GUIDANCE COLOURED GEMSTONE EMERALD

Emerald is known for its rich green colour around the world. It is a mystical stone with much of history and cultural legends associated with it. In the world of today, it makes a choice of thousands of people for their jewels and ornaments, a practice since the ancient times. The mineral beryl gives the rich green colour to this stone. For its chemical composition, emerald is classified with the family of aquamarine and morganite.

The elements of vanadium and chromium add the richness to emerald’s green hue. This stone is characterised by its colour, above and beyond any other detail, and its name itself means green in Greek. Instead of a 10x magnification test, which is generally assessed to quality examine the diamonds, a naked eye inspection is used for emeralds. Emeralds naturally contain too many inclusions. These inclusions actually maintain its lustrous colour. This is the reason that an emerald is graded to be high quality if it appears flawless to the human eye instead of a 10x magnifier. Cedar oil is generally used to fill up the cracks and small chip offs in an emerald stone to make it appear more refined and shine better. It improves both the clarity and the durability of emeralds. Emeralds are less durable as compared to other gemstones, the diamonds, sapphires and rubies. If diamonds are rated at the top with ten on a durability scale, sapphires and rubies at nine then emeralds stand at 7.5 to 8. Emeralds are generally cut with a broad table to increase their durability and help light reflection and enhance the cut grade. Though emeralds are rated lower than other precious gemstones, these stones are harder and more lasting than innumerable other gemstones and this is why they make a good choice for jewelry.

Emerald is categorised as a birthstone for the month of May, it is believed to signify loyalty. It is also said that emerald brings peace and balance to its wearer. Emerald has been worn by the queens and the kings of their times. The gemstone is still popular for its unique beauty and historical significance.

Emeralds are usually considered as brittle stones which is a misconception. Diamonds are the hardest known substance. If a diamond is graded ten on durability scale then an emerald can be graded as 7.5 ton 8. Emeralds are not very fragile but the inclusions tend to make them weaker. It is suggested to cut them in such a way that the inclusions remain untouched. Top quality and most durable emerald stones are those in which inclusions are contained in the middle. Since these stones are generally cut with a board table so the inclusions do not affect the durability.