Chrome diopside or Tsavorite - which looks more like an emerald?

[canadianicequeen]

In your opinion - Does Chrome diopside or Tsavorite garnet appear most like a natural emerald? I can''t afford a natural emerald in the size that I would like ( around 6 x 8 mm) so I think I will get one of the other ''green'' gemstones instead.

Also - suggestions of best place or website to buy?

Thanks!

 

[lelser]

Good quality Tsav or Chrome Diopside will have a different look than emerald, and chrome or just a good colour green Tourm also have rich greens. You''ll really need to see the individual stone to know what says "that''s my rock!" to you. Any of those stone types could work, though.

Cheers,

Lisa

 

[ma re]

As it''s been discussed in numerous threads before on this forum, no green stone can match the qualities of the best of emeralds, but other stones can come close to an average emerald. I''d say that it doesen''t just depend on color, but also on the cut used, clarity level of the stone (emeralds are famous for their less than perfect clarity), and the setting technique implemented (prong and bezel setting, for instance, differently affect the stone''s appearance).

Most chrome diopsides are IMO too dark, too yellowish green and with the color that''s not saturated enough to really mimic an emerald. When set in white metal, that yellowish component becomes less obvious, but often the stone gets even darker (due to a harsh contrast with the metal) and the color saturation doesen''t benefit from such a setting either. Some of it''s optical properties, however, are quite close to what you''d find in an emerald, firstly the refractive index.

Tsavorite can get very close in color to a bluish green of a nice emerald, but such pieces are not exactly cheap either. But if there''s one thing that gives them away as not being emeralds, it''s high brilliance, that makes them look closer to green diamonds than to emeralds. They have a very crisp and distinct sparkle, while emerald will never really "poke you in the eye", as it''s shine is more of a glow and is quite subdued. If there is some less then perfect clarity in a tsavorite (some eye visible inclusions), if it''s not cut in a brilliant cut or one of it''s variations (which show off a lively scintillation at it''s best, and emeralds don''t possess that quality) and if it''s a rich shade of green, you might make it really look like an emerald.

But remember another thing - no nice emerald will ever be set in a cheapy setting. To me, quality of the setting suggests the quality (and value) of the stone more often than not, so when I see a cheapy setting with a deep green stone, emeralds won''t really come to mind (more like colored CZ or something like that). I know not everyone will pay attention to this and make such conclusions, but if you know a lot of folks who''re into jewellery, they might connect the dots.

 

[LD]

Unfortunately to get the "look" of an Emerald, in any other gemstone, you''ll probably have to pay lots more than you think. For example, the closest to an Emerald is possibly a Tsavorite (but if you know your gemstones you''re unlikely to be fooled if you had the two in front of you and had to decided which is which) but to get an Emerald colour, you''ll be looking at a decent amount of money. Emeralds "perform" differently from Tsavs or Chrome Diopside or Chrome Tourmaline - there are distinct differences so if you really want the look of an Emerald I would definitely try to see examples of them all because you may find they don''t give you what you want.

You may actually be better looking at Emeralds. There are some on the market that are not as expensive as you may think but beware of treatments. Search this forum as there''s been a number of threads on this topic just recently that you may find interesting.

 

[ma re]

If you''re not limited only to faceted material, chrome tourmaline cabs can look incredibly similar to emeralds, especially in the right setting. They''re quite affordable too.

 

[T L]

Richard Hughes said that cabochon tsavorite looks very close to emerald. Since it doesn't have sparkle, due to the face that it's a cabochon. Cabochons also typically, not all, have inclusions, which emeralds also have.

I would stay away from chrome diopside. I'm not crazy about their color and they're too soft.

 

[LD]

Chrome tourmaline (to me) looks like green glass used in bottles! I''ve never looked at a bottle and thought "oooooh emerald"!!!!

 

[lelser]

Date: 1/1/2010 10:40:23 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Chrome tourmaline (to me) looks like green glass used in bottles! I''ve never looked at a bottle and thought ''oooooh emerald''!!!!

Depends on the stone and the cut. Generally you''re right, but a lower-quality chrome cabbed could do the job. You just can''t often find them.

