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Emeralds.....................

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sgoehle

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Hi All, I am interesting in becoming educated on emeralds. I know nothing whatever about them, except that I love the color. Any good ideas where I might get the best education? The best places to buy online? And are there many of you out there that have emeralds? What are their drawbacks? Are they easily damaged? I would love to see any pictures. Thanks in advance, Lady Asterbilt
 

Mag00

Rough_Rock
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Apr 10, 2007
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you might want to look up the gem Beryl.
as an Emerald is just a green version of it.

sort of like a Red Sapphire is a Ruby.
 

Pandora II

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Unless you have serious amounts of $$$$ to spend, I honestly don't know why anyone would want to buy an emerald when you could have a rarer tsavorite instead for a lot less.

Emeralds are very fragile and tend to be very included. Tsavorite looks like what an emerald would like to be, is harder, less fragile and much more sparkly!

Palagems have a good education section on their website.

emeraldtsavorite.jpg
 

sgoehle

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How very interesting. I''m so glad I asked. I will go where you suggest and may have a few more questions after. Thanks to both of you. Lady A
 

zhuzhu

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I personally think tsavorite and emerald have two very different personalities and look. Yes perfect looking emerld are very expensive, but to me tsavorite lacks certain "singing quality" of an emerald Tsavorite is like a green trendy colored diamond, and emerald is mystical and gentle.
 

sgoehle

Rough_Rock
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zhuzhu, How interesting. I know what you mean about certain "qualities" in stones though. Clearly I should study them side by side to get a better feel for the two types of stones. However that is easier said than done. I''m not sure how to go about that little trick. Any ideas? By the way, you sound as though you have emeralds yourself. True? Any pictures? Lady A
 

partgypsy

Ideal_Rock
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I love emeralds. I also think tourmalines and other green stones like peridot, green sapphire, tsavorite garnet are beautiful as well. However I think they all have their own look. I wanted to buy an emerald from the internet, and ended up returning the two I ordered. I think it''s really hard to buy emeralds off the internet. First of all there are no "bargains" out there and second they all have their own personality and its hard to capture it from a photo. If you were serious about buying a fine emerald, I would go to a jeweler you trust and have them call in emeralds so you can look at them in person.
 

ger100

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I have a small book by Newman: Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald Buying Guide. Buying any of these stones seems to be pretty complex, IF you really want quality. You can "play" with cheaper ones, and have some fun.


Apparently of the beryl group, Emerald seems to be particularly fragile. It has cracks, inclusions, etc., which make it very easy to knock and shatter. I have one which I think is Zambian, a nice rich grass green. It''s probably been oiled. Yeh, it has a lot of lines, but there is enough clarity and reflection to look fairly nice, at least to my newbie eyes. I did not spend a lot on it, and don''t intend to buy a super duper very expensive high quality, rich green, clear, big Emerald ($$$). But if I did, I''d take the advice of most of the folks on this site and go to a reputable dealer, in person if possible, since each gem has its own particular character and appeal.


JMHO
Ger
I bought this at an online auction. 0.75 cwt Emerald, 14 kt gold (two-tone), 2 rows of better than FS (frozen spit) diamonds around it: $250. (much nicer in real life...my gem photo skils are lacking)


Emerald Ring sml.jpg
 

ger100

Shiny_Rock
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Also got this from another poster here (can''t remember who or when).
It''s a chart on color, hue and tone for emeralds. It''s neat.
Ger

emerald coloring.jpg
 

twodoor2

Shiny_Rock
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Apr 2, 2007
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Emeralds used to be my favorite stone until I discovered how much they were treated and filled with resin (fancy name for plastic) and other fillers. If you saw the before and after pictures of treated emeralds, you would be in shock, and 99% of emeralds have some filler treatment. This is an acceptable trade practice to, except when the filler is colored, but nonetheless, I would hate to spend a lot of money on something knowing that it is fracture filled. You can get untreated emeralds, but they''re difficult to find and very costly.

