Emerald doubts and Jardín worries

[Evielution]

Hi all! It’s been a long long time since I’ve frequented the forums but I’m in need of some unbiased opinions.

I recently decided I needed an emerald.

I visited a few stores and viewed some stones to try to gauge my color preference.

While communicating with an out-of-state vendor, he advised me that the emerald I was interested in was also being inquired about by another customer. He encouraged me to place a deposit to hold it and if I didn’t choose that stone, the funds could be applied to another stone but would be non-refundable.

I did send the deposit, but since I didn’t receive a confirmation that the stone was held for me, I then also checked out online paying in full the total amount, thinking it’s ultimately best to just see the stone in person.
Received the stone and yes the color is exactly what I was hoping for, vibrant jungle green that glows like a traffic light.

However, the jardín and surface reaching inclusions are very distracting to me. They make me feel concerned for the durability of the stone. I don’t know if that is a valid concern?

It was sold to me as oiled, moderate enhancement. I’m not sure how to judge what qualifies moderate versus significant enhancement. (This stone does not have a lab report.)

I have a very very short return window.

Based on my terrible photos, and realizing we won’t definitely know until there is a lab report, does the description seem accurate?

I tried to include mostly photos that highlight the inclusions but it’s very difficult.
Also some photos under 365nm UV.
I have plenty more photos if that will help.

I really truly appreciate your time and feedback.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Hello there! Before we even discuss the particular aspects of this emerald, my first thought is that you are clearly not 100% satisfied with the stone, and it should go back. Because initial concerns later become magnified. They never "go away," in my experience.

That being said, in your first photo, the stone does indeed look heavily included. As a general rule, when shopping higher-end emeralds, we want to avoid surface-reaching fissures. However, in your last photo, the stone looks rather nice. So that may be more of what you're seeing in person, rather than the enlarged one that shows every single "flaw." Nevertheless, emerald is one of those stones that MUST be accompanied with a lab report, IMO. This stone may very well certify as "moderately" clarity enhanced, but I think it could also come back as "significantly" clarity enhanced. You just never know.

Lastly, I'm not loving the seller's approach here. Could it have been true that another party was interested in this stone, sure. But I think he wanted to rush you into a decision or (non-refundable) deposit. And then it seems he gave you too short a return period to have the stone sent to a lab for testing. I don't like that. If I were you, I would return the stone and have him look for another emerald. How much was the deposit, if you don't mind me asking? If it's small, I might even be willing to lose it so as not to have to deal with him again, and then start fresh elsewhere. But if it was a large deposit, or the entire ring price is non-refundable, then I would see what else the two of you can come up with.

Don't get nervous... anyone who's purchased an emerald knows it's one of the most difficult gems to shop. It can take a few tries. Please keep us posted, and good luck!!

 

[LilAlex]

Lastly, I'm not loving the seller's approach here. Could it have been true that another party was interested in this stone, sure. But I think he wanted to rush you into a decision or (non-refundable) deposit.

I agree with all of this 100% -- and it kinda fits with a heavily-treated stone that still does not look very good. I would return. Look at muzoemeralds on IG -- there appear to be buckets (literally) of high-quality material being found all the time. It is fine to let this one get away.

But now you do not get your deposit back?! That would be nuts -- and borderline predatory -- unless this guy invested oceans of time with you. No good seller has ever pressured me like that. I know IG is the Wild West and folks scratch and claw to be first in line for that single-glamour-photo "treasure."

 

[Autumn in New England]

I agree with all of this 100% -- and it kinda fits with a heavily-treated stone that still does not look very good. I would return. Look at muzoemeralds on IG -- there appear to be buckets (literally) of high-quality material being found all the time. It is fine to let this one get away.

But now you do not get your deposit back?! That would be nuts -- and borderline predatory -- unless this guy invested oceans of time with you. No good seller has ever pressured me like that. I know IG is the Wild West and folks scratch and claw to be first in line for that single-glamour-photo "treasure."

I know it can be tempting... and we've all missed out on seemingly special pieces when we've balked in the past. But never place a non-refundable deposit on a gem or purchase anything that can only be exchanged. It's a red flag, IMO. In this case, the seller told OP that, while he won't refund the deposit, he will put it towards another item, should she not like this emerald in person. I would take him up on that offer. Again though, I'm not crazy about his methods.

P.S. I bought my emerald from George Smith (muzoemeralds) and I couldn't recommend him highly enough! I feel like he can find a quality emerald to meet just about anyone's budget.

 

[Rfisher]

Would you mind sharing ballpark price and carat weight?
I think that’s a huge consideration in asking for advice that’s tailored to your situation. And the vendor. Could you imagine if the vendor was indeed already Muzoemeralds? Probably not, but yeah a non refundable deposit is a kicker but not that uncommon with smaller vendors, not just to be associated with jerk vendors.

(My emerald was inexpensive so I can see how that changes parameters of deciding of what’s ‘worth it’)
and if it’s fun money that’s being considered vs money better suited going towards a different purchase.
And +1 on the comment if what you see now bugs you - it won’t get better. Unless of course you decide that’s the parameter you wish to concede on. You don’t know until you know type thing.

