Emerald durability: natural vs lab grown vs simulant

[Bozman52]

Hi everyone! Relatively new member here, and my first post in this forum, so be gentle. My focus thus far has been getting educated on a diamond engagement ring, but now I've learned that a feature of my e-ring may be problematic, so I'm looking for some advice from those who are emerald experts.

I've been working with Victor Canera on an e-ring and he is beginning its creation now (super excited!). One feature I wanted to add is a surprise stone on the inside of the shank. I was planning to use my girlfriend's birthstone (an emerald), but after a conversation with Victor, he's worried about the durability of an emerald on an e-ring. He stated they were particularly difficult to work with for this surprise stone purpose, and that they also are susceptible to changes in temperature and pressue. From some quick research on the GIA website, this does seem to be the case and is mostly caused by the oils/resins used on emeralds to improve their notoriously poor clarity (https://www.gia.edu/UK-EN/birthstones/may-birthstones, under "care and cleaning" at bottom of page).

Becasue of this, I'm looking for a viable alternative to a natural emerald that would be more durable. I'm wondering if a lab grown emerald may fit the bill, as I've read their clarity is much better and oils/resins are not required to improve clarity. Another alternative would be to use a simulant emerald, which I have not researched at all and know nothing about.

As far as specs, the emerald should be round and very small (1.3 - 1.4mm in Victor's estimation). Can anyone help me understand if I have a viable alterantive to a natural emerald that is fit for purpose as a surprise stone in an e-ring? If so, I'd also love to know where I could source something like this, as Victor said he doesn't have existing sources for such a thing. Thanks in advance!

 

[demantoidz]

I'm far from an emerald expert, but here are lab emerald melees starting at 1.5mm (0.01ct)

Emerald Round Cut in Grade GEM | Chatham Lab Stone

Buy loose synthetic EMERALDS Gemstones at AfricaGems. All of our stunning round Emeralds are in stock and ready to ship.

www.africagems.com

Others can advise on natural vs synthetic and durability. Intuitively, for such a small stone that can be replaced I would stick with natural and see how it goes. Can always replace a damaged natural one with a lab made one. But I also am not one to buy lab made gems - not that there is anything wrong with them, just personal pereference. Also 1.3-1.4mm untreated high clarity Zambian emerald might be tough to find, but would not be super expensive, and would be more stable than the more popular oiled Colombian counterparts. I am sure Victor knows way better than me though. I am just thinking out loud - again, not an emerald expert.
This Israel-based Zambian emerald IG seller claims they have all sizes and qualities available even in rounds. Can't recommend a random IG vendor, just an example. I've followed them for a while and they have some extremely clean stuff, some oiled some untreated, hopefully with lab reports - https://www.instagram.com/p/CWDkrAvDGq3/

questions - can high clarity untreated lab emeralds be cleaned in an ultrasonic? Would adding a tiny oiled or unoiled natural melee mean that ultrasonic cleaning is a no-no for the whole ring? This is a standard cleaning method for diamond-only rings.

 

[CBianco]

I'm no emerald expert either, but if you're looking for a natural melee sized emerald maybe you can reach out to cecile raley designs on etsy? She has some in available her shop, and you could ask if she has any more unoiled/better clarity ones.

 

[Avondale]

questions - can high clarity untreated lab emeralds be cleaned in an ultrasonic? Would adding a tiny oiled or unoiled natural melee mean that ultrasonic cleaning is a no-no for the whole ring? This is a standard cleaning method for diamond-only rings.

I asked my jeweller this very question a while ago regarding a pendant I received as a gift that has a small .5ct eye clean emerald. My main concerns were damaging the stone during cleaning or just everyday wear and activities. The jeweller told me that the emerald can be cleaned in an ultrasonic because it's so clean and isn't oiled. His word were, "even if there's some oil in there, we got it out during the cleaning process" (that is, the cleaning they do before giving you the finished item).

