Colombian emeralds (pair for earnings)

[Gem Crazy]

I am in search of a pair of Colombian Emeralds, preferable from Muzo, that between 2-3 carats each, that were vivid green (no too light), with minor inclusions. I prefer untreated but know that most emerald will have some oil treatment. I need help finding a vendor who I can trust to buy these stones and who is open to getting a AGL prestige report for me. Can someone guide me in the right direction? I don't mind flying to Colombia, if necessary, to make this purchase, but with the due diligence that is involved in buying such stones, I need a vendor to work with me.

Thank you in advance for your advice and help

 

[voce]

I'd start with Inken at Enhoerning Jewelry to find such a pair. If you are patient, you can wait until Yvonne Raley goes to Columbia in 2020, to source a pair for you directly. These are both very reputable vendors, and the difference is that Inken is very responsive but relies upon dealers in New York, while Yvonne is responsive as well but has a bigger business and more demands on her time, but travels herself and can purchase directly from the mines when she visits Columbia.

 

[Gem Crazy]

I'd start with Inken at Enhoerning Jewelry to find such a pair. If you are patient, you can wait until Yvonne Raley goes to Columbia in 2020, to source a pair for you directly. These are both very reputable vendors, and the difference is that Inken is very responsive but relies upon dealers in New York, while Yvonne is responsive as well but has a bigger business and more demands on her time, but travels herself and can purchase directly from the mines when she visits Columbia.

Thank you for the pointers. Are you referring Yvonne from Cecile Raley Designs on Etsy? I am looking for 'fine' quality stones. I have a flexible budget to procure them. I am interested in stones that are of finer quality that the ones I saw in the first 3 pages she has on Etsy. Would you recommend her for fine stones as well?

 

[whitewave]

I also recommend Inken https://www.etsy.com/shop/EnhoerningJewelry she procured me a fine emerald from one of her emerald dealers.

Also, maybe Ed Bristol at https://www.wildfishgems.com/

 

[T L]

What is your budget for the stones?

 

[Gem Crazy]

What is your budget for the stones?

I am thinking about $5k per Carat or around $25k for both of them. I know emeralds can go as high as $50k per carat, but I am thinking that I can get fairly good 2-3 carat stones for about 12k each.

Please advise, if I am off base here.

 

[voce]

Thank you for the pointers. Are you referring Yvonne from Cecile Raley Designs on Etsy? I am looking for 'fine' quality stones. I have a flexible budget to procure them. I am interested in stones that are of finer quality that the ones I saw in the first 3 pages she has on Etsy. Would you recommend her for fine stones as well?

Hi @Gem Crazy, yes, it was Cecile Raley Designs I was referring to. Neither Etsy vendor has what you are looking for in stock, but Yvonne is planning to travel to Columbia and can source your stones from Muzo directly, and probably has some of the same contacts among emerald dealers in New York.

Yvonne has mentioned to me at least one finer quality emerald that she has not listed on Etsy, and it's not really an issue of having or not having an eye for finer quality stones (Yvonne definitely does have an eye for quality colored stones), but more of what makes sense for her to carry in stock given most of her clientele are after her custom designs that use smaller stones. Yvonne would probably be able to source you what you are looking for if given enough time and if your budget is reasonable.

 

[Gem Crazy]

Hi @Gem Crazy, yes, it was Cecile Raley Designs I was referring to. Neither Etsy vendor has what you are looking for in stock, but Yvonne is planning to travel to Columbia and can source your stones from Muzo directly, and probably has some of the same contacts among emerald dealers in New York.

Yvonne has mentioned to me at least one finer quality emerald that she has not listed on Etsy, and it's not really an issue of having or not having an eye for finer quality stones (Yvonne definitely does have an eye for quality colored stones), but more of what makes sense for her to carry in stock given most of her clientele are after her custom designs that use smaller stones. Yvonne would probably be able to source you what you are looking for if given enough time and if your budget is reasonable.

I have reached out to her. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Gem Crazy]

Has anyone dealt with George at Muzoemerlads on Instagram. He seems to have some really beautiful stones and is willing to get them sent to AGL for appraisal. He is located in Bogota.

Below is a set that he shared with me for $8k a carat. I think it is a bit pricey for this. Have any of you heard about this vendor? The stones are clear not clouded at they appear in the pics

.

 

[T L]

Are they untreated and eye clean? What’s the carat weight?

 

[CSpan]

I haven't bought from them but jr columbian emeralds and there was one other, have huge loose stone sales on right now.

