jewelry box?


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In My Jewelry Box
Tanzanite At Tiffany's  
For The Love Of Sapphires
Macy's For Fine Jewelry ... Yes Or No?