Perfect Emerald Found: Ready to buy, yay or nay?

[336336]

Me again.

Some of you have generously shared your knowledge and advice regarding my hunt for Emeralds and Alex. The Emerald is a lifelong dream so I''ll get it first if I encounter one.

Long story short: it''s 1.69 carat, Colombian, outstanding coloring with the subtle mixture of green and blue, very slightly included. Haggled for a little while. Started out quite high, nearly 10K, now it''s 6.4K. Still hesitant. As I mentioned in my previous threads, I fell in love with a Graff Emerald a year ago, but even if it was the price of a nice car rather than a villa in Venice, I still couldn''t buy it. I never quite saw something of that color and vividness again, until today. Today''s find is much closer to my budget, and I get the feeling that other dealers would ask for a lot more.

I should have taken some photos, but based on what I saw, it is virtually identical to the Graff one, only smaller, cheaper, not yet mounted. I would even say the blueness is even more vivid than the Graff one.

I haven''t spent this kind of money in a while, so I feel weird to go all out on something.

BUT I am so excited!!!

 

[chrono]

You definitely sound very excited about this stone. Unfortunately without pictures, I doubt any of us will be able to comment about whether to go for it or to keep looking. However, based on your description, it sounds like what you are looking for? The best thing to do is to take a deep breath and try to examine the stone objectively. Bottle up your emotions so they do not cloud your judgment and bias you in its favour. If it still fits your requirements, then you know that it’s the one.

 

[T L]

You should get a lab report with the treatments before committing to buy. I cannot stress enough how much resin vastly improves clarity on these stones.

See the pictures in the middle of this page.

http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/dd_dontforgettoflush.htm

 

[336336]

Chronos, will do so I will try to get some photos.

TL, there shouldn''t be any problem on getting more information. As for your link... the after photos are still horrible

 

[T L]

Date: 10/20/2009 10:15:47 AM
Author: 336336
Chronos, will do so I will try to get some photos.

TL, there shouldn't be any problem on getting more information. As for your link... the after photos are still horrible

Yes, but if you notice, some of the inclusions on them have completely disappeared in areas where they were quite obvious before. The closer the RI of the filler matches that of emerald, the easier it is to eliminate those nasty inclusions. Those are not top quality emeralds either, so the color and clarity leaves much to be desired.

I would make sure it's a lab report or from someone like Richard Sheerwood who really understands colored gemstone treatment. I personally think that would affect the price/value substantially. I purchased a very fine color 2 carat Muzo emerald that I thought was worth $10K/ct. Turns out it was resin filled, and the appraiser/colored gemstone gemologist gave it a value of $4K for the whole stone.

Another thing to note with resins is that after a while, they start to go dry, and some turn white inside the stone, which can give a nasty appearance to the gem. I would make sure you never put your emerald in an Ultrasonic cleaner either. If it is filled, even with oil, it can look dramatically worse.

 

[336336]

AH, that sounds scary!

Well, I''ll insist on a Gubelin report or the equivalent.

 

[T L]

Date: 10/20/2009 10:34:50 AM
Author: 336336
AH, that sounds scary!

Well, I''ll insist on a Gubelin report or the equivalent.

Excellent!! Good luck, and I hope you post pictures. As an emerald lover, I am envious

and yet very excited to see your beautiful gem. Emeralds are one of my favorite gems.

 

[336336]

Well, we don''t know if this is going to happen yet

But would you please post some pics of your emeralds?

 

[T L]

Date: 10/20/2009 10:51:04 AM
Author: 336336
Well, we don''t know if this is going to happen yet

But would you please post some pics of your emeralds?

They photograph terrible (yes, green is really difficult to photograph). I''ll try to get some new photos with my digital camera one of these days. They are medium-dark in tone and they have a strong bluish cast. I have two of these Muzo''s in better color quality. One is set in a platinum ring, but the fact that they''re resin filled bugs me so much, I haven''t set the other one, and the ring I rarely wear. I also have several lighter colored and less fine emeralds (Columbian though). I was going nuts about emeralds for a while, a very long time ago.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Sounds like a wonderful stone. Just be sure to get it appraised. Even if it has some lab paperwork with it I''d still get it appraised.

