Emerald
"Indeed there is no stone, the colour of which is more delightful to the eye... there being no green in existence of a more intense colour than this."
Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD), Historia Naturalis
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Legend has it that Cleopatra's favourite gemstones were Emeralds
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When I was a boy, long before I knew or cared who old man Pliny was, I thought Jim Henson's Kermit the Frog was pretty fantastic. Having grown up on 'Sesame Street', the 'Muppet Show' was a programme we enjoyed as a family, with many happy memories. I remember Kermit singing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green', when he starts lamenting about being the colour of ordinary things, ending positively in full realisation that green is good: it is cool, friendly, the colour of Spring, and big important things, such as oceans and mountains. In a way, Kermit's journey of self realisation mirrors my experience with Emeralds. Initially, I couldn't understand them, their intricacies, personality or character. Trying as I might to get into their 'ins and outs', I was just out. After a while, I began to see them for what they are, truly ancient and fantastic gemstones. No wonder Mesopotamians (modern-day Iraq) reportedly traded Emeralds 4,000 years ago. From Cleopatra to conquistadors, the lust for its rare, beautiful greens has made Emeralds one of the world's most valuable gemstones. But the birthstone for May isn't as easy to understand as other gems; so hold my hand as we get clever with Emeralds.
Emerald is a member of the Beryl mineral family (from the ancient Greek 'beryllos', meaning blue-green stone), and commonly known as the 'mother of gemstones' because of its highly regarded gem varieties. Apart from Emerald greens, other Beryl gemstones include Aquamarine blues, Bixbite reds, Goshenite whites (colourless), Heliodor yellows and Morganite pinks. Emerald is coloured by trace amounts of chromium, vanadium and iron, with their relative concentrations causing an extraordinarily beautiful range of pastel to intense deep greens with varying degrees of bluish, brownish, greyish and yellowish tints. More on its colours in a moment.
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Colombian Emerald & Diamond 18K Yellow Gold Ring |
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Emerald's name is derived from the Greek 'smaragdos', which means 'green gem', but as with Ruby and Sapphire for reds and blues, prior to scientific advances in the 18th century, the name was used for any green gemstone. For example, because Green Sapphire was sourced from the Far East it was once known as 'Oriental Emerald'. One thing to cover is the term 'Green Beryl'; logically it's got to be the same as Emerald, right? Well, not always. Some professionals and gemmological laboratories split the two based on their colouring agents, colour purities, hues or tones. Confused? Me too! In her excellent book 'Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald Buying Guide', Renée Newman states: "there is no agreed-upon criteria in the trade for distinguishing between Green Beryl and Emerald". She favours keeping it simple for consumers, using 'Emerald' to refer "to all Beryl ranging from bluish green to yellowish green regardless of its tone, colour purity or colouring agent". I support this sensible approach.
Historically, Emerald was the mean green beauty machine of the ancient world; Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all coveted the 'greenest of green' gems. For those looking for Emeralds in early civilisations surrounding the Mediterranean, they'd have been best off seeing the Egyptians, because this was the place where Emerald's story begins. Perhaps mined as early as 3500 BC, Egypt's Emerald mines were located in Egypt's eastern desert region and were rediscovered in 1816 by Frédéric Cailliaud, a French mineralogist and explorer. Even Greek miners braved heat, scorpions and snakes to unearth Emeralds there for Alexander the Great. This isn't to say there weren't other Emerald sources; the Habachtal region in the Austrian state of Salzburg might have yielded a few Emeralds, and Roman earrings featuring Emeralds from the Mingora mine in Pakistan's Swat Valley have been discovered. There is also a legend that the Scythian Emeralds mentioned by Pliny in his 'Historia Naturalis' were actually from Russia's Urals, but as far as supply is concerned, Egypt had a near monopoly. Cleopatra, last Pharaoh of Egypt, was big on Emeralds; she wore sumptuous Emerald jewellery, decorated ornamental objects with them, and presented dignitaries with Emeralds carved with her likeness. While it's tempting to think they were her favourite simply because of their beauty, Cleopatra was shrewd, intelligent and politically savvy. She understood the importance of symbolism, glamour and prestige in power and politics. Emeralds were more than just pretty gems to the Egyptians, they were potent patriotic symbols of national pride and she knew this. When Cleopatra finally consolidated her power base in 47 BC, with a little help from her Roman boyfriend Caesar, she was quick to claim the country's mineralogical riches as her own. Despite being discovered some 2,000 years before her birth, the Egyptian deposits will be forever known as 'Cleopatra's Emerald Mines'.
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Colombian
Emerald & Diamond 18K Yellow Gold
Pendant |
Since Egyptian times, Emeralds have been linked to fertility, immortality, rejuvenation, and eternal spring, so it's no surprise they are the birthstone for May. Pliny bestowed the benefits of Emeralds to refresh and sooth strained eyes and even today, we have 'green rooms' to relax presenters in TV studios and 'hospital green' to calm patients. Having looked at a gem parcel or two in my time, there is some truth in this. Emeralds (and other green gems) are definitely easier on the eyes.