I disagree that tsavorite is a good substitute for emerald. Unfortunately, nothing matches the green silkiness or glow of a fine emerald. A tsavorite is too sparkly and has more of an olive cast. They never get that true green color like a fine emerald. If you just want a green stone, then tsavorite is a nice alternative, but it can never be an emerald.
 

sgoehle

Rough_Rock
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Feb 26, 2007
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Thanks to all for the information and opinions you have offered. That chart was very helpful, by the way. Everyone is so knowledgeable on this site. I had no idea that most emeralds are treated of filled. I will try to find a gemologist that can show me some however. I guess I will need to do a great deal of research on the subject. Or perhaps turn my attention to another gemstone. Any suggestions? Lady Asterbilt
 

ger100

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Sep 24, 2006
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If you like green stones and can afford it, go for a Russian Demantoid Garnet. Check the story about them here:
http://www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/english/demantoid.html

I''ve got a small round one (0.26 ctw) and it has the most spectacular flashes of color, red, yellow, various shades of green, with sparkles like a diamond. Mine is a medium yellow-green, not the most desirable color, but they are fairly rare and hard to find in a larger size unless you have $$. I recently had a 0.50 ctw (returned it) which did not sparkle like the round one...not sure if its problem was the color (darker) or the cut (oval). But the little round one is a winner.

The story about them is another cool thing, their use in Faberge eggs, etc. Also at the above site, on the right you''ll find other green stones which you can link to.

Ger
 

ger100

Shiny_Rock
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PS: of the "other" green stones listed, Tsavorite Garnet, Peridot (limey green), Tourmaline (all different shades), Chrome Diopside, check out Alexandrite! It''s supposed to be green in one type of lighting, and red in another...now that''s a cool stone with another neat story. On my wish list.
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ger100

Shiny_Rock
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Alexandrite ring. Colors are light, but the change is there. Cool or what?
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Alex ring.jpg
 

monarch64

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Lady Asterbilt:

Although my knowledge of emeralds is limited, if you google "emeralds" you will find several sites like gemstone.org and about.com that offer some information as well as links and other reading suggestions.

I have been researching emeralds via the internet for a couple years now, as I am in the market for an heirloom quality RHR. I love emeralds for several reasons...it is my birthstone, I love Wizard of Oz (i.e. Emerald City, lol), and I also love the fact that a fine quality emerald can be of greater value than a diamond of similar quality and carat weight. It''s also a mythical stone with a rich history, and although some may have a problem with the fact that it is an accepted practice to fracture fill or heat treat emeralds, there is a certain beauty in the logic behind this practice. Do some reading and you will find that emeralds are valued more for their color than their clarity as almost all emeralds contain inclusions...that is part of their inherant nature and beauty, and I feel, their character.

Also check out Leon Mege''s website to see some truly outstanding emerald rings. Mege is certainly a master in creating settings to enhance gorgeous stones of all types, and his work with emeralds is nothing short of spectacular.

One poster said emerald is just a green version of the gem Beryl--I just want to point out that the emerald is yes, from the mineral family beryl but to be called an emerald contains traces of either chromium or vanadium to give it its green color.

As far as the wearability of emerald, its hardness is between 7-8 which normally would not be a problem, but the fact that most emeralds have inclusions means that they are not really suitable for everyday wear, especially in a ring setting where one could potentially "bang" or "knock" the stone around during everyday activities as this could cause chipping, fracturing, etc. Also, it is not recommended that emeralds be cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner because whatever chemical fillings or oils used during treatment could be stripped away...again I am not an expert but giving you info in my words which I have gathered through my own research. Since I am considering putting a stone into a ring setting, I know that the piece I end up having made will not be an "everyday" one like my wedding rings, but I would certainly wear a pendant or earrings with a bit less caution.

Hope this helps...
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sgoehle

Rough_Rock
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Date: 4/16/2007 11:11:14 PM
Author: ger100
Alexandrite ring. Colors are light, but the change is there. Cool or what?
37.gif
[/QUOTE

Thanks so much ger100. A wealth of information. Now to do some studying. But first a couple of questions, if you don''t mind. Do you have stones sent to you to get appraised or are you knowledgeable enough to decide for yourself. Would it be a good idea to buy a few small stones first just to get the hang of it? I have never bought stones online and I am a little apprehensive about it. What do you do? Thanks again, Lady Asterbilt
 

belle

Super_Ideal_Rock
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if you are interested in colored stones, you need to find a good colored stone vendor. someone that is honest and fair. don''t try to go it alone!

some good places to start:

www.artcutgems.com
www.acstones.com
www.winkjones.com
www.diamondexpert.com
 

sgoehle

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
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Thanks for your informative reply monarch64. And I appreciate the links belle. Obviously I''ll be busy for a while looking at all these sites and filling my little head with knowledge, ha,ha. But honestly this is a completely new area for me and will take me some time to study, but computers are grand aren''t they? Thanks again to all of you for al the helpful leads. Lady Asterbilt
 

Pandora II

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Wink Jones found my tsav for me.

He''s lovely - you can watch him on PricescopeTV and ask questions about coloured stones directly to him.
 
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