which online vendor do you recommend for purchasing an emerald?

[Dancing Fire]

had never purchased any CS before,know nothing about them.

thinking about a ring or pendant with halo setting.

what lab report should i look for?
anything like G SI1 in diamond term?
would a 1ct emerald look big?
is this gonna cost an arm & a leg?

 

[chrono]

Hey DF,
Welcome to CS.
Are you fussed about emerald treatment (oiled, filled, etc?).
Your choice of lab reports varies from GIA, GRS, Gubelin, AGL, AIGS, Burapha, Tokyo Gem Lab and many more.
No, the terminology for coloured gemstones is a little different and can vary depending on who you talk to. However, I still prefer the GIA coloured stone terminology to describe colour (tone, saturation and hue), clarity (type I, II, etc) and etc.
And yes, a 1 ct emerald usually looks big due to their specific gravity.

 

[Gailey]

How much moolah are you prepared to spend?

Welcome to the darkside! I warn you, you might never leave!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 2/16/2010 10:05:51 PM
Author: Chrono
Hey DF,
Welcome to CS.
Are you fussed about emerald treatment (oiled, filled, etc?).
Your choice of lab reports varies from GIA, GRS, Gubelin, AGL, AIGS, Burapha, Tokyo Gem Lab and many more.
No, the terminology for coloured gemstones is a little different and can vary depending on who you talk to. However, I still prefer the GIA coloured stone terminology to describe colour (tone, saturation and hue), clarity (type I, II, etc) and etc.
And yes, a 1 ct emerald usually looks big due to their specific gravity.

hey Chrono

guess i want a UNtreated stone?

 

[Burberrygirl]

Hey DF!

Ditto to what the others said, have you considered Pala?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 2/16/2010 10:15:02 PM
Author: Gailey
How much moolah are you prepared to spend?

Welcome to the darkside! I warn you, you might never leave!

how much for a decent 1ct?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 2/16/2010 10:52:57 PM
Author: Burberrygirl
Hey DF!

Ditto to what the others said, have you considered Pala?

BG...she wants a emerald,but if emerald cost too much $$$ then i''ll go back to diamond.

 

[Indylady]

Check out Embassy Emeralds, Gemline Inc, and Mastercutgems for emeralds.

 

[Indylady]

Here''s a fine example link

 

[ma re]

Untreated emeralds of nice color and a carat in weight are quite rare, so you might be looking at a bit of a wait to find the right one. Multicolour.com has a beautiful one for 27 grand, but it''s a bit over a carat...or...make that a bit over five carats

Since you''re a newbie venturing into getting something that''s not exactly cheap, I''d advise you to armor yourself with knowledge first, cause buying colored stones is a lot more complicated than buying diamonds (which you''ll realize very soon). I''d suggest first reading this: http://www.palagems.com/quality_4cs.htm and then this: http://www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/english/emerald.html and for fun you can also find stuff like this: http://www.ruby-jade-sapphire-pearl.com/Emerald.html. Internet is full of resources, buying guides and all kinds of interesting articles, so feel free to browse around.

 

[PinkTower]

Hey DF,
I got an emerald last week from Tucson. I haven''t seen it yet. You can see a photo in the Tucson thread, scroll on down a bit to find the thread.

So far as size, I find it easier to think of colored stones in mm, rather than carats. This is a little different than you may be used to thinking, but if you get a mental picture of the measurements of the diamonds you are personally familiar with, I think it will be helpful to you. Then you will have a staring point for comparisons. For example, I was told my emerald is 7x7. That gave me a mental image that carat weight alone would not have given me.

 

[chrono]

I don’t necessarily agree with all his statements but it does explain some of the treatment methods and the reasons for doing so. DF, if you want a totally untreated emerald, your only option is to purchase a Zambian stone, and even then, they are commonly oiled. With lots of money, patience and the right contacts, you can find untreated Columbian emeralds too.
http://www.faceters.com/askjeff/answer31.shtml

Here are a couple untreated emeralds which is a little too large but it comes certified from AGL which is a very reputable lab.
http://www.preciousgemstones.com/142emfs.html (I believe this one to be already sold though but you can always ask Bob if he has other options)
http://www.preciousgemstones.com/180emfs.html

 

[Liane]

I've bought from both Serenity Emeralds and Embassy Emeralds and had very good experiences with both. Joshua Griswold at Serenity Emeralds seems to have a wider selection of stones to choose from; I wanted a matched pair of pears (how's that for a tongue-twister?) and he sent me photos of several really nice sets within just a few days. If you get in touch with him and describe what you're looking for, I imagine he'd be able to help.

FWIW, all the emeralds I've bought were oiled but otherwise untreated. The emeralds I bought from Serenity were very lightly treated and the one I bought from Embassy was a little more heavily oiled, but they all checked out as represented and were absolutely beautiful in person. I wish I had a decent camera so I could take not-terrible pictures.