I''m interesting in seeing your photos of it. And of course TL''s emerald photos too.

 

[T L]

Here's one of my Muzo's on this thread - really really awful picture though. It was taken with my old awful digicam. The stone is so velvety in person, but it's resin filled.

I'm glad that at least the color is natural,and the gemologist told me the resin is not colored. I've been toying with setting this one for a long time. I did set the other one, but it chipped in the setting (long story). The one in the ring is slightly larger but now that the resin is drying out, it's becoming more included -

.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/logr-mount-is-this-too-expensive.98583/

It's between 2 and 3 carats.

 

[336336]

Wow, TL, you are a quite a collector

Your Emerald''s color is absolutely lovely, but I''m sure it''s painful to watch it implode (for the lack of a better word). Yes, I''ve been hearing horror stories about chipping. I was at another jeweler and he told me that one of his clients actually cracked hers while playing mahjong. I shouldn''t be amused at other people''s gemological misfortunes, but I can totally visualize a socialite gambling and gossiping merrily until her Emerald cracked

As I understand, Hong Kong''s Emerald suppliers are a monopoly by a certain group of people, and they usually monopolize the best Colombians.... I mean, the stones, not the people (sorry couldn''t resist ) They''ve been importing the best Colombians Emeralds for generations, so I''m quite sure it''s from them. If it''s from them, it''s pretty much enough to be trusted. Basically, "it''s not what you buy, but whom you buy it from." With that kind of color, I don''t even think synthetics or treated stones can have that quality, and its quality is likely to be only from this specific supplier. I doubt any other supplier would have this kind of Colombian Emerald around. The quality is very similar to every Emerald I''ve seen from the many Emeralds the jewelers have shown me. This is mostly conjecture on my part. I''ve shopped a lot and talked to many jewelers regarding Emeralds. They all seem to get it from one source, and I highly doubt there is more than one major supplier, as HK jewelers are weary of trading Emeralds. They all concentrate on diamonds which they consider to be the more stable investment with less volatility, while good Emeralds, as Emerald lovers know, are hard to find, maintain, and have really haphazard pricing. I''m also quite sure it''s this supplier because of another factor: taste - this supplier really understands Emeralds and their beauty, while most of the local market is loaded with low quality Emeralds but still spades better than most Emerald markets in the world. It''s kind of an in-joke the jewelers inadvertently revealed their source, but when I see the color and the quality, I''m quite sure it''s only from this specific supplier.

 

[T L]

Thank you 336336,
Emeralds are brittle, primarily due to all the fissures and fractures that are filled, that you can''t see. The cleaner the stone, typically the more durable since beryls are not soft stones. The other issue I had with my stone is that I set it in a very hard metal, platinum, and this should only be done very very carefully. I would recommend you set it in a soft gold head (18K) instead.

Around 11 years ago, a big gem dealer sold a lady a very fine Columbian emerald that she had made into a ring. It was tens of thousands of dollars. She banged the ring on a table, and a huge crack appeared along the table that was never visible before. This was a crack that was filled with resin. They took the dealer to court and sued for emotional damage as well as ring damages. This case really broke open the issues with fracture filling of emeralds and even rubies. It was a very clean and beautiful emerald before she knocked it on the table.

 

[LD]

Hi there 336336 - I''m so happy that you''ve found "the one". Emeralds are breathtakingly beautiful when you get a good one! I can''t wait to see photos of yours but be warned ......... as TL has said, photographing green gemstones is probably one of the hardest things in the world to get right! No idea why!

