All About Emerald – Uses, Properties, Color, and Worth

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Cluster of emeralds from Colombia. (Image by Parent Géry on Wiki commons)

Emerald is a precious gemstone that is part of the beryl group.  Emeralds are found in all types of rocks and has been a popular and desirable mineral for thousands of years.  Being so popular a gemstone, emerald is the birthstone of May.

Emeralds are formed deep in the earth’s crusts where temperatures are just right. For emeralds to form, the elements of beryllium, aluminum, silicon, and oxygen need to be present. These elements flow through the cracks and veins of host rock through hot water. As cooling happens within the rock, the crystals will start to form.

In addition, emeralds can be formed in magma itself.  The key is that there is enough beryllium, the right temperature, and the right pressure available.

Emerald still maintains its desirability as a gemstone today. Often you will hear the term “the big three” when it comes to the gemstones emerald, ruby, and sapphire. These three major gemstones are largely imported into the United States and currently, emeralds, as of 2019, are the biggest import per dollar amount than all others.

Currently Colombia is the world’s largest producer of emeralds.  The three main locations for mining emeralds in Colombia are Muzo, Chivor, and Coscuez.

Some other beryl type gemstones that are similar to emerald are red beryl and Aquamarine.

I have written an article on red beryl that you might be interested in. “All About Red Beryl” Unlike emeralds, red beryl is one of the rarest gemstones on the earth.

Emerald Uses

Emerald is used primarily for jewelry.  Expect to find emeralds used in rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, pendants, and other jewelry.  Not all emeralds can be used as jewelry so many of them end up as fine specimens for display.

Many believe that emerald has a spiritual meaning when used or worn. Those spiritual meanings include nurturing the heart and being an all-around healing stone while adorned. It is often also referred to as a stone of successful love.

In some cultures throughout history, it was believed that the emerald would bring good luck based on what day it was worn.  That notion of good luck carries today in many cases and cultures.

With many things that are said about wearing emeralds, it can get a bit convoluted.  Many can stick to the fact that wearing an emerald can catch the eye because they are simply beautiful gemstones.

Common Emerald Properties:

Emerald Mohs Hardness:7.5 – 8
Emerald Specific Gravity:2.76
Emerald Streak:White
Emerald Fracture:Conchoidal
Emerald Luster:Vitreous
Emerald Crystal System:Hexagonal
Emerald Chemical Formula: Be3Al2(SiO3)6
Emerald Properties

Color of an Emerald

The color of an emerald is green to sometimes colorless. The variation in the shades of green can be seen in many different emerald gemstones that are cut or uncut. The green emerald color comes from the elements of chromium or vanadium during its development.

Great example of a emerald that appears to have high saturation. (Attribution: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0)

Gemologists have taken gemstones to a whole different level when it comes to color.  Color is divided into 3 parts; hue, saturation, and tone. 

Emeralds can have a different hue that will range yellow-green to blue-green. Emeralds that have a tone from dark to medium are considered emeralds. Any lighter color of tone is considered to be green beryl. 

This notion of tone has caused some controversy as many believe that any amount of green makes it an emerald.  Others claim that the presence of chromium makes it an emerald while the presence of vanadium makes it green beryl. 

Saturation describes the actual brightness or intensity of the color.  High saturation color is considered vivid while low saturation colors are called weak or gray.

When it comes to what color of emerald is best, you will want a high saturated, darker tone, and a greener hue.  Expect to pay more for the best emeralds expressing these qualities of color.

The Value of Emeralds

Emeralds are expensive and can cost around $200 to over $1000 per carat in price depending on purity. An emerald will get more expensive with size, color, and setting. Expect close to exponential cost as the size of the emerald increases per carat.

Emeralds are not necessarily rare, but it is rare to get a larger, nice color, and pure (flawless) gemstone.

Rare, very high quality, emeralds can cost more than diamonds. These high quality emeralds are the exception, as diamonds will typically cost more than lower quality emeralds in general. High quality emeralds can get into the 10’s of thousands of dollars.