As for your questions:

I'd recommend putting an emerald in a pendant over a ring because they're relatively fragile, although a carefully worn ring should be fine (especially with a halo to give it some protection). But a pendant is still safer.

For emeralds you're looking at degrees of treatment (none, minor, moderate, heavy) and intensity of color, then the number of inclusions. It's almost impossible to find a totally flawless emerald that isn't lab-grown, and I wouldn't want one anyway; IMO the "jardin" is what gives the stones their special character. But you want one where the inclusions add to the emerald's beauty rather than distracting from it. A subdued glow and a haze visible on close inspection is good. Something that looks like a fractured piece of sea glass, not so much.

A 1-carat emerald of fine color and quality won't be cheap, but unless you're looking for a natural, untreated, perfect-clarity stone, it should just cost a kidney rather than an arm and a leg.

 

[jleb]

One misconception about emeralds that people have is that clarity is as important as it is in diamonds. This is really not the case. When designing and cutting gemstones, the options range typically from emeralds on one side of the curve, and diamonds on the other. The design for emeralds is emphasizing the depth of color and glowing richness of the stone. For the emerald aficionado it is all about color. So the designs are usually step cut, sometimes with even the keel facet under the critical angle to darken the stone and pull the eye in. Diamonds on the other hand, are about colorlessness. I had a 3.5 carat L Vs1 diamond out of the mount... from the side it looked like a straw L.. face up, it looked like a G-H!! That's what a diamond cut does, removes as much of the color from the presentation as it can. (This is why diamonds are always graded from the side!).

The "jardin" or inclusions in an emerald, therefore become part of the lore and mystique. The "jardin" is composed of minute calcite crystals, 2 and 3 phase inclusions and imperfections in the crystal structure. These all add up to give an incredible glow and light play in the emerald. I have one that doesn't look very good on the macro close up, but in the hand it even glows in indirect light. This is what you want your jardin to do, is to counterpoint the depth and richness of color found in the cut, with sparkle and life when moved. So, it's not always a good idea to go for the "cleanest" you can but a balance between richness of color and play of light.

Because the chromium atom has difficulty integrating with the crystal lattice in the emerald, stress fractures, voids, cracks and other surface reaching inclusions are present. Vanadium emeralds from Zambia for example, have just as much green, but not the issues with crystal structure. That's why Zambian and afghan emeralds require no treatment.

So Columbian emeralds are a pain. Most faceters just hate dealing with them, since the moment you've got a facet polished, it just collapses into this void or crack that opens up. Howls are heard to the heavens with dire imprecations. Fortunately faceting machines are too heavy to hurl across the room! We have to dip them in wax and soak them, otherwise you'll be seeing white aluminum oxide lines in your stone that nothing can get out. So, to turn these into something stable/marketable, treatment is required. The typical Columbian treatment is to have them oiled with cedarwood. Done in a vacuum at moderate temperatures, the stone is de-gassed(a day or two), dropped into the oil under vacuum and and then the vacuum released driving the oil into the stone. This is accepted industry and store practice. What the oil does is to penetrate the surface cracks and voids, pushing the air out and bridging the refractive index of the stone across the gap, so the imperfections are not seen.

For really bad emerald, epoxy's and polymers are used to fill the stone and hold it together. These are not always disclosed. For the most part these are non removable and not particularly popular. This is a big problem in the Columbian trade at the moment.

Zambian emeralds have a higher iron content in them than Columbian emeralds. This is why some of the Zambian emeralds have a bluish cast to them. Down the center of the crystal for example, they look deep blue green, where as Columbian emeralds do not. So be aware of the blue overtone when looking at the Columbian stones. The ones from Afghanistan do not have this issue, it seems limited to Zambian stones.

I can talk about this more and post pictures, but I don't want to overload the post, so let me know if you'd like the extras..

 

[serenitydiamonds]

High value Colombian Emeralds are a very saturated green with a very definite hint of blue. Color alone cannot typically differentiate which location a particular stone in the world originates. Only a very trained eye could determine location based on color, even then it would only be 70% accurate at best. Microscopes are the only way to know for sure.

While they can be difficult at times to facet, there are many faceters that are experienced with faceting that particular stone, and they are very comfortable re-cutting if the customer has a particular need. However, most people prefer to accept how the stone was initially cut as it is usually the best overall balance to maximize the color of very fine material stone. Typically the faceters in Colombia are very very aware how to maximize the particular color present in a high value piece of Colombian Rough, and the stone is cut accordingly.

For low quality stones, epoxies and polymers can be a big problem. However, for high quality stones epoxies and polymers can be a better option than oils, as they last significantly longer. Each person has their own preference and my recommendation is to find something lightly treated with high quality material and a stable treatment. High quality material is easy to distinguish. Look at an emerald through a loupe until you see the reflection of light off of the facets. For a high quality stone, you will see very few fractures that penetrate the surface. The more of these cracks, the more treatment the emerald possesses. An emerald always tells it's story when you look closely.

