Top Quality EMERALD Gemstones

Emerald, the first stones were mined in the deserts of Egypt near the Red Sea in what were known as Cleopatra's Mines.  Egyptian Emerald mined today are small and dark stones.  Sources for this gemstone are Colombia, Africa, and Brazil.

Emerald is a member of the Beryl mineral family, along with Aquamarine, Golden Beryl, Goshenite, Bixbite and Morganite. The name for Emerald is taken from the Greek smaragdos, meaning Green stone.  Chromium, vanadium, and iron are the trace elements that give emerald it’s color.  The presence or absence of each and their relative amounts determines the hue, tone, and saturation of an emerald.  Generally, the higher the chromium or vanadium content, the more intense the green color. As iron content decreases, so does emerald’s degree of blue.  When iron content is relatively high, emerald is a bluer green. When iron content is relatively low, emerald is a purer green.  Emeralds can be very strong bluish green to green hues, although some emeralds may be very slightly yellowish green.  The most desirable emerald colors are bluish-Green to Green, with strong to vivid saturation and medium to dark tone.  If the hue is too yellowish or too bluish, the stone is not emerald, but a different variety of beryl.  As with other colored stones, a well-trained eye is normally required to recognize the sometimes-subtle variations that make significant differences in emerald value.  Inclusions are generally accepted in Emeralds since all but the rare few have visible inclusions of Mica, Pyrite or Calcite or the "garden" type inclusions.  The most prized emeralds are highly transparent, with evenness of color, and with no eye-visible color zoning.  Inclusions can be important in separating natural from synthetic emeralds as well as for identifying the country of origin.

The vibrant Green incomparable beauty is reason enough for owning this Gem.