So in short, if it's unoiled, ulstrasonic is not an issue. If it's oiled, ultrasonic will kick the oils' behind.

 

[Bozman52]

I really appreciate the responses so far!

@demantoidz, I totally take your point that with such a small, insignificant stone, who cares if something happens to it. However, I wouldn't really want anyone other than Victor to touch a VC ring, and as I live in the UK, it is not a trivial thing to get the ring to him (as LOTS of customs paperwork has to be filled out to ensure I don't get stuck with a silly duties/tax bill). If there's a simple way of just avoiding any issues in the future, such as using a lab grown emerald, then I'd rather just do this now. Thanks for the tip on the IG emerald seller. I hadn't come across him and he appears to REALLY know emeralds!

@cocobianco, Thanks for directing me to Cecile Raley. It seems like she should be able to procure what I'm looking for!

@Avondale, I really appreciate this insight. It furhter confirms that the oils are the real issue with emerald durability, and it isn't something intrinsic to the physical stone. With such a small melee stone, I'm not bothered about clarity, so I just need to find one that hasn't been oiled.

 

[chrono]

You chances of an emerald melee being clean and untreated in melee size is high. It is essentially the same as any other in the beryl family (if clean and untreated) and is protected when set on the inside of the band.

However, since the bench has expressed concern that he is not comfortable working with an emerald (natural or lab), I would not press the issue further and look for a different surprise stone.

 

[Bozman52]

You chances of an emerald melee being clean and untreated in melee size is high. It is essentially the same as any other in the beryl family (if clean and untreated) and is protected when set on the inside of the band.

However, since the bench has expressed concern that he is not comfortable working with an emerald (natural or lab), I would not press the issue further and look for a different surprise stone.

Unfortunately the month of May does not have an alternative other than an emerald, so I'm a bit stuck there. I'm not overly precious if the stone is natural, lab grown, or even a green cubic zirconia (if that even exists), but I want it to look like an emerald at least. Victor said he could do a peridot, which is a valid option, but the green of a peridot is different, and unfortunately it's the birthstone for August.

If I can't use an emerald (or equivalent) in the ring, then I would probably opt to not do the surprise stone at all. I guess I was hoping there would be an emerald alternative or variation that doesn't have the negative effects of a standard emerald. It sounds like the oil/resin is the big issue with emeralds, so as long as I can get a clean one, then that may be the ticket.

Victor was speaking generaly about the downside of emeralds and admitted this was not his area of expertise. When I initially posed this clean/lab grown emerald idea to him as a solution, he was open to it, but effectively pushed the research of this off to me.

 

[chrono]

A peridot is less durable than emerald.

 

[Bozman52]

A peridot is less durable than emerald.

And all this time I thought the gemstone surprise stone thing would be a slam dunk . . .

Thanks for the tip on the peridot; clearly I won't be using that as an alternative. Two other questions for you, if you happen to know the answer. I just googled a "green cubic zirconia" and it apparently does exist! Is a CZ a viable option that I shouldn't have issues with?

Second, in her wedding band I was planning to put my birthstone as a surprise stone, which is an amethyst. Are these generally fine, or will I also struggle with durability issues?

 

[demantoidz]

If going with a simulant I'd pick moissanite over CZ just because its harder. It comes in green, usually bluish green rather than an emerald green. Regardless of what you get, avoid those without stable treatments. For example, I think green moissanite is stable, but pink moissanite is always coated (which can come off over time). I do not know about green CZ's treatment to make it green and its stability.

Amethyst is quartz, and 7 oh Moh's scale of hardness, so more susceptible to scratching than beryl. Beryl (emerald) is 7.5-8, but beryl could be less tough than quartz (I'm not certain), as hardness is only one factor of durability. Amethyst won't have clarity issues like many emeralds, but then again your jeweller was uncomfortable working with a 'perfect' synthetic emerald.

