Emerald; even the essence of the word puts a picture in your mind of luxurious, living colour. Boasting bold green hues that flatter the equally bold Taurus’s in our lives, emeralds have caught our attention this month as the birthstone of May.
The old adage ‘April showers bring May flowers’ springs to mind when gazing upon our White Gold, Emerald, and Diamond Flower Earrings. Full of radiant sparkle, these stud earrings are ideal for any occasion, from day to night, with the perfect pop of colour to add interest.
If you require a bit more drama our White Gold, Emerald, and Diamond Drop Earrings hang delicately from the lobe, reflecting light with seductive motion.
Resting at around 7.5-8 on MOHS scale, emeralds hold their own beside other precious coloured stones such as aquamarine or topaz. Most have a high number of inclusions, and while this does compromise the durability of the stone it is also a valued note of character. Natural emeralds completely free of inclusions are, for all intents and purposes, impossible. Any stone that appears to be a perfectly flawless emerald falls under suspicion as artificial or man-made and therefore inherently less valuable.
The evaluation of emeralds follows the same grading concepts as diamonds. Stones’ value are classified by colour, clarity, cut, and carat. The emphasis of grading is of course on colour, with clarity and transparency following in priority order
Emeralds always present medium-dark tones of green. Hues can vary from yellow-green to blue-green. Quality emeralds are highly saturated, with 75% saturation the most desired and 100% being pitch black.
The clarity of emeralds is determined by how clear of inclusions, or imperfections, the stone is to the naked eye. Inclusions are excessively common in emeralds, and when present they can act as purely unique identifying features as no two emeralds’ inclusions are identical.
Embraced in spiritual folklore from many traditions, emeralds are thought to represent growth, reflection, peace, balance, healing, and fertility. Our Opal, Sapphire, and Emerald Swordfish Brooch beautifully exemplifies this folkloric history, being reminiscent of the Dorado constellation and a stunning gem for adventurers who love high fashion as much as they love travel.
If this stone hasn’t graced your fine jewellery collection yet, we highly recommend it!