Fall In Love With Emeralds

Are you a lover of emeralds? Luckily for us precious stones can be found in many beautiful colours and in many varying grades and prices, but if you are searching for a unique and beautiful piece of gemstone jewelry, then why not look for an exquisite emerald? These exquisite green stones can be set in engagement rings, dress rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces and they also look sensational set in either gold, white gold, silver or platinum.

This is a gemstone that is a vivid, deep green colour and the name comes from the Latin word smaragdus meaning green. In Ancient Rome green was the colour that they associated with the goddess of love and beauty, Venus, and in many cultures green stands for fertility, the continuity of life, harmony and never-ending love. The colour green also resonates with the heart chakra. It was believed that the colour of an emerald soothed the eye and restored eyesight, and early gemstone cutters would keep one on hand to look at and so give their eyes a rest from their delicate and exacting work.

They are a variety of the mineral beryl which has been coloured green by trace amounts of chromium and occasionally vanadium. Pure beryl is actually colourless and traces of other elements add colour to the beryl to form aquamarines, morganite, and heliodor as well as emeralds. Like all coloured gemstones they are graded by colour, cut, clarity, and carat, with colour being the most important criterion. To be considered top quality, the stone needs to be a deep green colour and also to be very clear. The colour is divided into hue, saturation and tone. Green is the primary colour for this precious stone and they can also contain secondary colours of yellow and blue. The colour of emeralds ranges from a yellowish green to a bluish green. Only the gemstones that are medium to dark in tone are considered emeralds and the hue must be vivid. Lighter toned gemstones are known by the name green beryl. Gray is the normal mask or saturation modifier found in emeralds.

These precious stones tend to have a lot of inclusions and surface breaking fissures. They are graded by the eye, and if a stone has no inclusions visible to the eye then it is considered to be flawless. Emeralds that lack surface breaking fissures are extremely rare and therefore almost all of these precious stones are ‘oiled’ to enhance their apparent clarity. One of the commonly used oils in this process is Cedar Oil, but synthetic oils and polymers are also used. The US Federal Trade Commission requires a disclosure that the precious stone has been treated when it is sold. While oiling is an accepted treatment in the gem trade, there are other treatments such as using green-tinted oil that are not. If you are looking spend a lot of money on an emerald it is wise to obtain a treatment report from a reputable laboratory experienced in this type of analysis before you do so. In addition, an ‘oiled’ stone should never be put into water containing soap or other cleansing agents as they will remove the treatment from the gemstone leaving it looking matt and dull. Therefore if you are lucky enough to possess an exquisite emerald ring, you should always remove it before washing your hands.

They are a hard precious stone, but their natural flaws and brittle nature can make them difficult to cut, and because of this the ‘Emerald’ cut was developed just for these gemstones. If the rough stone has many flaws and inclusions it is more likely to be cut as a cabochon rather than as a faceted stone. It is the flawless to the eye emeralds of a vivid deep green with no more than 15% of secondary hues that are of medium to dark tone that are the most valuable. The paler the colour of the gemstone, the less valuable it becomes.

In antiquity, they were mined by the Egyptians at the famous Cleopatra Mines and also in Austria and Pakistan. The Incas and Aztecs of South America regarded these green precious stones as holy and in ancient India the Vedas says that they enhance well-being and bring good luck. Wearing them was also said to heighten fertility and sexuality in women and cure many diseases such as ailments of the kidneys, eyes, thymus, lymph nodes, intestines and heart. The magic of an emerald was said to cure insomnia, lift depression and enhance the immune system. It was recorded that the Roman Emperor Nero would enjoy himself watching the gladiatorial games through flat emerald crystals. They were also worn as talismans to ward off evil spirits and prevent spirit possession, and they were also thought to provide protection on long journeys. It is regarded as the birthstone for the month of May and the gemstone of the zodiac signs of Taurus and Cancer. It is also associated with the 20^th and 35^th wedding anniversaries as this gemstone is regarded as a sign of love and devotion and is said to promote wisdom and personal growth.

These days deposits are found in Colombia, Australia, East Africa, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, the US, China, and many parts of Europe and Asia. Colombia probably produces the greatest amount and has around 150 known deposits, although they are not all being currently worked. The main areas for mining emeralds in Colombia are Muzo and Chivor. In the mines of Colombia a rare type called a trapiche is occasionally found. These trapiche emeralds have spokes of dark carbon impurities that resemble a six-pointed millwheel pattern. Emeralds from Zimbabwe are among the oldest gemstones known as they started to grow around 2600 million years ago.

There are many famous emeralds in the world today. One example is the Gachala Emerald, which is 858 carats and is one of the largest in the world. It was discovered at La Vega de San Juan mine in Colombia in 1967 and is now in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. Another very large stone is the Mogul Emerald, which weighs 217.80 carats and dates back to 1695. It is 10cm high and engraved with prayer texts on one side and carved flowers on the other. The Mogul Emerald was auctioned at Christie’s in London in 2001 for $2.2 million. The Chalk Emerald is another Colombian stone of 37.82 carats. It is set in a ring surrounded by sixty pear-shaped diamonds and was donated to the Smithsonian Institute in 1972 by Mr and Mrs O Roy Chalk.

The New York Museum of Natural History has a cup fashioned out of pure emerald that once belonged to the fabled Emperor Jehangir, and it is displayed alongside one of the biggest Colombian emeralds ever found at 632 carats called ‘Patricia’. The Bahia Emerald was discovered in Brazil and is one of the biggest ever found at 180,000 carats. Someone who claimed they owned this precious stone reported it stolen from a secured vault in Los Angeles. The true value of this giant precious stone is unknown, but has been estimated at $370 million. The Bahia Emerald has the distinction of having once been listed on eBay for a ‘Buy It Now’ price of $75 million!

So enjoy yourself shopping for your special piece of emerald jewelry. You will be purchasing a rare and unique precious stone that will delight you forever with its beautiful deep green colour and its sparkling, clear beauty.

Copyright 2009 CMHypno on HubPages

Hooker Emerald Image dbking Wikimedia Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 2.0 Generic