Emerald grading

[VividRed]

Friends,

I am casually looking at emeralds and while I know absolutely nothing about them other than the basics, I do like the color they can achieve (who doesn’t?).

I know they are rather rare, yet it is not unheard of to see fine quality 20+ carats fine gems, unlike rubies which - in that size and quality - fetch millions at auctions.

I would like to understand what drives the price the most. Well, color of course, but which color exactly, other than green? Is a bit of blue good or bad? Is yellow desired? Clarity and brilliance are not in this party I think, inclusions are all over the place and I think they even add to the overall effect. I think some call the inclusions the “garden” of the stone.

For example, what about this one?

https://www.gemrockauctions.com/auc...atural-green-emerald-zambia-pear-mixed-849637

The color seems nice to me, inclusions are visible but that’s the norm with emeralds, and in terms of treatment I will assume it is oiled (what other types of clarity enhancements are there?). Ot does not have any lab cert so I would not buy it anyway, but does that look anywhere close to attractive / attractively priced?

Wish you all a wonderful day,
VRed

PS: @T L I read in another thread that you like emeralds. Given how much I have learned from you on rubies, I wonder what your thoughts are on this one and if you could indicate a vendor you like for emeralds. Thank you in advance!

 

[T L]

VividRed,
The first post in this thread considers the variables that one must consider for emeralds, and the other qualities that Colombian emeralds have that others do not, if you read further down in that thread. I will just add that some enhancements are more stable than others, like opticon (a very stable filler).

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/emerald-priceguide.247920/

The good news with emeralds vs. rubies, is that corundum is very dense and beryl is the opposite, so a one carat emerald will typically face up about twice the size as a one carat ruby. Density is my least favorite aspect to corundum.

The emerald you picked out looks very flat in color, and it’s also cut extremely shallow. I’m pretty forgiving of cutting issues in emeralds, but I personally prefer emerald cuts, and nothing too shallow or deep. That being said, emeralds are the most difficult stones to photograph. I have some Colombians myself, and no matter how many times I photograph them, they never look like they do in real life.

Also while inclusions are normal with emeralds, they can even be too included. You don’t want so many that the stone is translucent vs. transparent, or they impede the color distribution.

I don’t have a vendor for emeralds unfortunately. I find many of them to have inferior stones or they’re overpriced. My favorite gems actually come from antique jewelry, but they should be accompanied by an AGL lab report. There are synthetics, and doublets to worry about.

 

[T L]

Also, I think no matter what fine gem you’re buying, it’s always helpful to see top qualities for that particular gem. I’m not saying one should only buy the best quality, but I do think it helps make a more informed decision. Here is one of the greatest emeralds to ever have been produced by the earth. I’m sure this video still cannot capture its true beauty, but I think it’s helpful.