Don’t fret if you think you can never own an emerald.  There are plenty of emeralds that don’t make that top grade.  These emeralds can cost you a bit but will not break the bank.

Emeralds can be man-made. often called synthetic or lab-created emerald, this mineral can be artificially created. Man-made emerald is not considered as valuable as a natural emerald and can cost much less. 

Be wary of manufactured or synthetic emeralds. If you really want the real deal make sure you ask plenty of questions and do some research. There are plenty of knock-offs that attempt to pass as a real emerald.

What is a Trapiche Emerald?

Trapiche emerald is a variety of emerald that exhibits a black and green striped effect in a six-pointed radial wheel pattern. The trapiche emerald is a very rare occurrence of the emerald and can be found mostly in Colombia and very rare cases Brazil and Madagascar.

Great image of a Trapiche Emerald that has been rounded out. (Image provided by Luciana Barbosa – CC-BY-SA-3.0 Wiki Commons)

There is still some lack of consensus on how these emeralds were formed. It is believed that there were impurities present, such as shale, in the formation of the emerald. These impurities were trapped between the natural branching growths of the emerald’s six sides. 

These impurities are thought to have been introduced just after the crystal was formed under its hydrothermal conditions.  The conditions may have slowed allowing for these impurities to enter into the mix.  The growth of the crystal continued after the conditions continued with the impurities locked into its growth.

Do Emeralds break easily?

Emeralds can break easily due to imperfections such as surface cracks or inclusions which can exist in the stone. If one is not careful, an emerald can easily break or chip with any sort of impact.

Emeralds do not scratch easily. The emerald hardness scale number comes in at 7.5 to 8 which does make it difficult to scratch. Though this does hold little consolation knowing emeralds are capable of cracking, chipping and breaking as many emeralds do have imperfections.

With such possible fragility in a gemstone you will need to take some care when it comes to emeralds:

  • Always remove your emeralds while performing any manual labor and active exercise or activities.  The more movement you make the higher the probability of you banging that emerald and damaging it.
  • When cleaning your emerald, do NOT use hot water or steam.  This will effectively ruin the oil treatment that is likely on your gemstone.  Avoid ultrasonic cleaning as well.
  • Avoid soaking your emerald in any water or other solutions unless you know what you are doing.  Water and other solutions can break down oil treatments and make the gemstone more fragile.
  • Emeralds, like other gemstones, can fade if left in the sunlight often. However, the fading of an emerald is generally not due to sunlight but will often be due to its loss of oil. You can take your emerald in to get it re-oiled and restore lost color.

If you wish you can attempt to clean an emerald, it has been said that a soft cloth or toothbrush with warm water may help. Dry off your emerald after cleaning. If you are ever unsure, you may want to consider a professional to do the cleaning.

If you are careful in your activities, an emerald can be worn everyday without too much worry in damaging it. The main trick is to remember to take off any emerald jewelry before you get active.

What does oiling an Emerald mean?

Oiling an emerald, or other gemstones means that after an emerald is cut via the lapidary process, oil is applied to it to fill in any surface cracks. Oiling an emerald will help improve the clarity and stability of the gemstone.

The oiling process for emeralds will usually be done with cedar oil due to its similar refractive index.  Other oils, liquids, and polymers can be used as well but require a close refractive index similar to emerald. 

The process of oiling a gemstone starts with using a vacuum environment with mild heat.  This will open up the surface cracks and imperfections on the emerald.  When the oil is applied under these conditions, the oil will absorb more effectively into the gemstone.

Where are Emeralds found?

Emeralds are found all over the earth. Some of the most notable locations for emeralds are Austria, Brazil, Colombia, and the United States. By far, many of the notable emeralds are provided from the mines in Colombia.

Historic Emeralds worthy of mention: (these emeralds are known for their particular size and are displayed in museums)

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