Unheated Emeralds from India

[uber]

I found some 2.50 carat emeralds from India selling at US$120/carat. Normally, I know that emeralds are clear but these ones are hazy/cloudy with a bit of gray looking veins.

Are Indian emeralds hazy/cloudy in general?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[chrono]

There are plenty of of included and hazy emeralds from all locations. When a 2.5 ct emerald is priced as low as $120/ct, it is bound to have issues, which in this case, the clarity is the reason for the low price.

 

[uber]

Not sure if this would help but the 2.50 carats emerald i'm talking about is almost the same as the one in the picture. Is $120/carat worth it? Thank you!

 

[chrono]

Inclusions that are obvious with the naked eyes bother me, regardless of price. Any gem or jewellery is worth $X to each buyer. One person might think $120/ct is worth it, another will think it is too expensive, yet another will not buy it at any cost. If you like it, then by all means get it. You will not get a clean chrome green untreated emerald for $120/ct. Something has to be sacrificed when the price is that low, either the colour, treatment, clarity, size, etc. What a person is willing to sacrifice will vary from person to person. If you prefer a cleaner emerald, you will need to increase your budget significantly. Another thing to consider when buying a highly included emerald is its structural integrity, especially a ring stone.

 

[uber]

Thanks for replying!

What do you mean by structural integrity?

 

[chrono]

The durability of the stone. A highly included stone sustains damage more easily than a clean stone because existing open fractures or inclusions can grow larger when under stress (hit or banged against a hard surface).

 

[minousbijoux]

I personally would not be interested in an emerald that looked like that - no matter the cost - but that's solely based on my personal preference. In this case, it really depends on whether you find it pleasing and won't mind something that appears more opaque than transparent. To me, the value would be much less than $120/ct - but again, that's me.

 

[GoldfishPie]

I had a ring that looked like that. I bought it from JTV 10 years ago, and paid $35. I personally wouldn't pay a dollar over $35.

 

[JewelFreak]

Unfortunately, I agree that you can do much better, but would need to increase your budget. This stone might be ok for a fun ring in an inexpensive setting. It's opaque and the inclusions obvious. $120/ct is more than it is worth, imho. Glass is cheaper & looks better. For the price of this, I'm sure you can find something else a little more pleasing to the eye, even if it isn't an emerald.

--- Laurie

 

[T L]

Emeralds are not heat treated that I know of, so all of them would be unheated. However, that doesn't mean they're not filled, or irradiated, dyed, etc. . .

Indian emeralds are not highly esteemed unfortunately.

 

[chrono]

TL,
Good catch on "unheated"; my eyes glossed over thread title as read it as "untreated". Yes, it could be filled with all sorts of things (oil resin, etc). and dyed as well. Emeralds are generally not heated in the first place.

 

[uber]

Thanks to everyone for their input. I'll forego the 2.5 carats for now until something better comes along

 

[treasurehunter]

Emeralds aren't irradiated either.
Major concern with indian diamonds is a filler that contains green dye.

 

[chrono]

I am sorry to disagree that emeralds are not irradiated. This is a fairly recent discovery by AGL.
http://www.agtaeprism.com/articles/20120104-aglindentifiesirradiatedemeralds.pdf

 

[treasurehunter]

interesting thanks