Looking for Emeralds

[emeraldhunter]

I am a newbie attempting to become educated. Here is my situation: I am dating an Irish girl and I want to get her emerald stud earrings for Christmas. I am hoping to propose with an emerald engagement ring too.

The first of the items I intend to buy is the emeralds for the stud earrings.
1. Where do you suggest looking for emeralds?
On my own, I found ''Emerald Elegance'' and ''Embassy Emeralds''. I was impressed with the owner of embassy emeralds because he gave me a very prompt and informative reply to an email. Where would you guys go to buy emeralds?
2. Is there a suggested place on the internet to have them mounted or should I do it locally? (I live in Kansas City)
3. I have read a few of the buying guides on the web, but I haven''t found good information about the correct size (diameter) of stone for stud earrings. What do you suggest?

Thank You,
Emerald Hunter.

 

[ma re]

If we could establish an aproximate budget (just for the stones or for finished earrings) it would be easier to answer your questions. There are many gemstone vendors online, but I suggest that you start by checking out those listed in the Pricescope resources. When it comes to size, that''s a personal preference, I suggest you think about her overall built (is she a tiny lady or not so much) and what size earrings you see her wearing usually - that might give you a good clue, but I''m sure some of our ladies here will help also.

 

[chrono]

The first thing I’d do is read up on emerald treatment to decide how acceptable those treatments are to you. They range from oiling which is acceptable to resin filling (depends on how heavily it is filled) to coloured resin filling (not a good thing). Emeralds are fine for earrings but I highly discourage it as an engagement ring. It requires a lot of care and cannot be worn everyday. As for the studs, it depends on the size of her ear lobes. If they are small, 5 mm might be suitable. If they are large, 6 mm might be better.

 

[redfaerythinker]

I don''t know much about Emeralds... but if you''re not married to that particular stone I would suggest also looking at Tsavorite Garnets. I think it was someone on this forum that said that a Tsavorite looks like an emerald wishes it could. Just a thought. You''re a very sweet person to be doing this for your gf!

 

[glitterata]

The problem with an emerald engagement ring is that emeralds are usually too fragile to hold up to daily wear, especially for many, many years, as you would want an engagement ring to do.

There are stronger green gems out there. The most durable choice would probably be a green sapphire. A tsavorite garnet is not as hardy as a sapphire but would probably hold up better to decades of daily wear than an emerald.

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 11/5/2009 8:42:47 PM
Author:emeraldhunter
I am a newbie attempting to become educated. Here is my situation: I am dating an Irish girl and I want to get her emerald stud earrings for Christmas. I am hoping to propose with an emerald engagement ring too.


The first of the items I intend to buy is the emeralds for the stud earrings.

1. Where do you suggest looking for emeralds?

On my own, I found ''Emerald Elegance'' and ''Embassy Emeralds''. I was impressed with the owner of embassy emeralds because he gave me a very prompt and informative reply to an email. Where would you guys go to buy emeralds?

2. Is there a suggested place on the internet to have them mounted or should I do it locally? (I live in Kansas City)

3. I have read a few of the buying guides on the web, but I haven''t found good information about the correct size (diameter) of stone for stud earrings. What do you suggest?


Thank You,

Emerald Hunter.

1. Any vendor that is honest and offers an open return policy in case you don''t like the stone in person. Emeralds are extremely hard to photograph properly.

2. I would suggest locally if you know someone that is good and trustworthy.

3. That really depends on how visible you would like the stud to be? Everyone is different on their opinion.....

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 11/6/2009 10:18:32 AM
Author: glitterata
The problem with an emerald engagement ring is that emeralds are usually too fragile to hold up to daily wear, especially for many, many years, as you would want an engagement ring to do.


There are stronger green gems out there. The most durable choice would probably be a green sapphire. A tsavorite garnet is not as hardy as a sapphire but would probably hold up better to decades of daily wear than an emerald.

While you do have to be a lot more careful with an Emerald than a Sapphire, I do disagree here. A high quality emerald that is properly taken care of (not taken rock climbing, lol) will last a very long time. Even oiled emeralds can be re-oiled to look like brand new.