 

[T L]

I haven't bought from them but jr columbian emeralds and there was one other, have huge loose stone sales on right now.

JR Colombian prices are negotiable, so always ask.

 

[T L]

Has anyone dealt with George at Muzoemerlads on Instagram. He seems to have some really beautiful stones and is willing to get them sent to AGL for appraisal. He is located in Bogota.

Below is a set that he shared with me for $8k a carat. I think it is a bit pricey for this. Have any of you heard about this vendor? The stones are clear not clouded at they appear in the pics

.

Not top color, but if eye clean and faint to no treatment, and at least three carats each, then 8k/ct sounds fair. Maybe you can negotiate the price. The thing is that pairs are usually more expensive than single stones. Now, if these were top color, expect to pay tens of thousands per carat. If you were looking at one carat stones each, the price per carat would be less as well. These appear to be at least theee carats each.

 

[Gem Crazy]

Not top color, but if eye clean and faint to no treatment, and at least three carats each, then 8k/ct sounds fair. Maybe you can negotiate the price. The thing is that pairs are usually more expensive than single stones. Now, if these were top color, expect to pay tens of thousands per carat. If you were looking at one carat stones each, the price per carat would be less as well. These appear to be at least theee carats each.

Yes these are 3 carats each, seem to be eye clean but I see your concern on the color. 8K seems a bit high to me. They have minor treatment. I am looking for 2 carat stones.

 

[Gem Crazy]

Is this jrcolumbianemeralds.com ? They have a store in Jupiter Florida (pretty close to where I live)

 

[Gem Crazy]

Texted Yvonne, very responsive. She did mention she would be going to Columbia and could pick the stones but she wanted me to buy them by seeing them in a video and without a report from AGL. That would require me to trust her completely with an expensive purchase. Having not worked with her before, I am not sure I can do that.

 

[T L]

Yes these are 3 carats each, seem to be eye clean but I see your concern on the color. 8K seems a bit high to me. They have minor treatment. I am looking for 2 carat stones.

The color is still beautiful. The thing with emeralds is that you don’t have to own top color to have a beautiful gem. Top color, eye clean, minor treatment stones will be out of your budget in two carat each pairs unfortunately.

 

[T L]

Yvonne, at least to me, typically picks out lighter emeralds, so show her the color you’re looking for.

 

[T L]

Is this jrcolumbianemeralds.com ? They have a store in Jupiter Florida (pretty close to where I live)

You should check them out if you’re nearby. They specialize in emerald and negotiate on price. Just make sure you’re clear with them what you want.

 

[Gem Crazy]

Yvonne, at least to me, typically picks out lighter emeralds, so show her the color you’re looking for.

These are stones I currently have in my possession but am planning to return them as the cut is too deep for a pair of earrings. These were quoted to me at $5050 per carat, they are eye clean and have little treatment.

 

[T L]

Well it’s hard to tell from these photos if they’re top color, but minor treatment can mean thousands less than faint treatment or no treatment. For example check out this stone, no treatment, excellent Muzo color, and the price.

Somebody's gotta buy this stone, "If I won the lottery" edition

BTW, the pad is not expensive I was surprised when I saw the price on the pad ring. It's my favorite color. The pale pinks are meh. I love the brilliant orange and the price on this is really good. You don't have to be a lottery winner to score this guy.:love:

www.pricescope.com

Also some labs are more conservative about the amount of treatment than others. For example, an AGL moderate treated stone may be a minor treated stone to another lab.

 

[Gem Crazy]

Well it’s hard to tell from these photos if they’re top color, but minor treatment can mean thousands less than faint treatment or no treatment. For example check out this stone, no treatment, excellent Muzo color, and the price.

Somebody's gotta buy this stone, "If I won the lottery" edition

BTW, the pad is not expensive I was surprised when I saw the price on the pad ring. It's my favorite color. The pale pinks are meh. I love the brilliant orange and the price on this is really good. You don't have to be a lottery winner to score this guy.:love:

www.pricescope.com

Also some labs are more conservative about the amount of treatment than others. For example, an AGL moderate treated stone may be a minor treated stone to another lab.

The stone in the picture is beautiful very expensive though $25k a carat

 

[T L]

The stone in the picture is beautiful very expensive though $25k a carat

Well when you say top color, Columbian origin, two plus carats each stone, eye clean, almost no treatment, then yes, $25k/carat is realistic. Then you want pairs, so even more $$$$.

You may have to sacrifice a bit on your qualifications to get in your budget. Minor treatment by the way, is not “a small amount” because resin can still affect the overall look of the stone before and after treating. If you want faint to no treatment, expect much higher prices.

