Need help with assessing an Emerald

[SabaAhmed]

Hello! So, I have been looking for an Emerald stone for an engagement ring and I thought I found the one I wanted but now I am just lost. I need advice on what to look for or what not to be concerned with. I am a newby for sure when it comes to these things.

I initially got a 4.21 Carat Emerald (Dimension : 10.25X8.04X6.91) from GemsNY for about 12.5.
AAAA
Transparent
F1 Clarity enhanced



It is a bit smaller in size than I had hoped. So I went looking for another slighty bigger stone and found these 3 options:

GIA Certified 6.13 cts. Emerald Cut Emerald

www.gemsny.com

AAA, Transparent stone, it has two black dots in the stone. F1

GIA Certified 6.68 cts. Emerald Cut Emerald

www.gemsny.com

AAA, Listed as semi-transparent, however, it allows a great deal of light in. Seems the most vivid. The green hue is also visible when you tilt the stone. There are three tiny black spots in the stone. F2

GIA Certified 6.93 cts. Emerald Cut Emerald

www.gemsny.com

AAA, Transparent with the darkest green tone amongst all and included.


These 3 are more of the size I was hoping for and also do not want to go over 14k in budget. Would appreciate any insight or opinions on all of these stone (including the one I have at the moment). Thanks you in advance.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Hello there and welcome to the forum! I'm going to be completely honest with you... I like the first stone best (4.21ct.). I think if you were to go with any of the other 3 stones you listed, you'd be sacrificing quality for the larger size. And I'm all about quality over quantity. Just my 2 beans... good luck!

 

[VividRed]

I agree with @Autumn in New England , the first one is the most appealing to me as well. Can you request additional photos and videos in various light settings?

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

Agreeing with above, the first stone is the prettiest to my eye and F1. It's the clear winner to me.

 

[SabaAhmed]

Thank you all for your responses! I know the first one is definitely way better quality... so i agree with you there. I guess I just hoped it was a bit bigger. Was the price for it ok at 12.5k?

Now that we know the original stone is the best one...if you had to pick one of the 3.... which one would be the better one? Is it the 6.13 stone due to being F1? And is it worth paying what they're asking for?

 

[SabaAhmed]

Or can anyone recommend any other emerald anywhere else where the measurements are around or larger than 11x9

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

I couldn't figure out how to do a link directly to this stone, but here's one that is also F1 but a different shape.

 

[Bron357]

You might need to see it in person to be sure what it looks like in real life lighting environments.
you definitely only want F 1 treatment, that’s the norm with emeralds and acceptable.
Tone is tricky. If too dark, once set and in say, inside light, it will look very very dark. That’s why my personal preference is for a lighter but more vivid tone. It’s not the “top colour” but it’s my preference,
What is your preference?
As for crystal imperfections, to be expected in all but the very best emeralds. Remember what you see with your eyes at normal viewing distance isn’t the same as a close up photo you might view on the internet. That’s why seeing in person is important. So having a vendor with a no hassle return policy is important.
This is my emerald.

 

[SabaAhmed]

Thank you once again to everyone who responded. So the smaller and better stone is in my possession at the moment. The more I look at it... the more I think that maybe I should at least go see what it looks like in a ring setting at least. Maybe the size will be just fine.

If not, then i will definitely go see other ones in person next week.

Any recommendations on who to go to for a custom setting for my engagement ring?

Lol all your comments are making me rethink my initial decision

 

[VividRed]

Thank you once again to everyone who responded. So the smaller and better stone is in my possession at the moment. The more I look at it... the more I think that maybe I should at least go see what it looks like in a ring setting at least. Maybe the size will be just fine.

If not, then i will definitely go see other ones in person next week.

Any recommendations on who to go to for a custom setting for my engagement ring?

Lol all your comments are making me rethink my initial decision

Is this picture representative of what you see in person? If yes, I would consider it expensive, it looks better on the GIA report (never thought I would ever write this…)

 

[AnnaEsme]

If you are not stuck on GemsNY, you may want to consider JR Colombian Emeralds. Check out their insta and website. They do custom pieces. I chose the emerald and had a custom setting made. I had a great experience working with them. They have a lot of selection. Here is the pic of my Muzo Colombian emerald.

 

[Avondale]

Well, I can't help you with opinions on the stones you're considering because gemsny is blocked for me, probably because I'm in Europe. Which is also why I can't recommend you a jeweler for a custom ring. There are a few names in the US which are highly regarded on PS - if you take the time to look around the threads you'll see their handiwork for yourself.

Since you're a newbie, though, I think I can help you with a few basics. This is gonna be a bit long, sorry.