--Joshua

 

[glitterata]

Date: 11/6/2009 11:43:50 AM
Author: serenitydiamonds

Date: 11/6/2009 10:18:32 AM

Author: glitterata

The problem with an emerald engagement ring is that emeralds are usually too fragile to hold up to daily wear, especially for many, many years, as you would want an engagement ring to do.



There are stronger green gems out there. The most durable choice would probably be a green sapphire. A tsavorite garnet is not as hardy as a sapphire but would probably hold up better to decades of daily wear than an emerald.

While you do have to be a lot more careful with an Emerald than a Sapphire, I do disagree here. A high quality emerald that is properly taken care of (not taken rock climbing, lol) will last a very long time. Even oiled emeralds can be re-oiled to look like brand new.


--Joshua

You''re right. I should have specified that durable emeralds can be extremely expensive. The more common quality ones are not recommended for daily wear as in an engagement ring.

Synthetics emeralds would last well, but except for very expensive ones, natural emeralds are not as durable.

 

[emeraldhunter]

Thank you everyone for the ideas. Here is what I have gathered:

I am attached to the idea of emeralds, but you have given me second thoughts on the engagement ring idea. When you say that a high quality emerald will be more durable, how do I know it is a high quality stone? How large of a stone of this higher quality be attained for under a thousand? (ps I am poor and work in ministry) I am also interested in some ring settings that are more antique (Woodenskate.com), and they look like they would protect the stone more than some other settings. Can the setting protect a stone, or is this just my imagination?

I feel comfortable with the idea of a colorless cedar oil treatment. Is there any reason I should be concerned about cedar oil?

On where to buy, I have only found three websites that sell pairs of emeralds. I mentioned two of them in the first post, but neither of these websites were mentioned on the colored stone buyer''s guide on pricescope. After looking through the guide, I only one more site, mineralminers.com, which sells suitable earrings already made.

I am hoping to spend $250 or less. Is a set of 4mm stones a good size or do I need to go larger or go home? There are some very affordable stones at 3.5mm girth. I am not trying to wow anyone with their size. I want them to be a very pretty sparkle of green that jumps, and I want it to look like more than a pinpoint. Her earlobe size is average.

Would it help if I posted the actual pairs I am considering?

Thank you. I am carefully weighing and thinking about everyone''s response.
Emerald Hunter

 

[chrono]

4 mm seems like a decent size for studs, although 5 mm will be nicer if you can manage that. Mineralminers is an honest outfit; I have purchased from them and will do so without hesitation again. Yes, of course, pictures or a link will be helpful.

 

[emeraldhunter]

Here are some links under consideration:

http://www.mineralminers.com/html/emespdc.stm

https://www.colombianemerald1.com/p-1941-066-ct-colombian-emerald-pair-round-pair.aspx

https://www.colombianemerald1.com/p-1941-066-ct-colombian-emerald-pair-round-pair.aspx

http://www.embassyemeralds.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=423&zenid=vto5mt1ssbligfuputar22kp56

http://www.embassyemeralds.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&manufacturers_id=&products_id=401

BTW: Is it customary to bargain on prices when buying stones?

 

[chrono]

Date: 11/7/2009 1:02:16 PM
Author: emeraldhunter
Here are some links under consideration:

http://www.mineralminers.com/html/emespdc.stm
https://www.colombianemerald1.com/p-1941-066-ct-colombian-emerald-pair-round-pair.aspx
https://www.colombianemerald1.com/p-1941-066-ct-colombian-emerald-pair-round-pair.aspx
http://www.embassyemeralds.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=423&zenid=vto5mt1ssbligfuputar22kp56
http://www.embassyemeralds.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&manufacturers_id=&products_id=401

BTW: Is it customary to bargain on prices when buying stones?

Some places are open to offers while others aren't.
ETA The MM page has a whole slew of earrings. Which one in particular are you looking at?

