I need help choosing a green gem

[phillipenme]

Hi all.. I was hoping to get some opinions on fine green gems. I am looking for a center stone for an engagement ring, and do not want emerald but do love the color. I've done a little research and found Tsavorite, Demantoid, Green Sapphire and Green Tourmaline. I have only seen pictures of these stones and am not sure which I should focus my search on. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I want a clear, stunning, brilliant and eye catching stone. Do any of these gems stand out and sparkle more than the others? Are there any other greens I'm leaving out that would be suitable for an engagement ring? Thanks!!!

 

[Niel]

Chrysoberyl is a nice green gem. Its not in the same vein as those greens so probably not what you're after but it can have a lovely yellow green chartreuse color. I know some will argue with me as if that's green or not, but to my eyes it is, and is sturdy enough to wear everyday, and very affordable. But can be hard to find good rough.

 

[the_mother_thing]

There are also lovely green garnets (some of which change color in incandescent light) that might be worth a look also. They are also hard enough/suitable, I believe, for an engagement ring/daily wear.

 

[FrekeChild]

What's your budget? What size stone are you wanting?

No gemstone is a wear 24/7 stone. Most people here care enough about their stones that they take them off when they are at home/doing stuff with their hands that might hurt their jewelry.

 

[the_mother_thing]

No gemstone is a wear 24/7 stone. Most people here care enough about their stones that they take them off when they are at home/doing stuff with their hands that might hurt their jewelry.

Agreed, I guess I assumed that went without saying.

 

[psproot12]

A Tsavorite is a green garnet. Garnets have very high brilliance and tsavorites come in a deep green color. Tourmaline and demantoid don't look anything like emeralds but tsavorites do a lot and out of the stones you listed are by far the best for the price. Tsavorites are usually pretty clean beautiful
http://m.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=tsavorite+&_pgn=4&_sacat=110809&cnm=Tsavorite&LH_BIN=1&LH_PrefLoc=0

 

[tara3056]

Since this is for an engagement ring, I must caution you (as others have) that none of these stones are really everyday stones, for 24/7 wear the way diamond engagement rings can be. However, if one is very careful with the ring and removes it often at home or when doing anything risky, it may be kept in good condition for a long time.

The best choice from your list would likely be a tsavorite garnet. Demantoids are also garnets, and they can be truly amazing, but they are only around a 6.5-7 on the Mohs scale, whereas tsavorite is a bit harder, at 7-7.5. Green tourmaline, while comparable to some of the garnets on the Mohs scale, seem to wear a little less well, and they are generally not nearly so eye-catching and brilliant as garnets because of their lower RI (which means they sparkle less, all things being equal. They also show tilt windows quite easily.) Green sapphire would definitely be the best choice in terms of durability, but they are often muddy colors. I've seen some pretty pistachio-green colored sapphires from Montana (and maybe Australia could offer some nice greens, too), but nothing that can compare to the intense, pure green you'd get from a tsav (or the chrome-to-neon green of a Russian demantoid - but again - there's the durability issue).

Side note: I consider myself to be "easy" on rings. I am a SAHM and I don't wear my jewelry at home, which is pretty much all of time. And yet, after only a couple of years of owning a tsavorite ring (and the tsav is bezel-set, too), the table is lightly abraded

 

[tara3056]

Also, Niel mentioned chrysoberyl, which as she said is usually a bright greenish-yellow or yellowish green. It may not be the color you're wanting, but it IS more durable than most, and could be considered an "everyday" kind of stone (though it's possible, of course, to damage any kind of stone, even diamond!)

 

[phillipenme]

Thank you all for your feedback! My budget is around $5k. I think Tsavorite or Sapphire sounds like my best route. I am going to see what I can come up with. Thanks again!

 

[chrono]

Tsavorite (green grossular garnet)
The best green that rivals an emerald. It is also very brilliant and flashy. Unfortunately, it is also on the softer side. You can wear it as an e-ring but it must be removed for most activities. Remove it once you step through your door at home. Do not wear it for gardening, carrying heavy items, exercise and the like. You can only wear it for light activities. I wear my garnet ring only to work (desk job) and home occasionally and it is already showing facet wear.

Green sapphire
Your best choice in terms of durability but the green tends to be gray and /or yellowish. Most green sapphires look muted.

Green tourmaline
Some green tourmalines have fantastic colour but tsavorite still trumps tourmaline in the colour and wearability department.

Chrysoberyl
This is more yellow than green; chartreuse to be precise, so it's not what you are after but it is very durable and can handle 24/7 wear. It is also very flashy, brilliant and eye-catching....just not emerald green.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Would a green spinel also be a viable option? They are also very beautiful but I don't recall off hand their hardness level.

 

[chrono]

I haven't seen any nice looking green spinel; they tend to be dark and very gray. On the positive side, they are quite durable. The only pretty green spinel I've seen are all synthetics.

 

[Dioptase]

A personnal favourite: vanadium chrysoberyl. It's quite rare ; so not easy to find large pieces but it's a stunning gem, very brillant and lively. The color is close to the "Merelani Mint" grossular garnet.
If you find one, you will make a pretty unique ring for sure.

