An introduction to Emeralds

An introduction to Emeralds

5 minute read

Emerald also consists of Beryllium Aluminum Silicate and, like aquamarine, belongs to the Beryl family. Emerald owes its deep green color to the trace elements chromium and vanadium that occur in minuscule quantities in the stone. The name comes from the Greek word 'Smaragdos', which means green stone. Emerald is considered one of the four most valuable gemstones, along with sapphire, ruby ​​and diamond. Unfortunately, the chemical composition of the emerald causes a certain brittleness. The stone often has a lot of inclusions in the form of fractures. This makes the emerald sensitive to pressure and vulnerable to heat.

Colombian emeralds.

Columbia is the main supplier of the stone and is known for its beautiful deep green emerald. The Muzo mine northwest of Bogotá supplies a lot of top quality emerald with this deep green emerald color. The Chivor mine in the northeast of Bogotá is another important location where beautiful emeralds are consistently mined.

Brazilian Emeralds

In addition to Columbia, Brazil also has important emerald mines in Bahia, Goias and Minas Gerais. The stones from Brazil are generally slightly lighter than the Colombian ones, have a slightly more yellowish green color, but often have fewer inclusions. The extremely rare cat's eye emerald and star emerald stones are also found in Brazil.

Zambian Emeralds

Emeralds from Zambia have a characteristic deep green color with a light blue tint. These stones are often comparable in quality to the emerald from Columbia.

South Africa also has mines in the northern part of the Transvaal, but only 5% of all emeralds found there are good enough to be faceted. Most stones from this area are therefore cut cabochon. Emerald is also found in Zimbabwe, the main mine is the Sandawana mine in the south. The stones that come from there are small but of good quality.

Emerald is also found in smaller quantities in Russia, Australia, India and Madagascar.

Emerald has characteristic inclusions and is therefore very vulnerable. The stones are almost always treated with an oil or resin to fill small cracks and fissures. It is often the presence of these imperfections and oil, which makes natural emerald easy to distinguish from synthetic emerald. Because cracks and inclusions often occur in emerald, a good color is the most important price factor. The term 'Colombian color' is used to describe a vivid, bright light blue-green emerald with a medium to dark green color, regardless of whether they really come from Columbia. The term 'Brazilian color' is used to describe lighter emeralds regardless of whether the stone really comes from Brazil.

Emerald is often cut in a cut that is specifically designed for this stone: the emerald cut. This is a rectangular step cut, where the corners have been ground off. This cut brings out the color of the stone best and at the same time ensures that the stone is better protected. The most common treatment, which is already applied at the mine, is soaking the stone in oil. Usually this is Cedar oil to improve the color, quality and stability of the stone. These treatments provide a drastic improvement in the appearance of the stone, but can be lost if the stone is placed in an ultrazone or steam cleaning device. This can cause an invisible crack filled with oil to come out of the device extremely visibly. This is because the oil can leak due to heat or vibration. Fortunately, an emerald can simply be re-oiled.

Unfortunately, synthetic emerald also exists and has been made since

1848. In 1950, the Chatham company began producing synthetic emeralds of very good quality, which were difficult to distinguish from natural emeralds. These stones are called Chatham Emeralds. One of the largest emeralds in the world is the Mogul Emerald. It was found in 1695, weighs 217.80 ct and is no less than 10 cm long! On one side is a prayer engraved and on the other side floral engravings. This legendary emerald was auctioned by Christie’s London for 2.2 million dollars in 2001. Another very special emerald is the watch that is part of the cheapside hoard treasure that was found in 1912, during the excavation of foundations in London. This watch dates from around 1620 and has a lockable flap. It is common knowledge that the Queen of England has a very large collection of jewels. Rumor has it that she keeps the collection in a room 10 meters under Buckingham Palace. The Crown Jewels are not kept here, by the way. The Crown Jewels are exhibited in the Tower of London. The Queen's personal jewelry collection is estimated to be worth $57 million. This includes the famous Cambridge and Delhi Dunbar parures.