Emerald, The Greenery of Spring- May Birthstone

Vibrant and beautiful in fresh lush green hues, the Emerald has being a popular precious gemstone for centuries and coincides with the Pantone colour of the year for 2017- ‘Greenery’. Emeralds are a perfect stone to inject some colour into your spring/Summer wardrobe!

Aswell as being the birthstone for may, Emerald is the traditional stone representing  20th and 35th wedding anniversaries. At Owen & Robinson we are lucky to have a wide selection of coloured stones. Vibrant Emeralds are set in combination with diamonds in a selection of traditional emerald cut designs, aswell as contemporary cuts and settings. Looking for something completely unique? We can assist you in creating a bespoke design to suite your exact specifications and budget!

OWEN & ROBINSON Oval Emerald & Diamond 18ct White Gold Cluster Stud Earrings. £1895

Cleopatra in ancient Egypt was  said to have adorned herself in gold and emeralds,stones were uncovered from tombs dating back to 330BC. Today, we see emeralds alongside rubies and Sapphires as some of the most sought after and precious coloured stones. Elizabeth Taylor was presented with a fabulous Bulgari Emerald and Diamond suite, given as a gift during her role as Cleopatra in the late 1960’s. The Necklace is interchangeable and can be made into a pendant, brooch or ring.

Elizabeth Taylor Bvlgari Interchangable Emerald Suite, Image: Cookson Gold

Quality Factors-  

Colour

Perhaps arguably the most important aspect of an emeralds appearance is the intense green colour. The most prized Emeralds are bluish-green to pure green with an even distribution of colour and do not appear too dark. If an emerald appears yellowish or too blue in tone it is downgraded to a beryl classification and its value also decreases.

Clarity

Emerald inclusions are common and can be seen with the naked eye, a Emerald with no to little inclusions are extremely rare. The inclusions within the emerald often have a mossy appearance and are refereed to as jardin, which is garden in French.

The most recent Basel/SIHH 2017 saw a beautiful Couture Emerald collection by Choppard, Image: watchdetail.com

Cut

You may have noticed Emerald Cuts are popular shapes of other stones including diamonds- the original use of this type of cut with faceted corners is to protect the Emerald stone. Rough Emeralds often have considerable fractures and therefore the cut stone is brittle by nature. The cutter can optimise the stability of a stone by the design of the cut and also enhance other aspects of the stone including colour. A shallow cut with many facets on a dark stone can lighten it, or a deep cut on a light stone with fewer facets can darken it, therefore enhancing the colour.

Carat Weight

The size and weight of emeralds varies greatly, museums and private collections will see emeralds as big as hundreds of carats. Most commonly used in jewellery emeralds weigh in between 0.05ct and 1.50ct.

Emerald Rings, Available in store at Owen & Robinson

Caring for your Emeralds

Emeralds are 7.5 on the MOHS Hardness scale, however they inherently include fractures in an estimate of 90% of all stones. This means that with hard knocks or careless wear a Emerald may crack. To ensure safe cleaning, the best way to clean your emerald jewellery is with warm soapy water.

Emerald and Diamond Set Jewellery at Owen & Robinson. @orjewellers

(For Further Information visit GIA)