Natural Emeralds
The Unmistakable Beauty of Natural Emerald
Few gemstones are as instantly recognisable as a fine natural emerald.
Admired for its magnificent green colour, emerald has been treasured for thousands of years and remains one of the world's most important precious gemstones.
Unlike diamonds, where clarity is often associated with the absence of inclusions, natural emeralds commonly contain visible internal characteristics. These features are part of the fascinating nature of emerald and, in many cases, part of what makes each stone unique.
When purchasing a significant natural emerald, however, understanding colour, clarity, treatment, origin and independent laboratory certification is extremely important.
Two emeralds that appear similar at first glance can have very different treatment histories, rarity and value.
What Is an Emerald?
Emerald is the green variety of the mineral beryl.
The beryl family also includes gemstones such as aquamarine and morganite, but emerald receives its distinctive green colour principally from trace elements such as chromium and/or vanadium.
Natural emeralds occur in different shades and intensities of green, sometimes with bluish or yellowish secondary tones.
The combination of colour, transparency, clarity and overall appearance helps determine the beauty and desirability of an individual stone.
What Makes a Natural Emerald Valuable?
As with other coloured gemstones, there is no single factor that determines the quality or value of an emerald.
Colour is particularly important.
Fine emeralds are generally admired for an attractive, well-saturated green colour combined with sufficient transparency and brightness.
An emerald that is too pale may lack the richness traditionally associated with the gemstone, while one that is excessively dark may lose some of its liveliness.
Other important considerations include:
Clarity – Inclusions are extremely common in natural emeralds. The important consideration is not simply whether inclusions are present, but how much they affect the beauty, transparency and durability of the gemstone.
Cut – A skilled cutter needs to balance colour, clarity, proportions and retention of weight. The famous rectangular step cut known as the emerald cut was developed in part to suit the characteristics of emerald.
Carat weight and size – Larger fine-quality natural emeralds can be extremely rare, but size alone does not determine value.
Treatment – The presence and degree of clarity enhancement can significantly influence rarity and value.
Origin – Certain geographic origins have developed particularly strong reputations, particularly for exceptional stones, although origin should never be considered independently of quality.
What Is an Emerald's "Jardin"?
One of the characteristics that makes natural emerald fascinating is its inclusions.
The internal features commonly seen within emeralds are often collectively described by the French word jardin, meaning "garden".
When viewed under magnification, these inclusions can resemble branches, leaves, wisps, crystals, fissures or other intricate natural patterns.
The presence of a jardin does not automatically mean that an emerald is poor quality.
In fact, inclusions are expected in many natural emeralds.
The important questions are:
How visible are the inclusions to the naked eye?
Do they significantly reduce transparency?
Do they distract from the beauty of the stone?
Could they affect the gemstone's durability?
This is why judging an emerald by diamond clarity standards can be misleading.
Are Natural Emeralds Treated?
Yes. Clarity enhancement is common in natural emeralds.
Because emeralds frequently contain fissures that reach the surface of the gemstone, oils, resins or other substances may be introduced into these fissures to make them less visible and improve the apparent clarity of the stone.
Traditionally, colourless oil has been widely used for this purpose.
An emerald that has been clarity enhanced can still be a natural emerald.
However, the type and extent of enhancement are extremely important and should be properly disclosed.
Minor, Moderate and Significant Enhancement
When an independent laboratory examines an emerald, it may describe the degree of clarity enhancement detected.
Terminology varies between laboratories, but descriptions may include categories such as:
- Minor enhancement
- Moderate enhancement
- Significant enhancement
This distinction can be very important.
A fine natural emerald with little or no clarity enhancement may be considerably rarer than an emerald whose appearance has been substantially improved through clarity enhancement.
This means that two emeralds can both legitimately be described as natural emeralds yet have very different levels of rarity and potentially very different values.
This is precisely why simply asking, "Is the emerald natural?" does not tell you enough.
You should also ask:
- Has the emerald been clarity enhanced?
- What type of enhancement has been detected?
- What is the degree of enhancement?
- Is the treatment stable and does it require special care?
Is there an independent laboratory report confirming these findings?
Certification – Why It Matters
For a significant natural emerald, we strongly recommend an appropriate independent gemstone laboratory report.
An experienced gemmologist may be able to assess many characteristics of an emerald, but important questions concerning treatment and geographic origin can require sophisticated laboratory testing.
Depending on the gemstone and laboratory, an independent report may provide information including:
- Confirmation that the emerald is natural
- Weight and measurements
- Identification and colour description
- Whether clarity enhancement has been detected
- An assessment of the degree of enhancement
- In appropriate cases, an opinion regarding geographic origin
For valuable emeralds, these findings can have a significant influence on rarity and value.