Anyway, you asked for photos so I hope you don''t mind me sharing mine? This is an Emerald that I inherited from my Mother (and I think it was my Grandmother''s before that). It''s either Colombian or Siberian and is almost inclusion free (excuse the fluff in the sunlight picture)! This is, I''m pretty sure, untreated and it hasn''t changed in appearance since I was a child! My Mother wore this ring on most days and how it''s survived intact I''ll never know!!! The only damage is a tiny chip to the girdle.

This photo was taken at night under incandescent lighting:

 

[LD]

This is in bright Mediterranean sunshine!

 

[T L]

LD,
That''s a majestic emerald. You''re very lucky to have inherited such a rare and fine gem.

 

[LD]

Date: 10/20/2009 4:38:14 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
LD,
That''s a majestic emerald. You''re very lucky to have inherited such a rare and fine gem.

Thank you so much TL.

 

[mastercutgems]

Lovely ring LD;

Are those old European cut diamonds as side stones? I love the color and it is very clean for an emerald; just a very tasteful ring...
I know we spend as much time testing emerald rough as you do the cut stones now; as they seem to want to treat everything; of course we cutters do things that would make some faint like acetone, etc. to check for dyes and resins... As if we cut it in any way we own it...

Emerald has gotten to be like ruby these days; they have come up with some fancy treatments like excel, etc. and it used to be if you bought the rough you were rather sure minimal treatment like oil was the only thing that had been done; but say in the last 15 years they do all they can to the rough as well. Fine rough is so high now they demand a large sum just for the uncut material... And as with cut gems the prettier it is the more they want and the easier it will sell... So now you worry about opticon, and other resins they have not divulged yet, dyes, etc.

I guess being educated is a never ending process

 

[LD]

Hi Dana - Yes, they''re either Old Mine cuts or Old Europeans - I can never remember which!!!! My Mother was born in 1925 and I know the ring was my Grandmothers before that so a wild guess would put this ring around the early 1900s - possibly a little earlier. It''s set in platinum.

 

[Sagebrush]

All,

the main issue is price versus treatment level. An emerald with "significant" or heavy treatment may look great but it is far removed from a stone labeled insignificant to moderate.

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 10/20/2009 7:31:41 AM
Author:336336
Me again.

Some of you have generously shared your knowledge and advice regarding my hunt for Emeralds and Alex. The Emerald is a lifelong dream so I''ll get it first if I encounter one.


Long story short: it''s 1.69 carat, Colombian, outstanding coloring with the subtle mixture of green and blue, very slightly included. Haggled for a little while. Started out quite high, nearly 10K, now it''s 6.4K. Still hesitant. As I mentioned in my previous threads, I fell in love with a Graff Emerald a year ago, but even if it was the price of a nice car rather than a villa in Venice, I still couldn''t buy it. I never quite saw something of that color and vividness again, until today. Today''s find is much closer to my budget, and I get the feeling that other dealers would ask for a lot more.


I should have taken some photos, but based on what I saw, it is virtually identical to the Graff one, only smaller, cheaper, not yet mounted. I would even say the blueness is even more vivid than the Graff one.


I haven''t spent this kind of money in a while, so I feel weird to go all out on something.


BUT I am so excited!!!

I''m excited to see the photos!

--Joshua

 

[336336]

LD

That is amazing! You are so lucky. A Siberian Emerald would be so exotic. Just gorgeous.

My grandmother has a very expensive Emerald, no idea about the specs, but I recall my grandfather paying a lot of money for it. She knows I love Emeralds and have been trying to get one and she doesn''t wear hers at all. My cousin asked why she wouldn''t give it to me. No answer, lol.

I think even some jewelers are totally clueless about treatments. Some are knowledgeable and some are utterly ignorant. I asked whether there was any standard oil treatment. "NO, no treatment, at all, 100% natural." Oh dear, I''m sure that''s exactly how it arrived from the mine!

Oh dear. I think the miners and cutters would know what''s going on, but on the retail side, some vendors are just as clueless as the consumer at times. I really wonder what they know sometimes. All they know is how to punch numbers in a calculator. Once I walked into De Beers, for crying out loud, and the sales people came to me, pointed to the goods, and said, "These are diamonds." The stupidity is astounding at times

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 10/20/2009 10:19:31 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 10/20/2009 10:15:47 AM

Author: 336336

Chronos, will do so I will try to get some photos.