When getting ready to choose your Emerald, you'll need to understand four criteria and how they impact value: purity of colour, transparency, clarity and brilliance (brightness). As with so many gems, colour is king for Emerald, and the wise Goldilocks maxim (not too dark or too light, just right) is heading in the right direction. But all things being equal, a slightly deeper richer bluish green than the middle point is equally desirable. What is critical is your 'purity perception' of its green in different light sources, remembering a gem should ideally look good in all lighting conditions, and for the marketplace, the purist green possible is the most valuable. The tricky thing is that 'pure' greens are the unicorn of Emerald, with different experts differing on their preferences. A little bit of yellow (typically up to 15 percent) can enhance a pure green, balancing its colour in incandescent light, while a little bit of blue brings depth, richness and warmth. Colour preferences are subjective, so if you like them pastel because of your complexion, I'm not going to argue, but if you want to stick to the marketplace norm, the best Emerald for you is your best perception of green. Emeralds with too much blue, brown, grey or yellow will be priced accordingly.
Transparency and clarity are best described as two different, albeit related, things in Emerald. In general, a transparent 'lively' Emerald with a few bigger visible inclusions will be valued higher than an Emerald whose inclusions are so fine they create a murkiness that negatively impact transparency. Emeralds' inclusions and tiny fractures are termed 'jardin', French for 'garden', and this is definitely apt. As a Type III gemstone (click here for more), Emerald has visible inclusions that we tolerate. In fact, you stand a better chance of seeing a flock of pigs than an eye-clean (no visible inclusions when the gem is examined six inches from the naked eye) Emerald above 1 carat. If I'm honest, this took some time for me to get used to, but now all is forgiven. In Emeralds, inclusions are the nature of the beast and are a characteristic trait, like a beauty spot, not a blemish. Why? Emeralds grow slowly within metamorphic rocks (rocks that have undergone a physical change due to extreme heat or pressure), which limits their size. This violent environment, combined with chromium and vanadium trace elements, creates a veritable inclusion fiesta. All things being equal, cleaner large Emeralds are worth more simply because of geological scarcity.
Last but not least, you need to appreciate the unique brilliance of Emeralds. Influenced by colour, cut and clarity, the 'brightness' of an Emerald is often described as satiny, silky, warm, soft, glowing, or my favourite, 'green fire'. You won't get the brilliant snap, crackle and pop of ParaÃba Tourmaline in Emerald, but nor should you. Emerald has an elegance all of its own. Quality of cut is very important for Emeralds as a skilled lapidary can locate its inherent eye-visible inclusions in a way that minimises their impact on beauty. In terms of cut and shape, the famous equidistant steps of the 'emerald cut' are designed to reduce cutting pressure, accentuate Emerald's satiny brilliance and, in the case of Colombian Emerald, maximise rough yield. While this traditional cut is synonymous with Emerald as red is to Ferraris, because of the shape of the rough, ovals and pears are common for Emeralds from Brazil and Zambia. Material not suitable for faceting is often fashioned into cabochons and beads. As with all gems, look for a good shape and overall appearance. Although Emerald is relatively durable, it does have some special care requirements (click here for more).
While Egypt's Emeralds are long gone, since the 16th century and the exploits of the infamous conquistadors Hernando Cortés (who campaigned against the Aztecs from 1519) and Francisco Pizarro (who campaigned against the Incas from 1526), a Colombian pedigree has become synonymous with Emeralds of exceptional quality. By reputation and experience, Colombian Emerald is the 'in demand' marketplace heavy weight of Emeralds, supplying around 60 percent of the world's output and 80 percent of the highest quality Emeralds available on the market today. Colombia's leading Emerald mines are located in the Cordillera Oriental mountain range, in the western foothills of the Andes Mountains in an area known as the 'Emerald Belt'. The world's most famous Emerald mine is the historic Muzo mine, situated 161 kilometres north of Colombia's capital Bogota in Boyacá on the banks of the River Mineró. Muzo is Colombia's oldest mine and has been producing since before the conquistadors conquered the local owners in the mid 16th century. Muzo produces about 50 percent of Colombia's Emeralds and together with La Pita, an area that has only been commercially active since 1997, accounts for 90 percent of Colombia's Emerald exports. Prized for their classic 'Muzo' greens, the majority of the world's finest Emeralds come from Muzo. Understandably, marketplace demand for Colombian Emerald is high, especially in finer qualities, but as with all sources, there are good and bad from Colombia, so just make sure you're paying for the gem, not the name. Discovered in 1931, Zambia has the world's second largest Emerald deposit and is also known for producing fine quality. Other Emerald sources are Afghanistan, Brazil, Pakistan, Russia (Ural Mountains) and Zimbabwe.
Emerald's unique beauty requires a little understanding to fully appreciate its character, but once initiated into their secrets, you'll agree with Kermit: "I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful! And I think it's what I want to be".
A selection of Emeralds from Colombia's historic Muzo mine, the world's most famous Emerald mine. Muzo is Colombia's oldest mine and has been producing since before the conquistadors conquered the local owners in the mid-16th century. Producing about 50 percent of Colombia's Emeralds, the majority of the world's finest Emeralds come from Muzo
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Named after the 'trapiche' (pronounced tra-pee-shay), a Spanish word for the spoke wheel used to grind sugarcane in Colombia, Trapiche Emeralds are arguably the rarest 'pattern' gemstones and one of the most unusual gems among the big three (Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire). First referenced in 1879 in a French mineralogical bulletin, these Emeralds are characterised by star-shaped rays. Dividing the Emerald into six sections, these rays look similar to asterism (also the star effect, click here for more), but they are not caused by light reflections. Instead, dark carbon impurities (lutite) are first pushed to the centre of the crystal, radiating out as the crystal grows. Coming with or without a hexagonal core, Trapiche Emeralds are valued based on three factors: centre lines (the definition, completeness and centring of the rays); colour (ideally deep, saturated and even) and quality of the cut. Trapiche Emeralds were once believed to be exclusively Colombian, but they have also been found in Madagascar |
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