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May - EmeraldFor more than 4,000 years, emeralds have been among the most treasured jewels of royalty. At Perrywinkle's our emeralds are nothing short of beautiful, rich, natural, and luscious forest green. You may even think of us as, Emerald City. "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."
Emerald Education:
Emeralds, the birthstone for May, range in color from the lightest pale green to the richest lush green of the rainforest. You will rarely see a collection of Emeralds with as lively a deep green as ones at Perrywinkle's. Perrywinkle's consistently receives the highest compliment when many discriminating customers assume we stock man-made or created Emeralds - which we do not - because they've never seen natural Emeralds so clear and consistent. Perrywinkle's has emerald jewelry starting at $100.
As with other colored gems, color is a more important characteristic in determining an Emerald's value than clarity or cut. Unlike diamonds it is acceptable for a fine Emerald to have inclusions. The more vivid and intensely green Emeralds command the highest price although lighter green Emeralds that are clear and lively provide excellent value and make for beautiful jewelry. The best color has the purest green in the color spectrum with a touch of intense-bluish green without any tones of yellow. The depth of color should not be too light or too dark; a medium dark green tone is perfect. Natural Emeralds have inclusions called jardines, or gardens, which are fissures that are part of the make-up of its crystal structure however the fewer jardines the more expensive the stone. The quality of the cutting from a raw emerald crystal to polished gem plays a big role in value and beauty. Poor cutting will result in a gem where the center is washed-out, a lumpy uneven stone, and an overall life-less appearance.
GEMOLOGY
Emerald is the green member of the beryl mineral family which also includes Aquamarine. Its green color comes from a trace of chromium or vanadium that replaced the aluminum in its beryl structure as the gem formed. This process results in Emeralds with intense color almost always having inclusions. These inclusions are acceptable as long as they do not take away from the durability or beauty of the stone. These inclusions appear as black specks or internal fissures however ones at Perrywinkle's will have ones so small you will usually need a jeweler's eye loupe to see them. They have a relatively good hardness (7.5 to 8 on the Mohs' scale) but are still prone to scratching.
HISTORY AND LORE
The name emerald comes from the Greek smaragdos meaning 'green gemstone'. The Inca and Aztec Indians considered the emerald as a holy gemstone. Emeralds were first found near the Red Sea in Egypt between 3000 and 1500 B.C. but these emerald sources have long ago dried up.
It is the color of beauty and constant love. The Romans gave the color green to the Goddess Venus and thought emeralds were soothing so that Nero could refresh and restore his vision as he watched battles through a pair of emerald glasses. The ancient Greeks thought emeralds able to reveal faithfulness among lovers and confused them with jasper and green sapphire thinking each was an emerald that had not ripened.
Uncut Emerald
Crystal Structure
Crystal system: Hexagonal (trigonal) long prisms.
ORIGIN
Columbia, Zambia, Brazil, Afghanistan
PROPERTIES
Refractive Index = 1.577to 1.583 (This is the angle that light bends as it passes from the surface into the gemstone)
Hardness = 7.5 to 8 (Moh's Scale) A hard stone, but subject to care because of internal liquid filled inclusions and fractures.
Specific Gravity =2.72 (The number of times heavier than water)
Species - Beryl
Optic Character = Double Refraction.
Phenomena - Chatoyancy (Extremely Rare).
Treatment - Commonly oiled to hide flaws and to facilitate grinding and polishing, like cedar wood oil.
Ultrasonic: Not safe.
Steamer: Not safe.
Heat: Poor; damage can occur near heat due to liquid and gas inclusions
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