Emerald, a beryllium aluminum silicate, derives its captivating color from trace amounts of chromium, vanadium, and sometimes iron. To be deemed an emerald, stones must possess adequate tone and saturation. It holds the distinction of being the birthstone for May and is part of "The Big Three" alongside ruby and sapphire. Although attempts at emerald synthesis date back to the 1880s, it wasn't until the 1930s that a synthetic emerald of sufficient quality and quantity became commercially viable.

Comparing Emeralds

The 4Cs for emeralds are not rigid standards but encompass various ranges. Color, clarity, cut, and carat weight each have their respective criteria. Finding emeralds with perfection in all these aspects, especially at any weight, is exceptionally rare and often financially exclusive. Thus, understanding the 4Cs is crucial to align your preferences with what you can afford.

Color

Color is paramount in emeralds, steering half of the gem industry. The three components of color—hue, tone, and saturation—are crucial. Emeralds are limited to a green color spectrum, and variations like bluish-green and slightly yellowish-green are acceptable. However, excessive yellow renders the stone a green beryl.

Tone must be medium-light for an emerald, while saturation represents color purity. Vivid green saturation is favored for the best emerald color.

Clarity

Emeralds typically have inclusions, and high-clarity ones command a premium, often triple the cost of comparable-looking fracture-filled emeralds. Larger emeralds incur even higher costs due to their scarcity.

Inclusions in emeralds can be diverse, including other crystalline minerals, liquid, solid, and gas inclusions. The French term for this is "jardin," denoting the garden-like appearance of inclusions.

Cuts

The cut of an emerald affects its clarity, with the emerald cut originally designed to be gentler on these often brittle gems. Unlike diamonds, colored gem cuts are rarely perfectly symmetrical, prioritizing carat weight over symmetry.

Carat Weight

Carat weight, solely a measure of weight, gauges the rarity rather than the quality of the gem. Incorporating weight into pricing is intricate, as it signifies the gem's rarity. Emerald prices do not follow a linear increase; instead, it often doubles with every carat increase, contingent on the comprehensive evaluation of the 4Cs.