Choice of Emerald

6 factors are essential to choose the right emerald.

The purity of the stone

Emerald is the most included gemstone. These are called the “emerald garden”. Unlike diamonds , inclusions are completely tolerated in jewelry and fine jewelry provided that they are not excessively visible and that they allow light to circulate inside the emerald.

Emerald does not have a classification unlike diamond for example.

Color intensity

The most important point. The most intense stones are the most sought after but the most important thing when choosing your emerald is that it seduces you!

Below, an illustration of the five main intensities of green.

The origin of the emerald

Colombian emerald is by far the most renowned and best known despite its very high price and the fact that the mines produce less and less (only around fifty jewelry quality stones per week for Muzo, the main Colombian mine).
In jewelry and fine jewelry, the most used emeralds are Brazilian emeralds which are of excellent quality. The Zambian ones are lighter and generally less qualitative than the Brazilian ones but also widely used in jewelry.

The form

The most common shapes for emerald are: oval and canted cut (often called "emerald cut").
For creations such as a pendant, it is preferable to use a pear cut.

Weight (in carat)

For jewelry, choose emeralds between 0.5 and 1 carat for rings and up to 2 carats for pendants, in order to combine size and comfort.

For investment, emeralds of 2 to 5 carats are sought after for their rarity and value. Stones over 5 carats also offer appreciation potential.

Oiling the emerald

Almost all emeralds are oiled with cedar oil. The practice consists of immersing the stone in cedar oil in order to fill the micro-cracks present in the stone (their shine is amplified). This practice is perfectly tolerated. However, it is prohibited to replace this oil with a colored resin.