Btw, the finest Colombian material on earth can fetch six figures a carat.

 

[T L]

Various levels of treatment before and after treating.

 

[Gem Crazy]

These are stones I currently have in my possession but am planning to return them as the cut is too deep for a pair of earrings. These were quoted to me at $5050 per carat, they are eye clean and have little treatment.

Here are the same stones in a video I took last night

Various levels of treatment before and after treating.

i would not want any Resin treatment. Only oil if I can’t afford untreated.

have you worked with muzoemeralds before, are they reliable ?

 

[T L]

As I mentioned before, I have not worked with muzoemeralds, but other Pricescopers have.

Oil, like some resin, will dry up and the stone will look more included in a few years.

 

[qubitasaurus]

I am a bit confused. I thought the oil was a form of resin? As in it is not like cooking oil, but rather a thick resin kind of material? Sorry to thread Jack, I dont really have any advice about buying 25 k emeralds. But I thought Sungura had a good thread on visiting muzoemeralds in Bogota.

A Visit to The Emerald District in Bogota Colombia

I have to get closer to a male duck. I saw one the other day walking in a neighborhood lawn, but he quickly waddled away from the scary human. I just pictured what you said and found it super :lol-2:...try to get close to a male duck's neck just randomly....:lol:

www.pricescope.com

It feels like this worrying extensively about price may be a bit of a not so good use of time though. If you're willing to fly there then it sounds like this vendor muzoemeralds is trustworthy. So directly asking them about the price will be your fastest way to work out what is within budget and what is not. Since it Is a sliding scale something will fit -- you just have to be open to the fact that colour, treatment level, how matched the pair is, and size typically trade off against each other so you cant have all of them at the same time (unless you have a 10-20 k per ct. type of budget).

 

[Gem Crazy]

I am a bit confused. I thought the oil was a form of resin? As in it is not like cooking oil, but rather a thick resin kind of material? Sorry to thread Jack, I dont really have any advice about buying 25 k emeralds. But I thought Sungura had a good thread on visiting muzoemeralds in Bogota.

A Visit to The Emerald District in Bogota Colombia

I have to get closer to a male duck. I saw one the other day walking in a neighborhood lawn, but he quickly waddled away from the scary human. I just pictured what you said and found it super :lol-2:...try to get close to a male duck's neck just randomly....:lol:

www.pricescope.com

It feels like this worrying extensively about price may be a bit of a not so good use of time though. If you're willing to fly there then it sounds like this vendor muzoemeralds is trustworthy. So directly asking them about the price will be your fastest way to work out what is within budget and what is not. Since it Is a sliding scale something will fit -- you just have to be open to the fact that colour, treatment level, how matched the pair is, and size typically trade off against each other so you cant have all of them at the same time (unless you have a 10-20 k per ct. type of budget).

I have come to the same realization after the guidance on this site. Thank you so much for the link to the post that discusses the muzoemeralds

so now that I have understood that I have to compromise color, treatment, size or clarity, What do you all recommend I should sacrifice.

Should I go with smaller emeralds for the pair and get better quality gems ?

should I consider a cushion cut vs emerald cut ?

I know each of us has preferences and I want your Opinion on what you would be preferable in terms of value for money.

Thoughts please ?

 

[T L]

I would go with minor or lesser treatment, and sacrifice in size or color. Emeralds are gorgeous in that medium tone as well. I love the $8k/ct stones you showed above. However, if you want super fine Muzo color, then go with 1 to 1.5 carat stones each.

I love emerald cut the best for emeralds, but that’s a personal, although classic choice.

 

[voce]

I believe @T L is the emerald expert here, but my choice would be to sacrifice size or clarity, not color. I believe that when it comes to colored gems, if the color is not one that makes my heart leap for joy, I seldom reach for it to wear. So color is the king in my priority list. I consider minor or lesser treatment as the second most important, as I want my gems to keep well over time--no sense in spending money on beauty that doesn't last; might as well buy some fashion jewelry or CZ then. Clarity can be hit or miss, as I've turned away many stones based on the way the inclusions bothered me. However, often times if the color is top notch it either disguises or draws the eye away from the inclusions. Size is a very personal matter, but I rank it as least important factor out of color, treatment, clarity and size.

You have mentioned wanting fine quality emerald. As such, I think the classic emerald cut would show the attributes emeralds are prized for (the glow and sheen) much better than a cushion cut, which prioritizes brilliance over flash.