As for the ‘someone else is interested’ comment from the vendor
Past threads have addressed this topic with vendors chiming in.
I don’t envy their position as they also get threads written about them when they ‘allow’ a stone to be sold right out from under a PS’er.
It’s hard to know /judge if it’s a intentionally slimy tactic or not :shrug:

 

[Evielution]

Hello everyone and thank you for your thoughtful feedback. It is incredibly helpful.

Regarding the clarity; the inclusions don’t necessarily bother me, it’s more of gauging my tolerances; I wanted to see this stone in person and decide if I was ok with this level of clarity or if I wanted to increase my budget. Clarity was my compromise to achieve this color within this price point , and I’m ok with that as long as I paid a fair price.

Prior to this stone, I’d only seen very clean emeralds (and very expensive) in jewelry store lighting with no magnification. Seeing this one was a bit of an adjustment.
Yes, there are surface reaching fractures (fissures?) and under the loupe and UV light it looked a bit scary to me from a durability aspect primarily.
The stone is just under 2 carats and was about $5,000, the deposit was $400, which was refunded by the vendor since I purchased the stone outright shortly after sending the deposit.
When I let the vendor know I would likely be returning the stone, they pointed out that the deposit is non-refundable, I am unclear if they forgot that I purchased the stone outright or if they still consider the situation as me placing the stone on hold.

The emerald is not set, just perched on the empty setting. The stone does look quite nice the majority of the time. Certain lighting environments exacerbate the visibility of the inclusions, and those are the photos I made effort to post.
My thought was to see the stone, decide if I love the color and am ok with the clarity, then send to lab for a report.

At this point I’m mostly unsettled by the feeling that it will be an unpleasant return process. The return window is 3 days, I received it Friday.
I’m still open to keeping this emerald; If this is what this money gets then that’s fine, I just don’t know enough to make that assessment.

I’m going today and tomorrow to the fancy jewelry stores to re-view the emeralds I liked. I would like to see if the stone I bought comes close in color since that was my goal.

I did contact George at muzo emeralds and a couple other vendors. They all say they can get me a cleaner larger stone for similar price. I don’t know how the color would compare. It’s very difficult judging color on screens.

More pics, they do show the inclusions more prominently than what I see with the naked eye. Last photo is edited to try to show the color my eye sees in person at this moment in this environment. (iPhone, highest brightness level, true-tone off)

 

[Rfisher]

Have you asked the vendor of this stone his return policy if the lab you choose to use disagrees with his assessment on treatment?
Would you and he agreeing on the specific lab prior help in getting him on board for you to keep the stone that it needs to match within reason?

If you are unclear on his return policy whether it’s deposit related ir that you bought it outright - it warrants asking him the clarifying questions now. Does he have any written policies posted anywhere?

 

[Evielution]

Have you asked the vendor of this stone his return policy if the lab you choose to use disagrees with his assessment on treatment?
Would you and he agreeing on the specific lab prior help in getting him on board for you to keep the stone that it needs to match within reason?

If you are unclear on his return policy whether it’s deposit related ir that you bought it outright - it warrants asking him the clarifying questions now. Does he have any written policies posted anywhere?

I haven’t asked about what happens if lab comes back different than his assessment. I did express that I wanted a lab report and asked if he could facilitate sending it for me. He agreed he could send it to GIA for $380 or AGL for $490 for treatment and origin report and would be non-refundable. I told him to just send me the stone first and if I like it and want to keep it then I will send it myself.
He did ask what type of treatment information I was hoping to learn and stated that ‘this stone is considered to be an F1 or F2 in treatment, this is the average treatment level for emeralds in oiling.’

I fully trusted his assessment and did not expect a lab opinion differing from his.
I would just like to know the type and amount of clarity enhancement for stability and durability purposes.
Written policy online just says
“Loose Emeralds: 3-Day Return Policy
Clients have a 3-Day return policy when purchasing loose stones. The stone must be in the same condition as originally described, with no other harm or damage caused to the stone after shipment.”

My husband says my previous post isn’t clear on the reason for my hesitation;
I like the emerald. I love the color. I’m ambivalent about the clarity.
Can I only get this color, at this size, within this price point if it has this clarity?

 

[LilAlex]

Can I only get this color, at this size, within this price point if it has this clarity?

As you probably know already, no one can accurately gauge the color from photos -- especially for emerald. The tiniest tweak in either direction -- less or more saturated -- will have a big impact on price.

 

[Autumn in New England]

As you probably know already, no one can accurately gauge the color from photos -- especially for emerald. The tiniest tweak in either direction -- less or more saturated -- will have a big impact on price.

I've seen top 1% emeralds look like trash in photos, and I've seen commercial grade stones look like a million bucks on camera. It's truly a jungle out there, in every respect, when it comes to emerald. I think this is why one's vendor choice really matters when shopping this gem!