About Emeralds - A Quick Guide

Emeralds come from a naturally-occurring mineral which is called beryl. They are green as a result of trace amounts of the element chromium. In the USA, beryl which is green due to the element vanadium is allowed to be called emerald, but in the UK and the rest of Europe, this is not allowed.

The geologist's Mohs scale of hardness, which classifies the hardness of minerals, has a maximum hardness of 10. On the Mohs scale, emeralds are between 7.5 and 8.

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 with no visible inclusions are very rare and can therefore be worth a large amount of money. Some minute liquid-filled inclusions have the appearance of a garden and are therefore known as a 'jardin'.

When it comes to the value of an emerald, in common with other gemstones the 4 'C's of Color, Cut, Clarity and Crystal determine its worth.

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.

Emeralds are mined in many parts of the world, but possibly the place most noted for its emeralds is Colombia. It is here that a rare form of emerald known as a trapiche emerald is found. This type has a 6-point radial pattern due to carbon impurities.

Other notable emerald mining areas are Pakistan, Egypt and Austria, although there are many other countries with mines.

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.

Some important emerald finds include the Gachala Emerald of Colombia, which had a weight of 172g, and another Colombian find, the Chalk Emerald which is 37.82 carat.

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.