If you are planning to add emerald rings, pendants, or necklaces to your jewelry collection, here is everything you should know before investing your budget in these charming green stones, which are considered a good investment in the precious gemstones investment category.
Are you a jewelry lover looking to add sophistication to your collection? Look no further than Colombian emerald jewelry. These green gems are renowned for their vibrant color and exceptional quality, making them a sought-after choice for collectors and fashion enthusiasts alike. In this blog post, we’ll explore everything you need to know about Colombian emeralds. This includes their origins and properties to the various types of jewelry available, such as stunning Colombian emerald necklaces, rings, and earrings. Emeralds, as part of the broader category of colored gemstones, have been historically significant and valuable, often compared to rubies, sapphires, and diamonds. While carat weight is important in determining the rarity and price of emeralds, color, clarity, and cut play a more significant role in their pricing and overall value. Get ready to be captivated by these exquisite gemstones as we embark on a discovery journey.
CONTENTS
When we think about jewelry, specifically regarding emerald jewelry, there is usually a blind spot in terms of knowledge. Due to this, we consider it to be the main reason to halt our intentions of acquiring valuable jewelry assets.
One reason to look for this kind of highly valued jewelry assets is the historical fluctuation and instability of our economic states historically speaking. There is a high probability that during the next decade, gold and gemstones will become handy investment assets.
Why do we say this?.. well, you don’t need to be a wise and experienced economic analyst to see that the world’s main political and environmental events, are slowly driving us to a middle to long-term period of economic instability, where only the wise ones will know how to sort and control the difficulties that may emerge during this incoming period.
That’s how we came to create this text guidance to provide you with a great solution and bring down those walls that may appear before making an investment decision and avoid going wrong in the selection of your assets for investment, at the same time that you can achieve fulfilling your desire to own gorgeous jewelry to wear on.
Historical Background about Emeralds.
Emerald’s green lush has soothed souls and excited imaginations since antiquity. The word emerald is derived from the Greek word 'smáragdos', and from Semitic origins: Persian زمرد (zomorrod) and Hebrew בָּרֶקֶת 'baréket' which means flashing gem.
There are other green gems, like tourmaline and peridot, but emerald is the one that is always associated with the lushest landscapes and the richest greens.
The first known emerald mines were located in Egypt. These mines date back to 330 BC and beyond. Cleopatra is believed to have been a great admirer of these stones. She is supposed to have used them in many of her jewelry pieces.
Emeralds have also been highly valued by gemstone investors due to their historical significance and appeal to royal families.
Then after the discovery of the American Continent, new deposits of emeralds from what is now Colombia were discovered and set into production centers when the Spanish explorers started trading these green troves from the New World. The Incas were also known to have already been using emeralds in their jewelry and religious ceremonies for 500 years.
With the introduction of the emeralds to the old continent, the trades opened the eyes of European and Asian royalty to emerald’s majesty. With the introduction of the emeralds to the old continent, the trades opened the eyes of European and Asian royalty to emerald’s majesty.
Physical Composition.
Emeralds are members of the Beryl family, a mineral composed of beryllium, aluminum, and silicate with the chemical formula: Be3-Al2-Si6-O18. The well-known varieties of beryl included after emeralds are aquamarine and Morganite.
Emeralds are classified as a Type III gemstone, which means they are almost always heavily included and require clarity enhancement through oil or resin fillers. They are considered among the most resistant beryl stones having a Mohs scale: of 1 as the lowest in resistance to 10 as the most resistant like a Diamond. Emeralds are rounding between 7.5 and 8 Mohs points, which positions them as quite hard stones but still, emeralds do require a minimum of care to keep them completely safe, but we will talk bout that later.
The Essence: To the Point!
1. Nature of the Stone.
There are two different types of Emeralds: Natural Emerald and Lab Grown Emeralds.
The big and main difference here is that Lab Grown Gemstones do not worth as an investment good because it has little or nonexistent resale value. (Better to Avoid - Hint to spot Lab grown Emeralds is by having a cheap price tag). If you are willing to acquire a long-term valuable item, then you should go definitely for natural goods, as natural emeralds and diamonds never lose their value over time. Natural emeralds are considered investment grade, whereas lab-grown emeralds are not.
2. Origin of the stone.
Another important factor to take into account it’s the origin of the stone, as there are several green emeralds deposits around the world like Colombia, Brazil, Zambia, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Russia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. But if you want to keep looking for high-valued goods then you should be looking for Colombian emeralds.
Most emeralds from Colombia generally show a Blueish-Green to pure green color and possess less iron and fewer impurities and fractions than emeralds from other countries like Brazil and Zambia, which makes Colombian emeralds much more valuable.
Some of the most expensive and rarest emeralds in the world came from the emerald mines in Colombia and it is a widely known fact that Colombian emeralds have kept their value over the last decade and it even increased.
Suppose you want to make sure where your emeralds come from. In that case, it’s always better to ask your seller for a printed Gemological Report from an Independent and recognized laboratories like GIA, GW, or IGI, where you should see all the details and information regarding the gemstones and the jewelry. On this certification, you will also find information like the country of origin and the treatment that the stone has been exposed to.
