Emerald is one of the most renowned stones and one of the most sought after and knowing an authentic emerald takes a lot of time and experience. This article would provide a platform for you to have guidelines as to how to authenticate an emerald and its treatment once you have obtained it.
The thing for starters is that what is the emerald and its origin. Emerald is a Gemstone belonging to Beril group which is chemical beryllium aluminium cyclo-silicate. The color it gets is because of a Metallic oxide which works as an agent. Both of the processes occur naturally but the origin differs and it is essential to know the origin as it can play a major role in its valuation.
How to buy emerald gemstone jewellery?
The Origins are basically the subcontinent including India and Pakistan and the African region, Zimbabwe being the major area where they are found. The Value of this stone can be known by the four Cs which we would discuss below:-
Cut
Cut of the stone is the first, as the cut enhances the emeralds value. The most renowned cut is the Emerald cut which is basically an octagon but it enhances the beauty of the stone. Emeralds are available in plain as well but the cut ones are costlier.
Clarity
Clarity in an emerald is very rare because in most cases the emerald has an impurity such as lines, cracks, holes and a little coloring, the clearer the emerald the more the price.
Carat
Carat size determines the value that the stone can fetch. Usually a good quality emerald weighs around 4-7 carat but can exceed that. However, stone above 10 carats do exist but are very rare.
Color
Color is the last factor which affects the value. Deep green fetches the most price while the emerald can contain tints of yellow, blue, red or black. Dark green with a tint of Gold is the royal color of the emerald and as the color changes the price varies. Although single green color is preferred and is more expensive than the rest oily green is not preferred despite having a single shade of green.
Treatments of Emeralds and from where to buy
The other aspects which help in valuing a stone is that is it natural or treated, a natural stone costs more than a treated one, although the latter looks a lot more attractive to the eyes. The tip of buying is to have a trust worthy jeweler who deals in stones and to have a little knowledge about the origin of the stones. This would help greatly if you want to attain the stone. There are a lot of companies who sell certified stones and you can search it before you embark on this journey of owning an emerald. The common treatments that are done include oil and vacuum treatment. Pouring a special type of oil called joban is used for centuries as a means of treatment for the stone. The treatment is usually to clarify the stone but the treatment doesn’t last that long and has to be repeated. A good quality stone doesn’t need to be treated at all. These are the tip which would help a layman in choosing an emerald and to know that it is counterfeit or not. The important thing to note is that the mine doesn’t affect the stone like the rubies but each area has a distinct specially in the type of stone that is found in the area with Columbian and Brazilian stones the most renowned.
