Learning to determine the value of emeralds

Emerald, along with diamond, ruby ​​and sapphire, is considered one of the most expensive minerals. Emerald, according to the law "On currency regulation" in Russia, is a freely convertible currency, it can be exchanged for any foreign currencies. Precious emeralds can act as payments in international transactions or participate in trading in foreign exchange markets.

Pure bluish-green emeralds, which are rare, can cost more than diamonds. Also, emeralds, called "old", have a high value. They have a dark green color, which is not possessed by minerals mined relatively recently in new deposits.

The fact that an emerald without defects (cracks, scratches, inclusions, etc.) is a rarity, about this already said... Many emeralds weighing tens and even hundreds of carats have no gem value precisely because of defects.

It is better to buy jewelry with an emerald with a specialist. However, in any case, you should know what are the criteria for evaluating the quality of an emerald. Let's dwell on the most important factors that determine the price of an emerald.

Carat weight.
Everything is clear here - the more, the higher the price.

Emerald color.
You need to focus on a rich dark green color. Many emerald-like stones, often beryls, have a light shade. These "emeralds" are sold by cheap brands (mostly Chinese).

Emerald transparency
Emerald, despite the inclusions, should be as transparent as possible.

The purity of the emerald
The presence of cracks, inclusions and other imperfections of the emerald. The presence of defects of this nature in an emerald is abundant, it is necessary to choose with great care, especially pay attention to those crystals in which cracks run along the surface.

Some inclusions can be extraordinarily beautiful, and the cost of such emeralds is higher than a pure emerald, and the jewelry is unique. In most cases, cracks and splits are treated with cedar oil. Sometimes thermal or vacuum installations using epoxy resins are used to fill cracks.

Cutting quality of the stone
The quality of the cut can be checked with a magnifying glass. So you will see the imperfection of both the cut and the stone itself. The emerald cut gives a special beauty to the crystal - this is a rectangular design with blunt corners. This type of cut allows you to convey the beauty of the stone and its stunning color, and also protects against mechanical damage. Other cuts are also used.

If there are too many inclusions or other imperfections, cabochons or emerald pearls are made from the crystals. A correct cut helps to enhance the beauty of a stone, and a bad cut makes everything worse and lower its price. Sometimes carats are sacrificed to beauty, a good master, only taking a stone, already sees its cut and the perfection of the stone.

Emeralds in jewelry have many admirers, even those who have some defects, and therefore cutters try to carefully process the stone, ennobling it and using effective technologies.

This is basically everything that you can see on your own, without a specialist. For a more thorough check, special equipment is required.

The value of an emerald is made up of factors such as color, weight, clarity and cut. Depending on this, the range of prices per carat is enormous, for example, stones can be $ 200 and $ 1000 or more ... per carat. For example, if a stone of good quality is 8 carats, its price will start at about $ 8000 and increase as its weight increases.

The richer the color, the more expensive the emerald. The fewer cracks, the more expensive the emerald. High quality emeralds weighing more than 2 carats are rare and very expensive.

The price of an emerald depends to some extent on the deposit. Colombian emeralds are of the highest quality. They are distinguished by their rich color and purity. Emeralds from Zambia may be superior in beauty to Colombian ones, but they are very rare.

If you buy jewelry with one emerald, it is better to choose a larger stone. The larger the stone, the better its play. There are jewelry with many emeralds, which are truly delightful, but the stone starts to play at a certain size.

Emeralds are beautiful stones, but, despite the many deposits on our planet, it is quite difficult to get a good stone, and not only because of its rarity, but also because of the hard work in the emerald mines.

The depth of mines is different, it can be tens or hundreds of meters, where it is very hot and humid, where there is not enough air. And that is not all. To some extent, in the depths of the dungeon, you need to possess at least some abilities of a climber, the lighting is electric, but the quality of illumination leaves much to be desired, the tunnels are narrow, through which you can hardly squeeze somewhere.

The rock is extracted with a jackhammer, which in itself is too heavy for beginners. And that is not all. In order for the emeralds to go, sometimes it takes more than one month to work in the mine, but sometimes it takes a year, or even more. Now think how you can appreciate a beautiful stone, just for its beauty? ...