Emerald is a variety of green mineral belonging to the beryl family. Pure beryl is colorless, but emerald owes its green color to traces of chromium and/or vanadium that penetrate its crystal structure during its formation. To be considered a true emerald, these two elements must be primarily responsible for the green color, otherwise the mineral will simply be a common green beryl that gets its color from the presence of iron. Its hardness is 7.5 on the Mohs scale, below sapphire and ruby.

COLOR

The quality and value of an emerald depends on the color of the stone. High quality emeralds have a grass green color, with medium to medium dark saturation. Stones that are light green (like light green beryl), too dark, blackish, or completely opaque have a very low value. Beryl is the family of minerals that contains beryllium and emerald is the most famous variety of this family. The diversity of quality and clarity of beryls makes it possible to have jewelry at very competitive prices.
varied.

SIZE

Raw emeralds can be cut into different shapes and sizes depending on the original piece and the lapidary's purpose. The lapidary seeks to bring out the most beautiful color of the emerald and to minimize inclusions. It may also seek to minimize the amount of material lost during pruning. The most common cut is the “emerald” cut.

TREATMENTS

The inclusions in emeralds reveal their geological history and are commonly referred to as the "garden". Cracks can sometimes be seen with the naked eye. Therefore, fillers such as oil, wax, natural or artificial resins are commonly used to improve their transparency, and have been doing so for over two millennia.

ORIGINS

Colombia is the main source of premium emeralds, with several mining regions that have been supplying emeralds for centuries for the international market. Brazil is also a major producer of emeralds, with production beginning in the 16th century after the gemstone was discovered in Itabira and other regions.

Africa is a booming emerald source with recent discoveries in Ethiopia and notable deposits in Madagascar, Zambia and Zimbabwe . Madagascar is renowned for producing small, high quality emeralds. Zambia is the world's largest source of emeralds by volume, largely due to the Kagem mine, and emeralds from Sandawana in Zimbabwe produce beautifully saturated but small stones.

The Panjshir Valley emerald deposit in Afghanistan is a consistent source of quality emeralds. Davdar in China's Xinjiang province and the Swat Valley in Pakistan are also historical sources of emeralds.

CHOOSE YOUR EMERALD

When choosing an emerald, it is important to take into account several criteria.

Color is essential, choose an intense and uniform green shade. The transparency of the stone is also essential, avoid
inclusions visible to the naked eye. Size and shape depend on your personal preference. Also consider the origin of the emerald, with Colombian, Brazilian and Zambian being the most renowned.

Finally, the certificate of authenticity is essential to guarantee the quality of the stone.