buying emerald stones, Colombian emeralds, emerald stones,
emeralds
Buying Emerald Stones
Green emeralds are a variety of the
gemstone beryl and have been highly prized since ancient times.
The hardness of an emerald ranges from 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale,
you can compare it with a diamond which is the hardest substance a 10. Even
though emeralds are hard stones the presence of cracks and
inclusions in emeralds can affect their durability.
Emerald is the May birthstone and the
traditional gift for the 55th wedding
anniversary.
Colombian emeralds are among the world?s most
beautiful and sort after emerald. The color is a rich grass-green
with a hint of blue. You may also find quality emeralds in India,
South Africa, Russia and Zimbabwe.
In history emeralds were believed to enhance
clairvoyance to their wearers. Egyptian emeralds were introduced
about 4,000 years ago, although they were not as green as the
emeralds that can be found today. Emeralds were also
worn to promote healing and enhance love and contentment.
The green of the emerald is the color of life
and of the springtime, which comes round again and again. But as always it has
been the color of beauty and love. In ancient Rome, green was the color of Venus
the goddess of beauty. And today this color symbolizes a special position in
many cultures and religions. The Catholic Church regards the color green
as the most natural and the most elemental of the liturgical
colors.
Most emeralds are treated, the practice is
common but make sure you ask before buying your emerald stone.
Nearly all emeralds are treated with oils to fill-in surface
cracks. Some of the oils are clear others can be hinted with green to make the
emerald look greener.
There are emeralds that are grown in labs they
will look like real emeralds but only a trained gemologist will
know immediately. Always have it checked by a lab when purchasing an
emerald told is the real deal. |