For high-quality emeralds with a large exclusive online inventory, consider our recommended sources like: Emerald Whisper™ - JR Colombian Emeralds - Avi The Gem Guy.
3. Treatment / Clarity Enhancement
Green emeralds tend to be among the most included all-natural gemstones. The inclusions are internal elements like gas bubbles, micro-fractures, or other elements, that are generally tolerated on the stone. Even the finest Colombian emeralds displaying those typical vivid bluish-green colors have fewer inclusions, and sometimes that is part of the charm that makes unique emeralds in the world.
But in many cases, the various internal gas bubbles, embedded crystals, veils, and cracks make the emerald look cloudy or milky, which we don’t recommend acquiring if you are looking for valuable goods. The standard and traditional treatment for emeralds is fracture-filling with natural oils. Cedar wood oil is most commonly used because it is colorless and has a refractive index close to emerald.
Since emeralds may be enhanced to a greater or lesser degree with these fillers, gemological reports usually indicate the level of clarity enhancement for emeralds, ranging from None to Insignificant, Minor, Moderate, and Significant. If a moderate or significant enhancement is detected, the lab certificate will try to identify the specific filler used. The best emeralds are the ones with clarity enhancement less than Moderate avoid heavily included gems.
It is rare to find a stone without visible inclusions. These inclusions usually do not affect the value of the gem. However, they could reduce the value if they affect the stone’s general clarity and brilliance. The quality of the rough stone is crucial in determining the final appearance and value of the emerald. (Buy only “Transparent” transparency graded emeralds to keep quality on the spot.
4. Size / Weight / Carat
When we talk about sizes in gemstones, we are talking in terms of weight, so the measurement system it’s called: Carats and one carat is 1/5 of a gram. Emeralds can be bought in a wide range of carats. The higher the carat value, the more expensive a stone will be.
Like many stones, the price-per-carat of a fine-quality emerald escalates rapidly with size. For example, a recent price guide lists one fine quality 3 carat Colombian stone as six times more valuable than a 3 carat spread in three stones with equivalent quality. The 'emerald cut' is a rectangular or square step cut that enhances the brilliance, color, and overall value of the emerald.
In short words; The bigger the size, the bigger the carat price.
5. Color.
A gemstone’s colour is measured by three major characteristics that determine its value. Hue, tone, and saturation are the elements that make up the colour of a gemstone. Hue is the gradation of the colour, meaning the particular tint of green that it has. The tone is the degree of absorption of light by the gemstone. This quality determines the intensity of colour in an emerald. Saturation is how vivid the dominant colour is in the gemstone.
The most color intensity, the
most valued the emerald. But here the topic turns a little sensitive because the own perception plays a fundamental role in terms of choosing the perfect piece of emerald jewelry. Round and oval cuts are rarer and more expensive because more rough stone must be discarded to achieve these shapes.
While some might prefer intense colors, others might find a preference for lighter but radiant colored stones in their jewelry.
6. Gold Purity.
Gold is a precious element that people use to make different jewelry and luxury items. You could find gold objects with a mix of colors, features, and purity levels.
Gold Karat is a mark that indicates and measures the purity of gold inside a specific item.
If you are interested in buying jewelry or want to invest in gold, you should know that you must check the purity of your items, generally displayed at the jewelry certification provided by independent laboratories and not by the seller.
24k Gold / 999
This type of gold represents “pure gold” which is 99,9% Gold material. As you can understand, it is the purest category of Karat gold which means that it doesn’t have other materials inside the item.
This type of gold is soft and malleable, which means you can modify the form with slight pressure. It is not common to make jewelry or any other commercial material, but it is usual to find it as an investment item (bars, bullion, and coins).
18k Gold / 750
It is common to find luxury and fine jewelry with 18K representing 75% purity of gold, and the rest are other precious metals.
Overall, this type of jewelry is a great choice if you are looking for a luxury gift for yourself or someone else. It has a high percentage of gold purity so it can be expensive and is not very durable.
14k Gold / 585
This type of gold is very suitable if you are looking for durable jewelry with a high percentage of gold inside, if that is the case, then this should be your best choice as 14k or 585 gold represents a 58% purity of gold and the rest of other precious metals like Silver and Copper. This way the jewellers can have the ability to create variations in colors on gold jewelry like Rose and White Gold.
Less than 14k gold is not recommended for investment Jewellery or if you want to own a valuable piece.
In Conclusions.
Looking for the perfect emerald jewelry can seem like a daunting task, but fear not! You don’t have to be a gemstone expert to find a piece that will become a cherished treasure for a lifetime. By simply following a few basic recommendations, you can confidently navigate the world of emerald jewelry and find the piece that speaks to you.
Emeralds, like other gemstones such as diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, offer unique investment potential due to their historical and contemporary value. They can serve as a hedge against inflation and an alternative investment to traditional currency-based assets.
So don’t let the search intimidate you, dive in and discover the beauty and elegance of emerald jewelry today!
Have you ever thought about investing in emerald jewelry? Reach out to our customer service team today for personalized assistance.
Comments