A Guide to Fine Emerald Jewelry  

by Enid Edginton

Fine emerald jewelry is a gift that really says to a woman "I value you." As emeralds are among the most expensive gem stones, quality emerald earrings and bracelets can cost thousands of dollars. Some examples of fine emerald jewelry are even more expensive than designs with diamonds. However as the emerald is symbolically a wealth attracting stone perhaps you will get your investment back!

The name emerald comes from an ancient Greek language that translates to mean "green gemstone." In most cultures it is considered to be a holy stone. It is one of the gemstones found in the Bible's Breastplate of Aaron. They were worn by the ancient Incas and Aztecs in the South Americas and mined enthusiastically by Egyptian Royal Families in 1500 BC. These mines, which were near the Red Sea in Eygpt were known as the "Cleopatra mines" as the Egyptian queen was fond of wearing emerald earrings and bracelets. The Cleopatra mines were depleted of their precious emeralds by 3000 B.C.

In the ancient world, it wasn't just the Egyptians who were fascinated by fine emerald jewelry. The Indian culture also prized the gems for their ability to heal and enhance one's good luck. One of the largest museum quality emeralds in the world is the ten centimeter tall "Mogul Emerald" which weigh 217,80 carats. It is inscribed with flowers and ancient texts and dates from 1695. Its worth is 2.2 million U.S. dollars.

There are also many other precious emerald artifacts in the world. In Instabul, the Topkapi Palace contains incredible examples of fine emerald jewelry as well as pens and daggers encrusted with the gems. Another famous emerald artifact is the Emerald Cup, which used to belong to Emperor Jehangir in the New York Museum of Natural History. The Bank of Bogota hoards one of the largest emerald in the world in its treasury; a beauty that weights 1796 carats.

Fine emerald jewelry also comes with a great deal of positive symbolism. In pagan cultures, green not red is considered to be the color of love and beauty. In ancient Rome the emerald was associated with Venus, the goddess of love. The Catholic Church regards green as a natural liturgical color and green is the holy color of the Islamic faith. The color green is also universally regarded as a color of birth, growth and success.

Finding an excellent piece of fine emerald jewelry can be difficult. This is because high quality stones can be extremely rare. Most emeralds in the market do contain some flaws and inclusions. In fact flawless emeralds are so rare that even very expensive and high quality emeralds might contain a few inclusions. The worth of an emerald also depends on how green it is. Therefore if the gem stone is a lively vibrant green but contains a few flaws, known as "jardin" to jewelers it may be worth more than a paler, yellower emerald gemstone that is perfect.

There is something about fine emerald jewelry that also conveys respect and wisdom. Perhaps it is because these gemstones are so old. The oldest emeralds in the world are found in Zimbabwe and are estimated to be 2600 millions years ago. The emeralds growing in Pakistan mines are estimated to be nine million years old.

Officially the emerald belongs to the beryl family. Other exotic beryl family members include morganite, aquamarine and heliodor. Constitutionally emeralds are made up of aluminum, beryllium and silicates. It is traces of chromium and vanadium that are responsible for the green color. Aluminum, beryllium and silicates are rarely found in the same place as chromium or vanadium unless there has been a big earthquake or a similar shift in the earth's crust to force the elements to merge and produce green colored beryls. Many emeralds contain small bubbles of gas or inclusions that are testimony to their violent geological origins. The more jardin (cracks and fissures) that emeralds contain, the older it is. These fissures, bubbles and other inclusions only really lower the value of an emerald if they affect its color or spoil its transparency.

When it comes to fine emerald jewelry, Columbia is the biggest supplier of high quality stones. The country has about 150 known deposits of this precious mineral but not all of them are being mined. The best-known operating mines are in Muzo and Chivor. These two mines are seemingly bottom pits of the gems as they were when the Incas first excavated them in the pre-Columbian era. In terms of producing quality stones, the Cocuez mine is also an important source of finer emeralds.

Columbian emeralds are considered to be especially fine because they do not have any kind of blue tint or flash. The Columbian mines are also known for Trapiche emeralds, which like the star sapphire have six rays emanating from its center when the jewel is cut into a half domed shape.

The stones that are used to create fine emerald jewellery are also found in many other countries including Pakistan, Madagascar, Zambia, Russia and Afghanistan. The finest gems come from Zimbawe and Brazil. Zambia produces large jewels of a darker green than the Columbian emeralds and Zimbabwe emeralds come from a special mine called the Sandawana Mine which produces tiny yet beautiful yellowish green gemstones.

When buying fine emerald jewelry you should be aware that as it is such a valuable gemstone there are a lot of fakes out there. These include stones that have been dyed, heat-treated or that are even created in the lab. The best way to avoid making any tragic mistakes when you invest in fine emerald jewelry is to make sure that you are buying them from a fine jeweler that can provide you a certificate that confirms the stone's authenticity. Another suggestion is to buy a larger emerald rather than a smaller one, as sometimes the smaller ones do not refract enough to light to truly reveal its brilliant green heart.

About the Author
Learn more about emeralds at Genuine Gem Jewelry

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