Emerald advice

[Addlepated]

I looked at a pair of emeralds today and would appreciate advice.

They're 1.43 ctw, emerald cut, and very intense slightly bluish green (this is my own reckoning, not a jeweler's). To the eye there is a small amount of inclusion (none dark). Nothing major; turning them face down, I could read through them. They looked beautiful under the jeweler's lights; I took them outside into the sunlight and they completely lit up like neon signs. Even more so in outside shadow. Jaw dropping!

The jeweler is asking about $2800 for the pair. Fair deal?

What I don't know yet is their origin or any treatment, although the gemologist there assured me that oiling was very uncommon and at that price, the stones wouldn't be oiled, and most high grade stones aren't treated. From what I have read, I'm taking that with a bit of salt. They're supposed to send me the specs, origin, and their estimate of color/tone tomorrow.

Okay, second question: if this is a good deal and I take it, where to find a nice dangly earring mounting for the emeralds? I'm thinking something like this (1), this(2), this(3), this(4), this(5), or this(6). Nothing in Stuller inspires me at all.

P.S. I can't submit posts with Safari!

 

[Addlepated]

Oh jeez, for some reason my post edit didn''t go through and the board ate all my updated link code! I''ve been posting on internet fora for years, but for some reason, this particular board has me feeling like a dodo.

Try these links - sorry about that:

this (1), /store.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry/view/5556/1001/>, /store.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry/view/5624/1001/>, or <a href="http://store.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry/view/6209/1001/>.

 

[GemCutter]

"oiling was very uncommon and at that price, the stones wouldn''t be oiled, and most high grade stones aren''t treated."

I personally would be very weary of any gemologist who claims oiling is "very uncommon." I would say almost all stones from Columbia are oiled, a great percentage for sure. Oiling is so prevalent that the GIA has been basically forced to approve of it, same with heating of sapphires. Price really has nothing to do with it either, some $50,000 emeralds are oiled.

Ted Themelis, an expert on gemstone treatments states:

"This camouflage process is so pervasive that it is said that
every emerald destined for jewelry is filled with oil, or with
some other filling substance(s). While that''s an
overstatement, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that this
process is attempted on just about every emerald as a final
step toward market readiness. "

Oiling is VERY COMMON, the exact opposite of what this supposed gemologist said, did you see their credentials? I wouldn''t believe an emerald wasn''t oiled unless the AGTA or GIA or similar top-tier reputable lab said so, or a gemologist one trusts who has NO association with the sale or sellers. It is very concerning that "the gemologist there" would say such things, it would imply to me that he/she is either just not knowledgeable about the basic unwritten laws of emeralds or, and sadly probably more likely, is just being deceptive. From what you said it seems the person did not expressly say the stones were NOT oiled, but kind of did the "make a sale" dance around it by saying "oiling is rare, at this price, blah blah blah" which is just false.

As I said, simply because of the amount of emeralds that are oiled, even the anti-treatment side of the industry has been forced to take a bite of the oiling of cut emeralds, so it isn''t a huge issue. However, as you may already know, the oil is FAR from permanent and WILL eventually break down, turn yellow, come out in cleaning of various types including ultrasonic, be dissolved by solvents such as alcohols, ether and acetone etc. The stone will be shockingly different looking, that glow will disappear and the stone will have to be re-oiled. Until you see a before and after one wouldn''t believe how much oil changes an emerald, it turns a basically un-salable stone into a beauty for jewelry and high price tags. Which explains why it is so prevalent in all emeralds of all origins including (contrary to popular belief) Zambian and Afghani, and especially Columbian and Brazilian. That is why really nice, bright, good color untreated emeralds (with a lab report backing that up) are so expensive.

It is of course almost impossible to tell without even a photo, but the price sounds a tad high to me. There are pairs around that weight that would sell for more but over a $1000 a ct for a pair of -.75 stones isn''t cheap.

What is more concerning is the "information" the "gemologist" gave you, It would have to be an incredible deal, and certified by a top lab for me to buy from a dealer whose gem expert, gemologist or not, generalized that the oiling of emeralds is "very uncommon."

I would shop around a bit more.

 

[Addlepated]

Thanks, GemCutter. The lady in question is listed as "A graduate of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA)" on their webpage. Like I said, I''m taking whatever she says with a grain of salt. It''s been difficult to find a jeweler in Austin who''s worth a hoot. I''ve had bad experiences at many of the highly-regarded places.

Still no specs in my email. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[chrono]

I too am VERY surprised to see that statement about oiling being uncommon for emeralds. This treatment is prevalent and acceptable in emeralds. I have to agree with everything GemCutter has posted and based on what the vendor is telling you, I''d keep shopping and buy from someone else. Either the vendor doesn''t know what she is talking about or she''s trying to pull one over you.

 

[Addlepated]

I just heard back from the jeweler. The stones came from Brazil and are not certified. That's not really a big deal for me, but the face that they're $2000/carat and claimed untreated with no certification might be.

Darn it, they were really pretty, too.

 

[Addlepated]

Quickie update - apparently they talked to the gem dealer, since the store doesn''t actually own the stones. The dealer let them know that the stones are indeed oiled. Untreated stones are at least $1500/carat more. The treatment''s not a problem to me at all; I just wanted to know if I was getting such an insane deal on untreated stones. Looks like this project might be a go. I have a quote in the works for some earrings, too.

 

[chrono]

$2K per carat on untreated emeralds that are about 0.7ct each is MUCH too expensive.

Here''s a 0.7ct gorgeous emerald that is superbly cut for $385.
http://www.whitesgems.com/gems/315071.htm
So, getting a pair will cost more but should not be that much more.

 

[elmo]

Kudos to the jeweler for admitting he was wrong. Degree of clarity enhancement will also affect price and desirability.

 

[Addlepated]

Guess what.

The "official" stats on these are:

SI, medium strong slightly bluish-green. I've discovered that there is just no way that the camera can capture their true appearance. They light up like neon tubes in real life, but the camera turns them into dull dark green. The only pic I've been able to get where some hint of color shows is here.

I'm talking to Whiteflash about earrings.

ETA: they're in the scratched plastic container in that pic, so it looks really scratchy!

 

[chrono]

Colour looks pretty good!

Are you doing dangle earrings? I think that would really bring out that yummy colour.

 

[Addlepated]

Date: 12/14/2007 6:21:55 AM
Author: Chrono
Colour looks pretty good!

Are you doing dangle earrings? I think that would really bring out that yummy colour.

My original plan was to do the Whiteflash huggable earrings and have them make dangle drops with a halo around the emeralds that could hang from the hoops. Someone else had posted this pic here of something similar.

That might be price-prohibitive, though. I''ll be sure to post pics of whatever I end up doing!