Colombian Emeralds vs Afghan Emeralds

[viridian]

Hello PSers!
First of all, I'm relatively very new to emeralds, so I would like to seek for help in choosing a stone
My birthday month is May and because of this, I've always been interested in emeralds but never really attempted to get any (I was too busy looking for sapphires and spinels LOL). Until quite recently when I started to expand my collection of colored gemstones and decided that it would definitely benefit from a touch of bright green. From that point, I've been reviewing articles and photos of different emerald colors and inclusions, and I've found out that I prefer stones with good clarity and bright, slightly bluish, subtle green (nothing TOO dark).
I'm on a tight budget at the moment so I don't have a lot of options, but here are the two stones that I think I love most. They are both simple oil treated, the usual I believe, for emeralds. Both are 1ct+ sizes and are ironically at the same price tags.

The big difference here is the origin and clarity of these stones. The first stone I have here is from the Panjshir mines of Afghanistan.

The second stone is a Colombian emerald. Sorry for the quality of the photos as they are screenshots from a video the seller sent me


TBH I like both of them but if you had to choose between these two, what would you go for? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you!

 

[T L]

Would not consider any without a reputable origin report. The Colombian stone could pass for African per the photos (if they’re accurate).

 

[Autumn in New England]

I remember reading an article from one of the major labs, which said than Panjshir Valley emeralds were very, very similar to South American stones in terms of optical and chemical properties, with the former having a bit more iron. I think the other main difference is that Afghan emeralds lack the honeycomb growth features characteristic of Colombian stones - a graining often referred to in the trade as “gota de aceite.”

With regard to the 2 stones your have shared... I would pass on both. The first has a large fissure running the length of the stone. The second appears to have a significant surface-reaching fracture in the upper left corner. Both inclusions could compromise the integrity of the stone's durability. Also, as T L mentioned, with emeralds, it's imperative to have lab reports which state the extent of the clarity enhancement. You want to look for minor oil (or resin)... moderate may be acceptable... but anything more is a waste of money, IMO.

Good luck in your hunt! I'm sure you'll find your perfect stone!!