Over 8 hardness, off the top of my head, includes chrysoberyl/alexandrite, spinel, taaffeite, sapphire/ruby (corundum), diamond.
Chrysoberyl comes in minty greens, and sapphire in darker forest greens.
Spinel, taaffeite, sapphire all come in purple.
Diamond comes in every color under the rainbow. So you could look into color treated natural diamonds or synthetic colored diamonds I suppose. Naturally colored purple/green natural diamonds can be extremely pricey even in small sizes.

 

[thirdrock]

Here’s an interesting paper that might be helpful.

https://www.gia.edu/doc/Durability-Testing-of-Filled-Emeralds.pdf

I would think you would be fine with an untreated emerald of that size. I am not an expert, so keep that in mind.

 

[lilmosun]

A few ideas -

If Victor is concerned in setting the emerald, perhaps you offer to buy a spare (melee this size is inexpensive).

But it sounds like his concern is more about wear - perhaps valid as you are looking to place it inside the shank which is probably valid as there will be ongoing contact with the stone. Depending on the design of the ring, I've seen stones hidden at the bottom of the gallery. Is that an option?

Finally, you mentioned putting your birthstone as a surprise tone in the band. I love how purple and green go together so perhaps a separate piece (pendant or rhr?) made with both of your birthstones. If not for your wedding day - a gift for another occasion.

I love the thought you are putting into this, your girlfriend is a lucky lady!

 

[voce]

If you care about emerald sheen aka "mariposa" aka "gota de aceite" go for a good lab emerald such as those Precision Gem offers from time to time. Simulants could have higher or lower hardness, but would probably not look as emerald-like as lab emerald. A skilled jeweler or connoisseur can tell, for example, the difference between tourmaline and tsavorite and emerald.

 

[minousbijoux]

I should think it would also depend on the placement of the emerald in the ring. On the inside the shank seems to me like it would be exceedingly protected.

 

[Bozman52]

I appreciate the continued help. As a quick update, I've reached out to both Chatham and Cecile Raley Designs (on Etsy) and both have said they can source untreated emeralds in the melee size I need, so that's really positive.

Here’s an interesting paper that might be helpful.

That is an incredible find and definitely proves that any kind of oiled emerald is going to have issues. I genuinely had no idea this was done to emeralds.

@demantoidz, Thanks again for sharing all your knowledge on the various gemstones. I spent most of my morning researching various gems you listed, but don't tell my boss! Off the back of this, I've actaully sent Victor a summary with a couple questions for him, so hopefully I'll be able to get this sorted soon.

If Victor is concerned in setting the emerald, perhaps you offer to buy a spare (melee this size is inexpensive).

Really great point I hadn't thought of, but I offered this up to Victor, so hopefully he'll feel a bit better about working with an emerald. Also a great idea on adding a stone to the gallery, but my chosen design doesn't really allow for this kind of accommodation . . . and Victor will probably kill me if I try to change the design any further! I appreciate the kind words about the amethyst and emeralds together. I'm sure my girlfriend will be very appreciative of all the thought (and 6 months of my life) that's gone into this ring. This is why I'm really trying to make this surprise stone feature work.

@voce, I echo your sentiment. After spending a lot of money on this ring, I really don't want to use a simulant or lab grown stone, but if it's this versus not having a surprise stone at all, then I'll probably cave and use somethine other than a natural emerald.

 

[demantoidz]

. . . and Victor will probably kill me if I try to change the design any further! I appreciate the kind words about the amethyst and emeralds together. I'm sure my girlfriend will be very appreciative of all the thought (and 6 months of my life) that's gone into this ring. This is why I'm really trying to make this surprise stone feature work.

