First time buying an emerald -- so confused

[zedflying]

Long story short: i'd like to get a Muzo emerald to make a ring for my birthday (2000 to 3000 per carat is my little budget). I am in contact with some IG sellers. The confusing part is that, the emerald color looks different under different lighting and with/without settings. It's a bit challenging for me to tell (w/o seeing them in person) which would be the one.

Said that. has anyone got emeralds from IG: gemfactor_emeralds? they are in Switzerland and quite responsive and stones come with GRS certification but price might be slightly higher than IG: muzoemeralds (George Smith). George is responsive as well. His stones only have local certs and everything seems to get "vivid green" which I think for GRS standards, they may just be "green". I am more inclined to get the stone and do the setting locally (I am in the US) because I am afraid if there is any issue with the stone and it's already set, it won't be returnable. Please share your experience if you have purchased with any of them or stones from other sellers remotely. Except video clips and certs, what else would you look at before buying?

 

[Autumn in New England]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, finding the right emerald can be a frustrating and overwhelming experience, even for a seasoned collector. So I feel your pain, and I'm sure other members do too. I actually purchased my emerald from George. My advice is to not worry about the local certs for now. Trust his eye and expertise just to get the stone home. Once you receive it, and it looks to be the one, then have it certified by one of the major labs.

That being said, yes, emeralds are infamous for being difficult to accurately portray in pix and vids. But I find George's media to be some of the best. The proper way to view an emerald (or any gem, IMO) is under natural, indirect light at midday (try to avoid an overcast one). I couldn't care less how it looks under incandescent or fluorescent lighting, personally, but a high-end emerald should hold its color well no matter the light source.

You'll know the right emerald when you see it in person. So, how do you find it? Educate yourself and know exactly what you want in terms of size, shape, color, clarity, enhancement level, etc., find a trusted vendor, ask a lot of questions, be sure they have a generous return policy, and then take a chance. You may not nail it on your first outing. I certainly did not! Good luck!!

 

[budmanbudman10]

I got my emerald from George as well. It's a minor oil Muzo and I love it. I think Gemfactor Emeralds sells Chivor stones and George sells mostly Muzo stones. Both areas produce gorgeous stones.

I told George I wanted a stone that would get Muzo Green (formerly Old Mine) color designation from GRS. This helped him understand the hue I was looking for. I had a really nice Muzo Green (GRS) stone already and the stone George found me blew that one out of the park in terms of color. So I definitely recommend him

I wanted to view the stone in person before getting the ring made so I had the stone shipped to AGL and then to me and had the ring made in the US.

 

[zedflying]

I got my emerald from George as well. It's a minor oil Muzo and I love it. I think Gemfactor Emeralds sells Chivor stones and George sells mostly Muzo stones. Both areas produce gorgeous stones.

I told George I wanted a stone that would get Muzo Green (formerly Old Mine) color designation from GRS. This helped him understand the hue I was looking for. I had a really nice Muzo Green (GRS) stone already and the stone George found me blew that one out of the park in terms of color. So I definitely recommend him

I wanted to view the stone in person before getting the ring made so I had the stone shipped to AGL and then to me and had the ring made in the US.

Thanks for sharing. Wow, if it’s Muzo vivid green, it would be like $5000 to $10k per carat. I only have a $2000 to $3000 per carat budget. do you mind sharing how much the AGL cert cost? Does that have all the origin, enhancement, etc. info?

 

[Megan Hill]

In my experience with emeralds, I think it's important to demand a certificate from one of the major labs, if you are going to buy an expensive stone. I bought once a 2 ct emerald with Colombian certificate (Rodrigo Giraldo; Vivid Green- Minor Oil) and then decided to certify it with GRS and the result was Minor to Moderate Oil; Green, which is disappointing. Also keep in mind that smartphone flash-lights tend to saturate the color of emeralds more, so my recommendation is always to ask for videos in different lights (also in natural daylight).