Thoughts on this emerald

[ElleElle]

Hi all, I don’t know a lot about emeralds and I’m asking for a friend. She’s wondering if this stone is worth pursuing? Or where in So Cal she can go to purchase one. Thanks!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

No the stone is not worth pursuing as the level of treatment is too significant as per the report.

There's a risk that the treatment (oil) could dry out and leave the stone looking ugly.

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

My understanding is no more than F1 treatment.

 

[LilAlex]

F3 and still looks untreated (!) = no go for me. I suspect the price is terrific. Imagine what it must have looked like before the treatment.

Is F3 for emeralds like I3 for diamonds? Meaning it can not go any lower so it can be practically anything...?

 

[ElleElle]

Thank you all!

 

[momofive]

F3 and still looks untreated (!) = no go for me. I suspect the price is terrific. Imagine what it must have looked like before the treatment.

Is F3 for emeralds like I3 for diamonds? Meaning it can not go any lower so it can be practically anything...?

My understanding would be that the F grades are for the level and types of treatments, whereas the IF - I3 for diamonds addresses the inclusions. But I could be wrong!

 

[Avondale]

My understanding would be that the F grades are for the level and types of treatments, whereas the IF - I3 for diamonds addresses the inclusions. But I could be wrong!

The two actually correlate to a degree. When an emerald is oiled, the oil can only penetrate the stone through surface reaching fractures. Significant oil - F3 means that the emerald has far more inclusions than an F1 emerald.

Of course, the emerald can have other internal inclusions, but F3 definitely indicates there are a lot more clarity issues than can be seen with the eye.

 

[LilAlex]

My understanding would be that the F grades are for the level and types of treatments, whereas the IF - I3 for diamonds addresses the inclusions. But I could be wrong!

I mean that where there is nothing lower, the grade says very little. Not much difference between a "high F" and an F in Chemistry -- there's still nothing worse than an F.

 

[voce]

I agree with the other posters about this particular emerald. To answer your other question, try Gemfix in San Diego. I hear they have a brick and mortar store, and their prices and quality generally seem to be good. Your friend should check out what they have.