22860000 22860000 (`@````````` 266 263 5 110185200 110185200 Text Box:    The lively luminosity of its color makes the emerald a unique gemstone. However, really good quality is fairly rare, with inclusions often marring the evenness of the color – signs of the turbulent genesis which has characterized this gemstone. Fine inclusions, however, do not by any means diminish the high regard in which it is held. On the contrary: even with inclusions, an emerald in a deep, lively green still has a much higher value than an almost flawless emerald whose color is paler. Affectionately, and rather poetically, the specialists call the numerous crystal inclusions, cracks or fissures which are typical of this gemstone 'jardin'. They regard the tender little green plants in the emerald garden as features of the identity of a gem which has grown naturally. Whilst its good hardness protects the emerald to a large extent from scratches, its brittleness and its many fissures can make cutting, setting and cleaning rather difficult. Even for a skilled gem cutter, cutting emeralds presents a special challenge, firstly because of the high value of the raw crystals, and secondly because of the frequent inclusions. However, this does not detract from the cutters' love of this unique gem. Indeed, they have developed a special cut just for this gem: the emerald cut. The clear design of this rectangular or square cut with its beveled corners brings out the beauty of this valuable gemstone to the full, at the same time protecting it from mechanical strain. The complete Emerald story  

Text Box: Emerald origin and Lore

Text Box: Emerald Facts ¨ Hardness: 7.5 to 8 ¨ Color: Pale greenish blue through strong vivid green ¨ Durability: Fairly durable and tough ¨ Availability: Available in all shades with clean and deep colors rare. ¨ One of the largest Emeralds found weighed over 600 carats ¨ Emerald is the birthstone for May ¨ Stone for the 20th and 35th wedding anniversaries ¨ Emerald and Aquamarine are cousins belonging to the same family, beryl. ¨ Most Emerald is or was mined in Brazil and Africa ¨ Ancients believed that Emerald promised good luck and promoted well being.  

 

Text Box: Emerald Information

  The name emerald comes from the Greek 'smaragdos' via the Old French 'Esmeralda', and really just means 'green gemstone'. Innumerable fantastic stories have grown up around this magnificent gem. The Incas and Aztecs of South America, where the best emeralds are still found today, regarded the emerald as a holy gemstone. However, probably the oldest known finds were once made near the Red Sea in Egypt. Having said that, these gemstone mines, already exploited by Egyptian pharaohs between 3000 and 1500 B.C. and later referred to as 'Cleopatra's Mines', had already been exhausted by the time they were rediscovered in the early 19th century.
 

 
 

 

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