Buying Emerald Jewellery: Few tips to consider

Emeralds have been one of the most sought-after gemstones for more than 4000 years, numerous historians have associated emeralds with Queen Cleopatra, the last Egyptian pharaoh.

Cleopatra was so obsessed with Emeralds that, she often adorned her robes jewelry and crowns with them. Emeralds are about 20 times rarer when compared to diamonds and they are highly valued. Although, you are likely not looking for an emerald to put in a crown, but you may be interested in owning a piece of emerald jewellery.

It is very important to understand the elements which contribute to the value of an emerald before opting to buy or sell it.

1. Evaluating clarity, cut and size

Firstly look for inclusions, they are any materials, it can be gas bubbles or tiny crystals, which are trapped inside a stone during its formation. Almost 99% of the emeralds have inclusion, that are visible with the naked eye or a loupe, a jeweler's magnifying glass.

• the prevalence of inclusions makes the emerald a Type 3 gemstone, which means that inclusions can be seen with the naked eye.

• Secondly, emerald having excessive inclusions lessens the stone 's transparency as well as clarity, it is worth less than an emerald that has fewer inclusions.

• One should be wary of inclusions, that reach the gem's surface, as they might cause the gem to fracture.

2. Examine the emerald's cut

Emerald's can be difficult to cut because of the prevalence of inclusions, which makes them vulnerable to fracturing during the cutting process. Emeralds are often cut in a rectangular shape(known as step cut or emerald cut) it helps the stone's color appear consistent. '

-An emerald's cut must help protect the stone from numerous potential damage from everyday wear as well as tear.

-when it comes quality emerald cut should help in enhancing the emerald's hue, tone and saturation.

A good cut would appear sparkly and have desirable color, while a poor cut might have a nice color but appear dull.

3. Understand that emeralds come in variety of sizes

Like most gems, emeralds can come in numerous variety of sizes from 0.02 to 0.5 carat (1mm -5mm) accent gems to 1-5 carat(7mm -12mm) center stones used in rings or necklaces.

4. Do not equate size alone with value

it is true that larger stones are more valuable when compared to smaller stones. However, quality is just as important as size and large emeralds are more likely to have large or visible inclusions that may affect clarity. A smaller stone of higher quality is likely to hold more value when compared to larger stone having poorer quality. Additionally, a stone's color has a significant impact on its value.