I'd definitely bug him until its perfect! Don't feel bad about it.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I love the idea of a wee hidden amethyst to represent you and as has been said purple and green look good together
best wishes with all this complicated ring bussiness and congratulations to both of you on your engagement

 

[partgypsy]

I am not an expert but the possible issues with emeralds are: treatments, clarity/inclusions, and overall hardness, durability. Issues with emeralds are not just oiling but inclusions that can crack when setting, etc. A small untreated clean emerald, vs a synthetic emerald I imagine would have about the same durability. But if the jeweler feels more comfortable with synthetic, then can go there. Other options are tsavorite garnet (not any harder but generally a durable stone, can find vivid green and clean stones at that size, naturally untreated, Also green sapphire, but it won't look like an emerald. If it was me, my preference would be: 1) natural clean emerald, 2) tsavorite garnet, 3) synthetic emerald, 4) green cz.

 

[Bozman52]

I am not an expert but the possible issues with emeralds are: treatments, clarity/inclusions, and overall hardness, durability. Issues with emeralds are not just oiling but inclusions that can crack when setting, etc. A small untreated clean emerald, vs a synthetic emerald I imagine would have about the same durability. But if the jeweler feels more comfortable with synthetic, then can go there. Other options are tsavorite garnet (not any harder but generally a durable stone, can find vivid green and clean stones at that size, naturally untreated, Also green sapphire, but it won't look like an emerald. If it was me, my preference would be: 1) natural clean emerald, 2) tsavorite garnet, 3) synthetic emerald, 4) green cz.

Really helpful insights here. Victor and I had a conversation yesterday and he actually clarified to me the point you just made about even unoiled emeralds being unstable. Coincidentally enough, he brought up tsavorite as an alternative . . . so great minds I suppose! I guess I'll be on the hunt for a tsavorite now.

 

[demantoidz]

So I suppose its a durability concern unrelated to hardness that made him hesitant to use emerald.
The same site I linked for tiny emeralds has melee tsavorite starting at 1mm.
I definitely think it's a nicer green than harder gems brought up before (moissanite, green sapphire...)

Round Cut Genuine Tsavorite Garnet in Grade AAA

TSAVORITE GARNET Round Gemstones in AAA Grade. Shop for Loose Standard Size TANZANITE GARNET Round Gems.

www.africagems.com

Cheaper:

https://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/tsavorite/ygg411aa/&302686978

 

[chrono]

Victor and I had a conversation yesterday and he actually clarified to me the point you just made about even unoiled emeralds being unstable. Coincidentally enough, he brought up tsavorite as an alternative

I disagree. Untreated clean emerald is more durable and stable than tsavorite.

 

[Bozman52]

So I suppose its a durability concern unrelated to hardness that made him hesitant to use emerald.
The same site I linked for tiny emeralds has melee tsavorite starting at 1mm.
I definitely think it's a nicer green than harder gems brought up before (moissanite, green sapphire...)

Round Cut Genuine Tsavorite Garnet in Grade AAA

TSAVORITE GARNET Round Gemstones in AAA Grade. Shop for Loose Standard Size TANZANITE GARNET Round Gems.

www.africagems.com

Cheaper:

https://www.multicolour.com/detail/?/details/tsavorite/ygg411aa/&302686978

Thank you for the links to the tsavorite. I'm waiting to see if Victor has a source for this or if I need to source it, but the Africa Gems site looks very legit! Given the overall price for the ring, I'd probably splurge and go for the more expensive option.

 

[thirdrock]

I disagree. Untreated clean emerald is more durable and stable than tsavorite.

This is also the conclusion I came to after reading the study I posted. Emeralds are treated because of inclusions. A clear, untreated one, or a lab emerald, would likely be much more durable than your typical treated emerald. I would think it wouldn’t be that hard to find something clear in a very small size. Of course, if Victor is not comfortable using emeralds then there’s not much else to say.

 

[demantoidz]

I disagree. Untreated clean emerald is more durable and stable than tsavorite.

It would be interesting to know his reasoning; it could be that he has dealt with included/treated emeralds and issues arose, and he wants to avoid the material altogether.