 

[serenitydiamonds]

You might get something that looks the approximate color as a good emerald, but it won't ever look close to one to someone that has seen emeralds. There's a silky light response that isn't reproducible in other green gems.

--Joshua

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 1/1/2010 4:28:35 AM
Author: ma re

But remember another thing - no nice emerald will ever be set in a cheapy setting. To me, quality of the setting suggests the quality (and value) of the stone more often than not, so when I see a cheapy setting with a deep green stone, emeralds won''t really come to mind (more like colored CZ or something like that). I know not everyone will pay attention to this and make such conclusions, but if you know a lot of folks who''re into jewellery, they might connect the dots.

Very well said. So many times the setting was all that was necessary in determining the quality of the stone set upon it.

--Joshua

 

[chrono]

Date: 1/1/2010 3:26:36 PM
Author: serenitydiamonds
You might get something that looks the same color as a good emerald, but it won't ever look close to one to someone that has seen emeralds. There's a silky light response that isn't reproducible in other green gems.

--Joshua

I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. That said, I think a fine tsavorite comes decently close (although it is more brilliant versus satiny). Chrome diopside tends to get overly dark, not to mention is too soft for daily wear compared to a tsavorite. Swala seems to have quite a few tsavorites recently and might be worth a look.

 

[Sagebrush]

Ice Queen,

I agree with TL, cabochon tsavorite can be quite close to emerald though the hue rarely has the blue secondary that is ordinarily seen in fine emerald. The color seen is transmitted rather than refracted so the superior refraction of tsavorite does not come into play.


Best,

 

[Arkteia]

I have bought several chrome diopsides on ebay. With a proper cut they look nice, but they do not look like emeralds at all. Plus you may spend more on the setting since they are soft. Super-quality tsavorites, in my view, can outperform emeralds, but good travorites are becoming pricey as well. It is hard to find good-quality emeralds, and larger ones have eye-visible inclusions, or cracks, or something else. You may have better luck with smaller emeralds, but with the price of tsavorites rapidly going up, I wonder if a tsavorite may soon become a better investment.

 

[Indylady]

Check out Embassy Emeralds and Planetary Gems for emeralds. They both have a fairly large inventory and don''t carry heavily treated emeralds (cedar oil at most).

 

[Kim Bruun]

Date: 1/1/2010 10:40:23 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Chrome tourmaline (to me) looks like green glass used in bottles! I''ve never looked at a bottle and thought ''oooooh emerald''!!!!

LOL! I haven''t been presented with a chrome tourmaline in person, but some of the ones featured on wildfishgems have a gorgeous, rich green colour that rivals fine emerald in beauty, if the pics are anything to go by.

The real question is, do you want a beautiful green stone, or do you want something that can impersonate an emerald? Tsavorite has more fire than emerald, and I love my tsavorite for what it is - not as a cheaper alternative to emerald, but something that has its own special beauty and character. I wouldn''t rule out demantoid either!

Now chrome diopside, that reminds ME of beer bottles!

 

[LD]

Date: 1/6/2010 4:45:14 PM
Author: Kim Bruun

Date: 1/1/2010 10:40:23 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Chrome tourmaline (to me) looks like green glass used in bottles! I''ve never looked at a bottle and thought ''oooooh emerald''!!!!

LOL! I haven''t been presented with a chrome tourmaline in person, but some of the ones featured on wildfishgems have a gorgeous, rich green colour that rivals fine emerald in beauty, if the pics are anything to go by.

The real question is, do you want a beautiful green stone, or do you want something that can impersonate an emerald? Tsavorite has more fire than emerald, and I love my tsavorite for what it is - not as a cheaper alternative to emerald, but something that has its own special beauty and character. I wouldn''t rule out demantoid either!

Now chrome diopside, that reminds ME of beer bottles!

I meant chrome diopside too! Ooooops! *smacks head* My fingers type faster than my brain engages!

 

[Liane]

As others have said, no other stone is going to look quite like a good emerald. Really fine emeralds glow like nothing else. It''s a marvelous layered effect: subdued sparkle under a rich blue-green sheen. Like glitter seen through a translucent veil; that''s maybe the best analogy I can make.