TL, there shouldn''t be any problem on getting more information. As for your link... the after photos are still horrible

Yes, but if you notice, some of the inclusions on them have completely disappeared in areas where they were quite obvious before. The closer the RI of the filler matches that of emerald, the easier it is to eliminate those nasty inclusions. Those are not top quality emeralds either, so the color and clarity leaves much to be desired.


I would make sure it''s a lab report or from someone like Richard Sheerwood who really understands colored gemstone treatment. I personally think that would affect the price/value substantially. I purchased a very fine color 2 carat Muzo emerald that I thought was worth $10K/ct. Turns out it was resin filled, and the appraiser/colored gemstone gemologist gave it a value of $4K for the whole stone.


Another thing to note with resins is that after a while, they start to go dry, and some turn white inside the stone, which can give a nasty appearance to the gem. I would make sure you never put your emerald in an Ultrasonic cleaner either. If it is filled, even with oil, it can look dramatically worse.

Important safety tip, treated or not, Emeralds should never ever never be placed in an ultrasonic cleaner or steam cleaned. They are very fragile and will fracture. Soap and warm water only

--J

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 10/20/2009 10:34:50 AM
Author: 336336
AH, that sounds scary!


Well, I''ll insist on a Gubelin report or the equivalent.

AGL and GRS are also very good choices in the color world

--J

 

[AustenNut]

Wow, TL and LD, those emeralds are GORGEOUS! I love the color on them, even makes me think of getting one. But then I remember that I can''t afford one (at least anytime in the near future).

336336, if this stone makes you so excited and the reports come back as good confirmation, and you have the $, have fun buying and take lots of pictures!

 

[chrono]

LD and TL,
I second the thanks for the emerald pictures. I’ve wanted one forever too but the idea of being resin filled has made me reconsider it.

 

[oddoneout]

Date: 10/20/2009 4:29:03 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
This is in bright Mediterranean sunshine!

Stunning!

 

[LD]

Date: 10/20/2009 7:12:18 PM
Author: serenitydiamonds

Date: 10/20/2009 10:19:31 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 10/20/2009 10:15:47 AM

Author: 336336

Chronos, will do so I will try to get some photos.


TL, there shouldn''t be any problem on getting more information. As for your link... the after photos are still horrible

Yes, but if you notice, some of the inclusions on them have completely disappeared in areas where they were quite obvious before. The closer the RI of the filler matches that of emerald, the easier it is to eliminate those nasty inclusions. Those are not top quality emeralds either, so the color and clarity leaves much to be desired.


I would make sure it''s a lab report or from someone like Richard Sheerwood who really understands colored gemstone treatment. I personally think that would affect the price/value substantially. I purchased a very fine color 2 carat Muzo emerald that I thought was worth $10K/ct. Turns out it was resin filled, and the appraiser/colored gemstone gemologist gave it a value of $4K for the whole stone.


Another thing to note with resins is that after a while, they start to go dry, and some turn white inside the stone, which can give a nasty appearance to the gem. I would make sure you never put your emerald in an Ultrasonic cleaner either. If it is filled, even with oil, it can look dramatically worse.

Important safety tip, treated or not, Emeralds should never ever never be placed in an ultrasonic cleaner or steam cleaned. They are very fragile and will fracture. Soap and warm water only

--J

And just adding to the important safety tip and expanding a little - NEVER EVER get it near hot water! It can crack an Emerald.

 

[T L]

Or submerge it in soapy water or any jewelry cleaner or ammonia.

 

[336336]

I had trouble posting photos properly. Sorry, I only had my phone camera, so you will have to squint to see anything But I take it you can see the color quite well. They agreed to send the stone to the lab and if all goes well, I''m taking it home !!!!