 

[chrono]

In any case, tsavorite as a surprise stone in melee size should be fine in a ring as it will be well protected.

 

[marymm]

I understand emerald is your GF's birthstone and that's why you chose it for the surprise stone ... it seems you have now chosen not to go with an emerald (natural or synthetic) ... but if it were me I'd be wondering why you chose a Tsav garnet as a surprise stone ... does garnet have some significance to your relationship/GF? If it doesn't, then I highly recommend either go without a surprise stone altogether, or choosing another stone that does have meaning (the stone representing the month you met? the month you got engaged? the month you are marrying?). Keep in mind also a surprise stone can impact future resizings etc. Save the emerald idea for your wedding present or first anniversary gift, perhaps a delicate bracelet or necklace with small emerald?

 

[CBianco]

I understand emerald is your GF's birthstone and that's why you chose it for the surprise stone ... it seems you have now chosen not to go with an emerald (natural or synthetic) ... but if it were me I'd be wondering why you chose a Tsav garnet as a surprise stone ... does garnet have some significance to your relationship/GF? If it doesn't, then I highly recommend either go without a surprise stone altogether, or choosing another stone that does have meaning (the stone representing the month you met? the month you got engaged? the month you are marrying?). Keep in mind also a surprise stone can impact future resizings etc. Save the emerald idea for your wedding present or first anniversary gift, perhaps a delicate bracelet or necklace with small emerald?

I agree with this, in my opinion it's better to go with Emerald either natural or synthetic, or another idea instead if Victor doesn't want to set Emeralds. Tsavorite Garnet is the birthstone for January (my birthstone actually ) so I don't think it makes much sense to go with it if there is no significance to her honestly.

 

[demantoidz]

I understand emerald is your GF's birthstone and that's why you chose it for the surprise stone ... it seems you have now chosen not to go with an emerald (natural or synthetic) ... but if it were me I'd be wondering why you chose a Tsav garnet as a surprise stone ... does garnet have some significance to your relationship/GF? If it doesn't, then I highly recommend either go without a surprise stone altogether, or choosing another stone that does have meaning (the stone representing the month you met? the month you got engaged? the month you are marrying?). Keep in mind also a surprise stone can impact future resizings etc. Save the emerald idea for your wedding present or first anniversary gift, perhaps a delicate bracelet or necklace with small emerald?

I suppose since he was thinking of using green CZ, the green color of her birthstone is what is significant, moreso than the mineral. But as far as birthstones/marketing goes, the mineral itself is meant to be significant, not just the color.
Good advice to think it over.

 

[Bozman52]

@marymm: You raise an interesting point as to why I would use anything other than an emerald if this is her birthstone. In all honesty, I think I'm so set on having a surprise stone in the ring that I really overlooked this and would be willing to put anything green in the ring. This probably is not the right approach, and if it can't be an emerald, then perhaps it should be nothing.

@demantoidz and @cocobianco: I also appreciate your corroborating views on this, especially the point about birthstones being about the mineral as much as the color. I'm going to sit on this another day, but as of now I'll tell Victor it needs to be an emerald or nothing . . . and that either option is acceptable if he truly is against setting an emerald.

Maybe I'll try this again when it comes time for Victor to make the wedding bands and just forgo the suprise stone on the e-ring.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Have you ever thought of using someone other than Victor? Jewelers set emeralds all the time without issues. This "change in temperature and pressure"... is he referring to walking up stairs and the atmosphere pressure slightly changing? Or pressure changes with the weather? As far temperature since it's on the inside of the ring against her flesh, wouldn't the temperature be pretty consistent? When an emerald is cut, it's first held on the dop normally with wax, which involves heat the stone to a temperature that is too hot to touch.
Maybe he had a few bad experiences with emeralds chipping while setting, but at the price of such a small stone, why not buy 3 or 4 incase he screws one up. He should be able purchase half a dozen emeralds this size for a few dollars.