Fascinating Facts About Emeralds That Make Them Exceptional
The color green isn't for everyone, but emeralds are in a class of their own.
The stone's hue is unmatched, making it one of the most sought-after gemstones on the market.
Emerald has consistently surpassed other green gems like peridot and tourmaline with its lush blueish-green tones. But what's an emerald without some fanciful history and lore?
This beautiful green stone, one of the expensive foursome: diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, has been an object of desire for many centuries. Like most gemstones, its history is filled with a lot of stories, which might influence the motives for all of you wanting a piece of jewelry with an emerald.
The deep green colored emerald is one of the most loved gemstones in the history of mankind. There are lots of interesting facts and stories related to the gemstone that adds to the beauty of the rare gem. Let us take a look at some facts related to emerald that will help enliven your passion for this rare specimen.
Every single one is unique
Emerald is found and mined in many places around the globe. Most famous, perhaps, are the mines in Colombia. Other countries are Russia, Zambia, Afghanistan and Brazil, which is the world's largest supplier of emeralds.
In order for emeralds to form deep in the mountains of Colombia, a lot has to go right. The forces of geology have to bring together rare elements like beryllium and chromium under conditions of high temperature and pressure and then a slow cooling process which creates the large crystals we all know and love.
Colombia has been exceptionally blessed with the unusual geology for their formation and people have been mining brilliantly clear emeralds for hundreds of years. Emeralds of this quality are rare and unlike diamonds or other precious gemstones, a slight flaw in the color or shape is an indicator of authenticity and won’t reduce the value of the stone.
Emerald measures between 7.5 - 8 on the Moh‘s scale of hardness. Though they are durable stones, emeralds are susceptible to chipping and cracking. This makes emerald's more expensive to set into jewelry due to the risk involved.
While they are fairly resilient to knocks, they can be chipped or scratched.
Most emeralds have some type of inclusion or imperfection, and emeralds without imperfections or inclusions are very rare. Instead of the term imperfection, dealers like to reference emerald inclusions as an internal "jardin" ("garden" in French).
It is extremely rare to find a natural emerald without any inclusions. Every emerald is unique due to their own inclusion patterns, similar to a human’s fingerprint.
The magic of the green
An emerald’s signature green color is unique to the stone but can vary from emerald to emerald. Too dark – and the stone won’t shine when worn, too light – and it loses its identity as an emerald.
The color of emeralds varies from greenish-blue to greenish-yellow, with intermittent shades of blue. Appearance-wise, bluish emeralds are frequently mistaken as aquamarines.
Emerald’s color is the result of trace elements of iron, chromium and vanadium.
Emeralds with the most intense green color generally have a higher chromium or vanadium content. When iron levels are high, emerald is a bluer green, and when iron levels are lower, the emerald will have a purer green.
The jewelry organization in the U.S. decided in the ‘60s that not just chrome containing emeralds (chrome gives the green color) are officially emeralds, but also those stones that contain vanadium (as the material giving its green color to emerald). This is allowed only in the U.S. Stones containing vanadium are often called "Colombian emeralds" and are not recognized as emeralds in the U.K. and Europe.
While those who mine, cut and sell gemstones may insist on very intense saturated "grass-green" colors as the most valuable, you may find that you prefer somewhat lighter-colored stones, or those with a more bluish tint. Above all else, the green of your emerald has to be attractive to you!
Perfect for creative people
The square cut is the most common shape that you will come across in emerald.
Emeralds are also worn in the form of an oval cut or the rectangular topside-faceted emerald cut. Emeralds are the only gemstones to have a diamond-cut named after them — the classic rectangular step-cut.
Because emeralds have a lower density, a 1-carat emerald is larger than a carat diamond.
The stone is a favorite of people from the creative field. Actors, painters, singers, etc are seen adoring emerald beads studded jewelry, as it helps them to be more creative in their respective field. It fills them with energy and new ideas, making sure that they always remain ahead of their counterparts.
The success of a person depends on a lot the way he communicates with himself as well as others. If you are feeling low or not able to express thoughts in a candid way then wearing emerald beads in the ring will help you come out of the problem instantly. It is known as a stone of communication.
Emerald jewelry can enhance your personality and can add the royal touch to your looks. If you are looking for something truly artistic and unique, add an emerald ring, emerald studs and emerald pendants to your wardrobe collection. Enjoy the truly exceptional beauty of this special gemstone – and don‘t forget to check our options for emerald jewelry here.