Depending on the gemstone and circumstances, internationally recognised laboratories may include organisations such as GIA, Gübelin Gem Lab, SSEF and AGL, among others.
The most appropriate laboratory may depend on the individual gemstone, its value and the information required.
A gemstone laboratory report should also not be confused with a valuation.
The laboratory's role is primarily to identify the gemstone and report its findings. A valuation considers the monetary value of the gemstone or finished piece of jewellery.
Does the Origin of an Emerald Matter?
Natural emeralds are found in several parts of the world.
Important sources include Colombia, Zambia and Brazil, along with other locations.
Colombia has an especially famous history of producing fine emeralds, including stones associated with renowned mining regions such as Muzo and Chivor.
Zambia is another major source and has produced many exceptional emeralds, often displaying beautiful saturated green colours.
Origin can influence market desirability, particularly at the upper end of the market, but it should not be used as a substitute for judging the gemstone itself.
A beautiful Zambian emerald can be more desirable than a less attractive Colombian emerald, and vice versa.
The individual stone still matters.
When a significant premium is being charged because an emerald is claimed to come from a particular geographic location, we recommend that the origin opinion be supported by an appropriate independent laboratory report.
Emerald Hardness and Durability
Emerald measures approximately 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
That may sound reasonably hard, but hardness is only part of the story.
Because natural emeralds frequently contain inclusions and fissures, they can be more susceptible to chipping or damage than diamonds, rubies or sapphires.
This does not mean emerald should not be used in an engagement ring.
It means that the gemstone, setting and lifestyle of the wearer need to be considered carefully.
A well-designed setting can provide additional protection, and an emerald engagement ring can be enjoyed for many years when treated appropriately.
Caring for a Natural Emerald
Emerald requires more thoughtful care than many other precious gemstones.
Because an emerald may contain surface-reaching fissures and clarity enhancement, aggressive cleaning methods should generally be avoided.
In particular, ultrasonic and steam cleaning may not be appropriate for many emeralds.
A safer approach is usually gentle cleaning with lukewarm water, mild soap and a soft brush, taking into account the specific gemstone and any treatment it has received.
Emerald jewellery should also be protected from severe impacts and sudden temperature changes.
If you own a significant emerald and are uncertain about its treatment history, professional advice should be sought before cleaning or repairing the jewellery.
Can Emerald Treatments Change Over Time?
This is another important difference between emerald and many other gemstones.
Some substances used to fill surface-reaching fissures may deteriorate, dry out or be affected by heat, chemicals or cleaning processes.
In certain circumstances, an emerald may require professional attention or re-treatment during its lifetime.
This is particularly relevant when jewellery is being repaired or resized, as a jeweller needs to know that an emerald is present and understand its treatment before applying heat or using certain cleaning processes.
Knowing your gemstone's treatment history is therefore important not only when buying it, but also when caring for it in the future.
Natural Emerald vs Lab-Grown Emerald
Laboratory-grown emeralds are also available.
A laboratory-grown emerald can have essentially the same mineral composition as a natural emerald, but the way it was formed is completely different.
A natural emerald formed through geological processes within the earth.
A laboratory-grown emerald was produced under controlled conditions.
Both may contain internal characteristics, and both may display attractive green colour, which means appearance alone should not always be relied upon to determine origin.
They should always be clearly represented and disclosed as either natural or laboratory-grown.
For a significant natural emerald, an independent laboratory report provides additional confidence about what you are purchasing.
Choosing a Natural Emerald
Choosing an emerald should never be based on carat weight alone.
Look at the complete gemstone.
Do you love the colour?
Is the green vibrant and attractive?
Does the emerald have good transparency?
Are its inclusions attractive and acceptable to you?
Are there inclusions or fissures that may affect durability?
Has the gemstone been clarity enhanced?
What degree of enhancement has been detected?
Is a premium being charged because of a claimed geographic origin?
And importantly:
Are those claims supported by an appropriate independent laboratory report?
Two emeralds of identical weight and similar dimensions can have very different qualities, treatment histories, rarity and value.
The Dream Diamonds Approach
At Dream Diamonds, we believe that purchasing an important natural emerald should involve more than choosing the largest or greenest stone.
We want you to understand what you are buying and why one emerald may be considerably more valuable than another.
Colour matters.
Clarity matters.
Treatment matters.
Origin can matter.
And for significant natural emeralds, independent certification matters enormously.
With more than 40 years of experience in diamonds, gemstones and jewellery manufacturing, we can source natural emeralds individually and help you compare their beauty, quality, treatment, certification and overall value.
Once you have selected the right emerald, we can design and manufacture a piece of jewellery specifically around that individual gemstone.
Because when every natural emerald is different, the jewellery surrounding it should be just as individual.
