EMERALD
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A Greek name, this time, for the precious stone with an intense green color. The name ’emerald’ derives from the Greekσμάραγδος (smaragdos) and means “green gem”. However, many scholars believe that the true origin of the name would be izmargad, a Semiticterm that means “green stone”.
Its history dates back to Ancient Egypt, where the emerald mines in the southeastern region were active since 3500 BC. Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt, is known for her deep love for emeralds. Not only did he wear wonderful jewels with embedded emeralds, but he also had the custom of giving his dignitaries an emerald engraved with his image, as a sign of homage. For the Egyptians, the emerald was a real national symbol.
The emerald was already considered a powerful talisman for fertility, immortality, rejuvenation and spring.
As a type III gem, the Emerald has visible inclusions, which represent their sign of recognition. The characteristic “beauty spots” are due to the formation of the gem itself within metamorphic rocks (rocks that have undergone a physical transformation due to extreme variations in heat and pressure), together with the presence of traces of chromium and vanadium. The inclusions and subtle fractures are called by experts “jardin” (from the French, “garden”). An additional feature of this precious stone is its unique brilliance. The luster of an Emerald is often described as “silky”, “warm”, “shining” and has a certain influence on color, purity and cut. The quality of the cut plays a primary role: an expert cutter is in fact able to place the visible inclusions where they do not spoil the beauty of the gem. Through the typical “emerald cut” the famous equidistant steps are aimed at reducing the pressure of the cut and the shape and thus accentuating the silky brilliance of the gem.
The value of an emerald is determined by color, inclusionsand cut.
The intense green coloris due precisely to the presence of vanadium and chromium oxide, which automatically make beryl an emerald. In fact, the beryllium in which only vanadium is present is simply called green beryl. Contrary to what many believe, emeralds have numerous imperfections, which is why green gems without imperfections are very difficult to find and consequently have a very high value.
The inclusionsare typical of the emerald.
Due to its genesis, emeralds often have fractures, inclusions, so we rarely find perfect emeralds. These inclusions can be gas bubbles, liquids, crystals that remain trapped during the growth of the crystal which, many times, can be observed with the naked eye.
Many times, inclusions can indicate that my gem is natural. Many times, inclusions can indicate that my gem is natural.
Sometimes, there may also be inclusions on the surface of the gem, over time, the gem can be fractured.
The cutis the last element to be taken into consideration.
Due to the presence of fractures and inclusions, the emerald is sometimes difficult to cut. Sometimes the gem fractures during the cutting process. At this time, we need to fill the fractures with resins or oils. With the
FTIR technique, we can identify if my gem has been treated or not.
It is usually cut into a rectangular shape, so as to make its color uniform and the gemstone brighter.
Even a low quality stone is cut well, its economic value can go up.
Commercially, emeralds can only be found in two formats
– They range from 0.02-0.5 carats, and correspond size between 1mm-5mm. These are gems used to make the outline
– 1-5 carats which match the size from 6-12mm, they are used as center gems.