Tsavorite is a beautiful rich green stone in its own right, but it sparkles; it doesn''t glow. The color is pure green or yellowish green, not the blue-green that I think of as "emerald." It is lovely but very different, and is best appreciated in its own right rather than as an imitation of emerald. And a fine tsavorite is likely to be comparable in cost to a decent emerald -- they aren''t cheap.

I''m honestly not a fan of chrome diopside. It might just be that I''ve only seen poor-quality specimens in person, but I''ve never been impressed with them. In my experience, they look nicer in pictures than they do IRL, but I won''t pretend to be an expert; I haven''t seen very many.

I''ll second the recommendation of Embassy Emeralds as having a good variety of stones at various price points. I''ve bought from them in the past and was very happy with my purchase. I''ve also been working with Joshua Griswold of Serenity Diamonds (who is here in this very thread!) and can say that he was able to source an impressive variety of matched pairs very quickly for my project. He''s been great to work with and may be able to help you out too. The emeralds that he sent to me are lovely stones; I have them right in front of me as I type this.

 

[Kim Bruun]

Date: 1/6/2010 4:49:32 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds

I meant chrome diopside too! Ooooops! *smacks head* My fingers type faster than my brain engages!

It was your comparison I found humorous. While I can think of things that are more unflattering for a gem's colour to be compared to than a bottle, it's not something I want to get too much into. Let's just say I've seen pale yellow sapphires and citrines that reminded me of...

But thanks for clarifying - it was my impression that there are indeed some absolutely gorgeous chrome tourmalines out there - I love how Ed Bristol describes one of his as being extra-terrestrial green!

But, in all fairness, chrome diopsides aren't THAT unattractive - they just don't compare favourably to quality emeralds or tsavorites.

 

[LD]

lol!

Very much agree on the "look" of some yellow gems!!!!

Funnily enough I hadn''t even realised I''d typed "tourmaline" when I meant to say "diopside" and when you quoted me I suddenly realised!

I do actually like green tourmalines but I wouldn''t walk over hot coals to get at them - now give me a paraiba tourmaline and I''ll happily have burnt feet!!!

 

[Kim Bruun]

I want a paraiba someday. There was a time when I liked aquamarine, but then I saw a paraiba and I never looked back!

Yeah, it''s canary yellow or nothing. Anything pale or less than fully saturated is out of the question.

 

[Porridge]

Date: 1/6/2010 5:37:53 PM
Author: Kim Bruun
Let's just say I've seen pale yellow sapphires and citrines that reminded me of...

Bah ha ha! Now see I love pale yellow colours. Not quite as pale as what you're referring to mind you, but I do like the lemony shades. Reminds me of bright sunshine. The canary colours don't do it for me so much - remind me of mustard! I've awful taste, but sure it'd be a boring place if we all liked exactly the same thing!

/threadjack, sorry OP!

 

[ma re]

I know we all have different tastes, but I think even chrome diopsides can look very nice, if they''re cut in the right shape, size and to end up as lively enough stones. Of course, not comparable to emeralds, but IMO they can be lovely.

 

[Arkteia]

I did buy some chrome diopsides on Ebay. They are - so far - cheap, and most of them come from Russia, so again, sentimental reasons...

Several things I have noticed: a) They must have high specific gravity, so you want to buy at least a 2-ct stone. You may not wish to buy anything smaller than one carat.

b) Stones above 2-cts tend to be included

c) They are bottle-green so many vendors tend to sell very shallow stones, just slivers, you can not do too much with them. If depth is not mentioned, get in touch with the vendor and ask specifically for the depth.

d) photographs are usually blown-up to extreme.

e) They are soft and hard to set, so think what you are going to make out of them. Honestly, setting could be an investment.

Really good chrome diopsides are becoming more expensive. A string of beads is going to be quite costly.

I think are better used as "side" stones.

Tsavorites do not look like, but they are easy to handle and fun!

 

[LD]

Off topic (apologies) but Crasru - what''s the fried egg in your avatar???

 

[chrono]

Date: 1/7/2010 1:49:53 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Off topic (apologies) but Crasru - what''s the fried egg in your avatar???

LD,
In case you missed this: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/spessring-nothing-spectacular.133315/