Emeralds are highly valued green gemstones, traditionally the birthstone for May. They are rare and expensive due to their formation process, which leads to many defects. They are mostly mined in Columbia and have been treasured by many cultures throughout history. The quality of emeralds is assessed based on clarity and can range from very rare and expensive to inexpensive with many flaws.
Emeralds are highly prized dark green gemstones, which derive their color from chrome. They are the traditional birthstone for May, although those born in May may need deep pockets to obtain a good quality emerald. The nature of their formation leads to a greater number of defects in emeralds than in some other gems. Therefore, a relatively flawless gem is rare and expensive.
Emeralds can be found throughout the Middle East, but are now mostly mined in Columbia. Middle Eastern cultures highly valued gemstones, and depictions of jewelry containing emeralds predate the Common Era. Cleopatra was said to think emeralds were the best gems. The Maharajas of India also treasured the emerald, and the ancient treasure collections of the past Indian government are full of these wonderful green stones.
The Mogul Emerald is one of the largest stones known, at over 200 carats in size. This gem is owned by an unidentified buyer, who purchased it during a 2001 auction at Christie’s for more than $2,000,000 (USD). The largest known stone was found in Columbia, and it is extremely impressive at over 600 carats. It can be seen at the Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Although emeralds have a hardness of 7.5 on the Mohs scale, inclusions in the stones can cause easy breakage. For this reason, commercial emeralds are often coated in resin to prevent damage to the stone. All emeralds have some flaws because they form in three stages. The faults are known as gardens, French for garden, suggesting that the faults flourish naturally from formation processes.
Small, highly flawed emerald shavings are generally inexpensive embellishments in jewelry. A large number of flaws affect the luminosity of the stone, and the small chips may resemble jade more than a clear gem. Larger emeralds with fewer gardens are really rare and therefore can be very expensive. A two-carat stone of the highest quality can cost up to $15,000.
Emerald quality can be assessed as highest, high, jewelry, commercial, and low. High-quality two-carat stones range from $3,000 to over $4,000. Jewelry-quality two-carat stones are just over $2,000. Lower quality two carat stones can be purchased for less than $200.
When choosing emeralds for jewelry, sometimes smaller gems are better choices because a higher grade of quality can be obtained at a lower price. A small stone with greater clarity will show up more than a larger stone riddled with blemishes. However, even small stones can be expensive compared to other gems.
The clarity of the emeralds is also scaled, from i1 to i9. Emeralds with an i1 classification are very rare, as they contain the fewest inclusions. By contrast, emeralds can be found in abundance, but they have so many gardens that they appear to be muddy.
Any emerald classified i4 or below has flaws only visible through magnification. However, many are happy with gems rated higher than i4, because one naturally expects gardens. As such, emeralds echo life in being less than perfect.
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