 

[chrono]

The 2 rounds from CE are too dark.
The 1st pair of rounds from EE are so-so.
The best of the lot you picked is the 2nd pair from EE. They are a gorgeous bright green and appear very lively too.

 

[ma re]

Ditto to what Chrono said.

About your additional questions; the stone doesen''t have to be of an absolute highest quality in order to be durable, but it does have to (especially when it comes to emeralds) be of good clarity. That answers your next question, cause you''ll recognize a good stone by observing and judging if it has too much inclusions. A grading report can help you with that, but since you''re not buying some top dollar items, you most probably won''t get anything like that for the earrings, but some kind of a report (certificate) should be obtainable with a thousand dollar e-ring stone. When it comes to earrings pair, I''d ask the vendor to see what he thinks about those stones'' clarity, do they have surface-reaching fractures or anything that would make you question their durability in the long run. For a thousand dollars you can expect a nice emerald, probably in the under one carat region, but the good thing is that emeralds are less dense than most other gemstones, so they look bigger (to have more carats) than you''d expect when you see them.

Yes, certain settings can indeed protect the stone better, so it''s a good idea to put some time into deciding on the right one.

I always recommend THIS article to newbies, it''s a great source of valuable info, so that you can begin to understand gems and make an informed purchase.

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 11/7/2009 12:38:42 PM
Author: emeraldhunter
Thank you everyone for the ideas. Here is what I have gathered:


I am attached to the idea of emeralds, but you have given me second thoughts on the engagement ring idea. When you say that a high quality emerald will be more durable, how do I know it is a high quality stone? How large of a stone of this higher quality be attained for under a thousand? (ps I am poor and work in ministry) I am also interested in some ring settings that are more antique (Woodenskate.com), and they look like they would protect the stone more than some other settings. Can the setting protect a stone, or is this just my imagination?


I feel comfortable with the idea of a colorless cedar oil treatment. Is there any reason I should be concerned about cedar oil?


On where to buy, I have only found three websites that sell pairs of emeralds. I mentioned two of them in the first post, but neither of these websites were mentioned on the colored stone buyer''s guide on pricescope. After looking through the guide, I only one more site, mineralminers.com, which sells suitable earrings already made.


I am hoping to spend $250 or less. Is a set of 4mm stones a good size or do I need to go larger or go home? There are some very affordable stones at 3.5mm girth. I am not trying to wow anyone with their size. I want them to be a very pretty sparkle of green that jumps, and I want it to look like more than a pinpoint. Her earlobe size is average.


Would it help if I posted the actual pairs I am considering?


Thank you. I am carefully weighing and thinking about everyone''s response.

Emerald Hunter

For under $1000 you could get a very nice engagement quality emerald (good color, good clarity), almost up to if not including 1 carat. When we say quality stone, you don''t want a stone that is full of surface reaching inclusions, which would be fairly easy to judge via photo or in person. You want something with a fairly decent clarity. They are durable as long as you aren''t doing any large impacts directly on to the face or edges of the stones after they are set. They are not as durable as diamonds, but for engagement a nice quality stone would work very well. Emeralds have a high resistance to scratching with a mohs of around 7, just like aquamarine. They are only vulnerable to impacts on the inclusions


Cedar oil is very common in Emeralds and there is nothing you should be concerned about. After several years if the color starts to fade as the oil leaves the stone you can have it re-oiled, which is a very affordable option. I''ve seen oiled stones well taken care of (not stored in the sun, etc) last many many years.

--Joshua

 

[emeraldhunter]

Thank you, everybody for the help. I am going with the first pair of emeralds from EE mainly because the owner of Embassy Emeralds recommended them over the second pair. He says that both pairs are of similar quality and come from the same parcel in Columbia. I think the first pair costs less due to the lower weight, but they both have similar diameters which seems like the most important thing in earrings.
I agree that the photos make the second pair look better...
If the first pair seems too dark or not lively enough, I may exchange them for the second pair.

Thank you. And thanks for advice on how to find a good stone for an e-ring. I will probably post again when I need help on that purchase.