Looking for an Emerald

[Sparkle_ruckle]

Hi I just bought this one! I'll tell you if they send it to me lol!

I like your spunk and spirit! Please keep us posted with plenty of photos when the stone arrives!

 

[Miki Moto]

True... as stated on that web page re Gem Briefs & on the AGL price list I linked in post #18, origin is not included in a Gem Brief or a first-level Prestige Report. All Prestige Reports give an opinion as to stability of the clarity-enhancing treatment -- but the cheaper Gem Briefs do that as well

So far as I've seen since I started scrutinizing Friday, AGL reports the stability as a range in both Prestige Reports & Gem Briefs. Have yet to see anything other than "Very Good to Good" in emerald Prestige Reports or Gem Briefs. A Prestige Report will opine as to extent of treatment (as do GIA's reports on emeralds, priced cheaper than the basic Prestige Report), so that's a plus over its Gem Brief.

But I am disappointed that AGL isn't being as specific about emerald treatments as I used to think. Wonder if they will specifically call out Palma when that's detected?

Hi! AGL will not call out the type of treatment. I have spoken to AGL extensively about what they do and do not provide as I recently purchased a good size emerald. If you want the country of origin, at minimal the Prestige Origin Report is a must. You will get the country of origin, but they will not indicate the mine unless you specify and they are 100% sure your emerald came from that mine. On the enhancements, all they tell you is if it's traditional (oil) and modern (resins, other). They will not tell you what type.

I then asked about a Full Grade report, and the additional data you receive from that is color, clarity, cut. The Full Grade costs a lot more than the Prestige Origin (about 2x-3x more). There are also other special adders you can request. The AGL specialist said they rarely do a Full Grade report, and it is usually only for significant stones or investors/collectors.

For what it's worth... I have purchased two emeralds, both Colombian/Muzo and both were high dollar. The first one, I did not get an appraisal. The second one which I purchased recently at the Tucson gem show, I sent to AGL as it was a bigger stone (5.47ct). Even then, I purchased the stone without an AGL report. I talked to the dealer, he showed me all his stones, he showed me the ones he got from Muzo and also Chivor, showed me his Trapiche emeralds, told me how his stones are only lightly oiled. I asked a lot of questions that I already knew the answer, primarily to cross-check his knowledge and answers. In the end, I trusted him, he has been in the business for 38 years, and told me some of his history. And oooh, at the gem show, there were a lot of dealers that I felt were not reputable. I was not planning on getting the stone sent to AGL because I knew all AGL would tell me is what the dealer already told me, that my stone is Colombian, from Muzo, and lightly oiled. However, the reason why I did send it in to AGL is because I thought it would be cool to have an AGL report since this emerald was one of my larger loose stone purchases. I am not expecting this report to tell me anything I do not already know, but I sent it to AGL so I could have a nice little report that will put a smile on my face. I have other larger stones without any report.

Which brings me back to my point.. I think sometimes we get fixated on a report and there is so much data and "beware" of this and that on internet. I believe in face to face or via phone, and often times, all that is needed is to talk to the dealer, ask him the basic questions. If one is that cynical and feels the dealer is out to scam, I would hope one is smart enough to walk away. We ourselves need to be educated consumers if we are venturing out to purchase loose stones. So for a $1.2K stone, I would not bother spending $250.00 on a report. I know @TL spends $200.00 to get a report on a $200 stone, but for me, I would not bother. These price points are not investment level.

I don't know what size stone you are looking to purchase, but I would say trusting the dealer is the biggest decision factor for me . Then you can choose from the stones he has to offer. And if you get a big emerald, it may be fun to get an AGL report!

Good luck emerald shopping... it is so much fun! I spent three full days at the Tucson gem show looking only at emeralds. I really enjoyed it.

 

[T L]

You really need to know what you're doing when buying emeralds though. When I was more of a gem novice, I got burned twice with emeralds,so I speak from experience and I'm hesitant to trust vendors 100% completely, even if they are reputable. I remember some reputable dealers on this forum that unknowingly sold synthetics, but at least they provided refunds and owned up to the error. After collecting colored gems for 30 years, I find verification of the utmost importance when it comes to corundum, emeralds and alexandrite. Just my opinion, but I'm glad the OP had various opinions and they can ultimately make up their mind.

As for my $200 stone, it's probably worth a lot more with the report. It's a 2.4 carat light blue Portuguese round sapphire with no color shift. For what I paid, I was really fortunate to obtain it. That was another $200 well spent to me.

 

[LilAlex]

But take a look at current-recent AGL Prestige Reports for emeralds & you'll see that treatments are classified as "traditional" or "modern." "Traditional" -- a Prestige Report tells you -- "may include various oils (such as Cedarwood oil) and waxes (such as Paraffin) as well as others." AGL uses "modern" to indicate the use of "polymer-type resins, singly or in combination with other types of fillers."

Agreed. This has really turned me off of emeralds, sad to say. Giving treatment "grades" of 1, 2, or 3 is kinda weak assurance, imo. That, along with the inherent fragility and difficulty cleaning, etc. Oil is fine -- and ubiquitous. But all the rest of that stuff . A pretty untreated emerald -- however small -- would be something else entirely, but I've only seen old ones that met that criterion. At least with sapphire, I feel like I know what I'm getting from a grading report.