 

[minousbijoux]

I LOVE Vanadium Chrysoberyl, and vivid Russian demantoids, but would knock them out on price alone. Chrysoberyl is chartreuse as Chrono said, which is not really green per se (we have Niel, our resident chrysoberyl pusher here ). If you are not looking for vivid saturation then Montana sapphires are a really good choice. I agree with others that it will be very hard to find a green sapphire that is not muddy - other than Montanas. Tourmalines I would knock out for durability and because while nice, are pretty common stones (sorry, it doesn't mean they aren't pretty, just that I don't think they are special enough for an ER), and green grossulars are lovely but going up in price. So I would agree - sapphire or tsavorite (or lighter Merelani Mint), but know that more babying will be necessary with the grossulars than with sapphire.

Tara: wow, abrasions already? Hopefully, you have to loupe them to see them? I'm sorry to hear it.

 

[Niel]

I LOVE Vanadium Chrysoberyl, and vivid Russian demantoids, but would knock them out on price alone. Chrysoberyl is chartreuse as Chrono said, which is not really green per se (we have Niel, our resident chrysoberyl pusher here :bigsmile: ). If you are not looking for vivid saturation then Montana sapphires are a really good choice. I agree with others that it will be very hard to find a green sapphire that is not muddy - other than Montanas. Tourmalines I would knock out for durability and because while nice, are pretty common stones (sorry, it doesn't mean they aren't pretty, just that I don't think they are special enough for an ER), and green grossulars are lovely but going up in price. So I would agree - sapphire or tsavorite (or lighter Merelani Mint), but know that more babying will be necessary with the grossulars than with sapphire.

Tara: wow, abrasions already? Hopefully, you have to loupe them to see them? I'm sorry to hear it.

Haha

To be fair I said it was chartreuse too. as I said it probably wouldnt work for him but for newbies googling I figured it would be fair to mention they are green, even if a different hue.

And maybe I'm a pusher, but I prefer lobbiest haha

 

[minousbijoux]

I LOVE Vanadium Chrysoberyl, and vivid Russian demantoids, but would knock them out on price alone. Chrysoberyl is chartreuse as Chrono said, which is not really green per se (we have Niel, our resident chrysoberyl pusher here :bigsmile: ). If you are not looking for vivid saturation then Montana sapphires are a really good choice. I agree with others that it will be very hard to find a green sapphire that is not muddy - other than Montanas. Tourmalines I would knock out for durability and because while nice, are pretty common stones (sorry, it doesn't mean they aren't pretty, just that I don't think they are special enough for an ER), and green grossulars are lovely but going up in price. So I would agree - sapphire or tsavorite (or lighter Merelani Mint), but know that more babying will be necessary with the grossulars than with sapphire.

Tara: wow, abrasions already? Hopefully, you have to loupe them to see them? I'm sorry to hear it.

Haha

To be fair I said it was chartreuse too. as I said it probably wouldnt work for him but for newbies googling I figured it would be fair to mention they are green, even if a different hue.

And maybe I'm a pusher, but I prefer lobbiest haha

You are too funny! Lobbiest it is!

Oh, and if I were you, I'd do some research into the Chrysoberyl Mining Society or some such, because since you single handedly have now raised the demand for chryso, the least they can do is pay you in kind.

 

[pinkjewel]

Well, gee- until the budget got posted I had the perfect gem for the OP- a lovely green diamond!! and, of course, it didn't hurt that there were a couple of little pink diamonds around it

 

[Niel]

I'm not usually a green sapphire fan but this is quite lovely, about 6mm and only about 1100. That would leave you enough for any amazing setting you had in mind. Just an idea.

 

[tara3056]

Tara: wow, abrasions already? Hopefully, you have to loupe them to see them? I'm sorry to hear it.

Minou: Yes, very slight abrasions. It looks kind of like orange peel or something, or a bit like an oil slick across the table only. It's just enough that when you tilt it in the light to make the table facet reflect, it doesn't look completely smooth and shiny. Luckily, DH is pretty confident he can take it to a polishing lap even while set in the ring, since the table sits high enough above the bezel, and get it back to new. It wouldn't be very aggressive since the damage is not significant. Still, knowing that I could harm it at all in such a short amount of time, being as easy as I am on jewelry, concerns me. I mean, there are entire weeks where I don't put on my rings even once. I know you're a big fan of Russian Demantoids, as I am, so I'll share that I have one on its way to me now (can't wait to post about it in more detail, but it'll be a couple of weeks), and it will *definitely* be going into a pendant whenever I eventually get it set!

 

[RTFrog]

A more pastel sapphire with beautiful unique cut to piggy-back off of what Niel suggested. Nice size, very unique, and within your budget:



http://johndyergems.com/catalog_pages/gemstone-Sapphire2848.html

 

[txgreeneyes]

Green amethyst (also known as green quartz) or green garnet...

 

[minousbijoux]

I'm not usually a green sapphire fan but this is quite lovely, about 6mm and only about 1100. That would leave you enough for any amazing setting you had in mind. Just an idea.

I love this one! I agree with Niel that this Montana is lovely. Admittedly, its not the supersaturated green you might be seeking, but it sure is a beauty nonetheless.