Emeralds – A Few Facts

Emeralds originate from a mineral called beryl, and are green as a result of traces of the element chromium. Some beryl with vanadium is also green, and in the US can be called emerald. This is not the case in Europe and the UK, where this mineral is not permitted to have the name emerald.

Geologists have a hardness scale for minerals, and it is called the Mohs scale of hardness. On this scale, emeralds are 7.5-8, the scale going up to a maximum of 10.

Almost all emeralds have imperfections known as inclusions within them, and these may cause weakness. Inclusions cause them to be less resistant to breakage than those which are inclusion-free.

Emeralds having no inclusions are small in number, and as a result can fetch large sums of money. ‘Jardins’ are tiny inclusions filled with liquid, and these have a garden-like appearance within the gemstone.

An emerald’s value, as with other gemstones, depends on what is referred to as the 4 ‘C’s – Color, Clarity, Cut and Crystal.

Most emeralds have been treated at some point with oils which increase their clarity. Synthetic oils or cedar oil is used for this. In the United States, emeralds for sale which have been treated with oil need to have this information disclosed.

There are many places in the world where emeralds are mined, but probably the best-known place for emeralds is Colombia. A rare type of emerald called a trapiche is found in this country. It has a radial pattern with six points, which is caused by impurities of carbon.

Egypt, Pakistan and Austria are some other well-known places for emerald mining, but there are quite a few other countries with this type of mine.

Synthetic emeralds can be manufactured nowadays, and a number of different processes have achieved this. Many use a seed of beryl on which the synthetic emerald grows.

Emerald is the month of May’s birthstone, and is also the stone for the astrological signs of the zodiac Taurus and Cancer. Wedding anniversaries of 20 years, 35 years and 55 years are also times when the emerald is traditionally given as a gift to ones marriage partner.

Major emeralds which have been discovered include the Gachala emerald from Colombia, which weighed 172g, and the 37.82 carat Chalk Emerald also from Colombia.

Emeralds can be cut into many shapes, a popular one being the ‘emerald cut’. This is popular as it shows the gemstone off very well. Some other cuts are pear, oval, round and marquise.

Get information about emeralds and emerald rings at Sarah Carter’s site. You can read facts on antique emerald engagement rings. This article, Emeralds – A Few Facts is available for free reprint.