E M E R A L D

 

Hardness 7,5-8 but brittle
Modern birthstone: May

 

The Emerald is the most rare of the Beryl group, and therefore more expensive.  One very seldom finds large, clear emeralds. There are some famous large emeralds, but these would be part of  the crown jewels or national collections you find in the London Museums. They are a very specific green colour, and the term “emerald green” is not only used for gemstones. The name comes from the Greek word – Smaragdos, meaning green stone. Emeralds are very rarely free of inclusions, bubbles, healing cracks or foreign crystals.  These inclusions are known as the “jardin” or” gardens”.  The inclusions  cause internal stresses, and combined with the brittleness of emeralds, means emeralds have to be worn with extreme care.  They are sensitive to pressure and temperature change (so washing dishes is out of the question! A dishwasher must be included with the purchase of every emerald ring).  Most commercially- mined emeralds  are from South America. There are many synthetic emeralds on the market, as well as glass also known as “paste”, doublets, and even go to the extent of “plating emerald” onto colourless beryl.