The name emerald comes from the Greek word smaragdos, which means green stone. Like aquamarine and morganite, it belongs to the mineral family of beryls and is one of the most famous and valuable gemstones. The green color is due to the traces of chromium, iron and vanadium in the mineral. Depending on the concentration of these components, the green color palette can vary greatly. From light pastel shades to deep green, with or without a yellowish or blue secondary tint.

The typical emerald green color is so distinctive that it is used as a color name in its own right. The human being is also sensitive to green, which made it highly valued by all ancient civilizations. The emerald is one of the type 3 gemstones, which means that it naturally contains inclusions that are usually visible to the naked eye. These inclusions in emeralds are also called jardin (French for garden). They are considered a sign of authenticity and give each stone its own character. Flawless emeralds of more than one carat are a real rarity and trade at high prices.

Today, emeralds are mined in Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and India. However, the first place where this gemstone was found is Colombia. The beauty of the Colombian emeralds can hardly be compared to any other occurrence in the world. This is mainly due to geological reasons. The emeralds that occur here, unlike most sites, originated in cavities, which means that the crystals are of high quality. Russian emeralds are also a specialty, but currently there is almost no mining left. Besides Colombia, Zimbabwe is today the most important producer of top quality emeralds.

Many emeralds are treated with oils or synthetic resin to fill cracks in the material and thus improve its transparency. This is a form of treatment that has been recognized for centuries, and there is nothing wrong with it as long as they are colorless oils. Completely untreated emeralds are absolute rarities and are priced in completely different regions.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to display high-quality, highly saturated emeralds in their true color because the green hue sometimes falls outside the reproducible range of colors that computer monitors can display. Therefore, it is especially important here to view the stone live under different lighting conditions.

Is your desired emerald not in our (online) collection? Please feel free to contact us. We are happy to help you find the perfect item.