If you are looking for a nice quality emerald that isn't too expensive I would recommend going lighter in color. You can fine lightly treated emeralds with lighter colors in a very affordable price range (They are called cristals). Emeralds are priced very according to value in most cases, so a perfect color stone (deep saturated color) with light treatment could be in the thousands of dollars per carat.

--Joshua

 

[Dancing Fire]

thanks guys

for confusing me

i better think this over.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 2/17/2010 10:15:34 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
thanks guys

for confusing me

i better think this over.

Yup, gem buying is not like painting by numbers that''s for sure. Lot of good advice in this thread DF.

Might I suggest, while you are digesting it all, you consider getting Mrs DF a book:

Emeralds: A Passionate Guide

But I warn you, you may be on the hook for a stone larger than 1ct afterwards.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 2/17/2010 10:54:41 PM
Author: Gailey

Date: 2/17/2010 10:15:34 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
thanks guys

for confusing me

i better think this over.

Yup, gem buying is not like painting by numbers that''s for sure. Lot of good advice in this thread DF.

Might I suggest, while you are digesting it all, you consider getting Mrs DF a book:

Emeralds: A Passionate Guide

But I warn you, you may be on the hook for a stone larger than 1ct afterwards.

Gailey...she don''t wanna read about emeralds,she just want one.

 

[T L]

Date: 2/17/2010 2:48:12 PM
Author: jleb
One misconception about emeralds that people have is that clarity is as important as it is in diamonds. This is really not the case. When designing and cutting gemstones, the options range typically from emeralds on one side of the curve, and diamonds on the other. The design for emeralds is emphasizing the depth of color and glowing richness of the stone. For the emerald aficionado it is all about color. So the designs are usually step cut, sometimes with even the keel facet under the critical angle to darken the stone and pull the eye in. Diamonds on the other hand, are about colorlessness. I had a 3.5 carat L Vs1 diamond out of the mount... from the side it looked like a straw L.. face up, it looked like a G-H!! That's what a diamond cut does, removes as much of the color from the presentation as it can. (This is why diamonds are always graded from the side!).

The 'jardin' or inclusions in an emerald, therefore become part of the lore and mystique. The 'jardin' is composed of minute calcite crystals, 2 and 3 phase inclusions and imperfections in the crystal structure. These all add up to give an incredible glow and light play in the emerald. I have one that doesn't look very good on the macro close up, but in the hand it even glows in indirect light. This is what you want your jardin to do, is to counterpoint the depth and richness of color found in the cut, with sparkle and life when moved. So, it's not always a good idea to go for the 'cleanest' you can but a balance between richness of color and play of light.

Because the chromium atom has difficulty integrating with the crystal lattice in the emerald, stress fractures, voids, cracks and other surface reaching inclusions are present. Vanadium emeralds from Zambia for example, have just as much green, but not the issues with crystal structure. That's why Zambian and afghan emeralds require no treatment.

So Columbian emeralds are a pain. Most faceters just hate dealing with them, since the moment you've got a facet polished, it just collapses into this void or crack that opens up. Howls are heard to the heavens with dire imprecations. Fortunately faceting machines are too heavy to hurl across the room! We have to dip them in wax and soak them, otherwise you'll be seeing white aluminum oxide lines in your stone that nothing can get out. So, to turn these into something stable/marketable, treatment is required. The typical Columbian treatment is to have them oiled with cedarwood. Done in a vacuum at moderate temperatures, the stone is de-gassed(a day or two), dropped into the oil under vacuum and and then the vacuum released driving the oil into the stone. This is accepted industry and store practice. What the oil does is to penetrate the surface cracks and voids, pushing the air out and bridging the refractive index of the stone across the gap, so the imperfections are not seen.

For really bad emerald, epoxy's and polymers are used to fill the stone and hold it together. These are not always disclosed. For the most part these are non removable and not particularly popular. This is a big problem in the Columbian trade at the moment.

Zambian emeralds have a higher iron content in them than Columbian emeralds. This is why some of the Zambian emeralds have a bluish cast to them. Down the center of the crystal for example, they look deep blue green, where as Columbian emeralds do not. So be aware of the blue overtone when looking at the Columbian stones. The ones from Afghanistan do not have this issue, it seems limited to Zambian stones.

I can talk about this more and post pictures, but I don't want to overload the post, so let me know if you'd like the extras..

Epoxies and polymers are used on high quality emeralds as well. My emerald has epoxy, and I know one dealer that sold a very high quality emerald that was sued because he didn't disclose the epoxy filler to the client he sold it too, and this was many years ago as well (probably 12 to 15 years ago). Oils, resins, epoxies are routinely used on emeralds, and perhaps Joshua can correct me on this, but I don't believe African stones or other locations aside from Columbia are exempt for routine enhancement with these fillers.