To start, you've probably heard of the four Cs when it comes to diamonds. Well, the same four Cs apply for coloured stones as well, however they're not really a useful criteria. With a diamond there's a lot you can gauge just by looking at its stats on paper. With a coloured stone the only way to truly know is by seeing it in person. For the record, this system with the multiple As indicating a stone's "quality" is nothing more than a marketing trick, so don't trust it too much... or at all.

In general, the prevailing opinion you'll meet around here is that colour and overall quality of a coloured stone come before its size. In reality it's up to you to decide which is most important for you and what you can compromise with. And you will have to compromise because an emerald with excellent clarity, good cut, desired bluish-green vibrant colour and 5+ carats would cost a lot more than what you're looking to spend. Those are rare stones and their prices are usually on the crazy end of the spectrum.

So say you want a big stone and don't really mind if it's windowed and darker than what would otherwise be desired. That's fine, there's nothing inherently wrong with that. But since it's a stone for an engagement ring you really want to love it, not just have a big rock on your finger that otherwise does nothing for you. You want to feel pure joy just looking at it, to have this feeling where you'd prefer it over anything else in your jewellery box. And typically what gets such a reaction out of someone is the colour and not the size. Size without colour often results in "meh".

While we're on the subject of engagement rings, you need to be aware that emeralds typically are not preferred. Not all stones are created equal and some are harder and more durable than others. Diamonds are the toughest, hence why they're the classic choice for an engagement ring - can withstand a lot of abuse without a scratch. Emeralds are a lot more fragile, a lot softer. An emerald engagement ring will need to be worn very carefully as any accidental bump into a door handle, for example, can cause the stone to chip, crack or even break in half.

One of the reasons emeralds are so fragile is that they're typically highly included. This is due to their chemical composition and the way the crystals grow. If a stone is already fractured, it will naturally be more susceptible to breakage. This is why F1 is preferred and you don't want to go with a stone that's more highly treated.

You've probably read that emeralds are usually clarity enhanced with a natural oil that seeps into the stone through the surface reaching fractures and thus improves the clarity. There are two things you want to take away from this:
1. If there's more oil in the stone, that means there are more fractures through which the oil can enter the stone. The stone is more included, more fragile.
2. The natural oils in an emerald are not permanent, they eventually dry out or can be removed during cleaning. Once that happens the look of the emerald changes and the higher the level of treatment, the more drastic the change. This is where you might need to have the stone re-oiled.

I hope the above explains why everyone is advising you to look at the emeralds you're considering in person and also why no one seems to be too concerned with their size. You can learn a lot just browsing the coloured stones forum here. There's also a thread dedicated entirely to emeralds: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/please-show-me-your-emeralds.183829/ It has a lot of pictures that can show you how different emeralds look and potentially help you get an idea of what you really like.

 

[SabaAhmed]

All these responses have been so helpful... thank you all! I definitely understand more now about emerald than i did a well ago.

So now we decided to return the original stone. I started looking elsewhere... and keeping all the information you all provided and found a few stones with JR and also this one below.

What do you think of the stone on this ring and for being untreated? The ring is not my cup of tea but thought maybe the stone itself would be a better option to remove and have placed in another setting? And the price would be around 5k. Lmk what you guys think.

Thanks again!

 

[SabaAhmed]

Another option is this 3.31ct with F1 treatment

And again.... wouldn't keep this setting. And this is for 10k.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I think that 1.59ct. has real potential. And I have a feeling the photos aren't doing much for it. The color looks like it could pop in person. I love that it is not clarity enhanced.

The 3.31ct. also seems like a fine stone, but I'd need to see how prominent that inclusion pattern is at eye level in person. That's just me. But these two stones are quite far apart in weight/size/price. Would you be good with the smaller one? Also, would you be buying just the stone or the entire ring, and then removing the stone yourself? If it's the latter, I may keep looking for a loose stone that meets your criteria, rather than putting money into a setting you will not use (or need to sell).

 

[SabaAhmed]

Thanks Autumn in New England. Well i had the jeweler for the second one send me a video...lmk what you think.

 

[T L]

Thanks Autumn in New England. Well i had the jeweler for the second one send me a video...lmk what you think.

Second stone has the best color and clarity, I would just be worried about that central fissure, does it reach the table or the surface?

 

[Autumn in New England]

I agree with @T L... the inclusion pattern in the center appears to be running the width of the stone. I would just want to make certain none of it is surface-reaching, because that could compromise the integrity of the crystal's durability. Otherwise, that's a really beautiful ring!