 

[T L]

Date: 2/17/2010 10:54:41 PM
Author: Gailey

Date: 2/17/2010 10:15:34 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
thanks guys

for confusing me

i better think this over.

Yup, gem buying is not like painting by numbers that''s for sure. Lot of good advice in this thread DF.

Might I suggest, while you are digesting it all, you consider getting Mrs DF a book:

Emeralds: A Passionate Guide

But I warn you, you may be on the hook for a stone larger than 1ct afterwards.

I just got bought this book from Barnes and Noble online store. There is a substantial discount and free shipping when I bought it from their site a few days ago.

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 3/31/2010 4:23:16 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 2/17/2010 2:48:12 PM

Author: jleb

One misconception about emeralds that people have is that clarity is as important as it is in diamonds. This is really not the case. When designing and cutting gemstones, the options range typically from emeralds on one side of the curve, and diamonds on the other. The design for emeralds is emphasizing the depth of color and glowing richness of the stone. For the emerald aficionado it is all about color. So the designs are usually step cut, sometimes with even the keel facet under the critical angle to darken the stone and pull the eye in. Diamonds on the other hand, are about colorlessness. I had a 3.5 carat L Vs1 diamond out of the mount... from the side it looked like a straw L.. face up, it looked like a G-H!! That''s what a diamond cut does, removes as much of the color from the presentation as it can. (This is why diamonds are always graded from the side!).


The ''jardin'' or inclusions in an emerald, therefore become part of the lore and mystique. The ''jardin'' is composed of minute calcite crystals, 2 and 3 phase inclusions and imperfections in the crystal structure. These all add up to give an incredible glow and light play in the emerald. I have one that doesn''t look very good on the macro close up, but in the hand it even glows in indirect light. This is what you want your jardin to do, is to counterpoint the depth and richness of color found in the cut, with sparkle and life when moved. So, it''s not always a good idea to go for the ''cleanest'' you can but a balance between richness of color and play of light.


Because the chromium atom has difficulty integrating with the crystal lattice in the emerald, stress fractures, voids, cracks and other surface reaching inclusions are present. Vanadium emeralds from Zambia for example, have just as much green, but not the issues with crystal structure. That''s why Zambian and afghan emeralds require no treatment.


So Columbian emeralds are a pain. Most faceters just hate dealing with them, since the moment you''ve got a facet polished, it just collapses into this void or crack that opens up. Howls are heard to the heavens with dire imprecations. Fortunately faceting machines are too heavy to hurl across the room! We have to dip them in wax and soak them, otherwise you''ll be seeing white aluminum oxide lines in your stone that nothing can get out. So, to turn these into something stable/marketable, treatment is required. The typical Columbian treatment is to have them oiled with cedarwood. Done in a vacuum at moderate temperatures, the stone is de-gassed(a day or two), dropped into the oil under vacuum and and then the vacuum released driving the oil into the stone. This is accepted industry and store practice. What the oil does is to penetrate the surface cracks and voids, pushing the air out and bridging the refractive index of the stone across the gap, so the imperfections are not seen.


For really bad emerald, epoxy''s and polymers are used to fill the stone and hold it together. These are not always disclosed. For the most part these are non removable and not particularly popular. This is a big problem in the Columbian trade at the moment.


Zambian emeralds have a higher iron content in them than Columbian emeralds. This is why some of the Zambian emeralds have a bluish cast to them. Down the center of the crystal for example, they look deep blue green, where as Columbian emeralds do not. So be aware of the blue overtone when looking at the Columbian stones. The ones from Afghanistan do not have this issue, it seems limited to Zambian stones.


I can talk about this more and post pictures, but I don''t want to overload the post, so let me know if you''d like the extras..

Epoxies and polymers are used on high quality emeralds as well. My emerald has epoxy, and I know one dealer that sold a very high quality emerald that was sued because he didn''t disclose the epoxy filler to the client he sold it too, and this was many years ago as well (probably 12 to 15 years ago). Oils, resins, epoxies are routinely used on emeralds, and perhaps Joshua can correct me on this, but I don''t believe African stones or other locations aside from Columbia are exempt for routine enhancement with these fillers.

Yes polymers, epoxies, and oils are used on all grades of emeralds, from the very poor, to the extremely expensive, no matter their source. Unfortunately 12-15 years ago none of this was disclosed as it should''ve been. Nowadays there are modern polymers that have excellent stability that many high tier customers are preferring over oil, since oil degrades gently over time. What separates the qualities of emeralds is the amount of treatment. African emeralds ''in general'' tend to be cleaner and lighter in saturation that Colombian, but can and definitely are treated also.

--Joshua