What to know about emeralds

Emerald is the green variety of a colorless mineral called beryl, and it is made up of aluminum, silicate oxide, and three important elements known as impurities: chromium, iron, and vanadium, which give beryl its hue and turn it into emerald. Colombia, Zambia, Brazil and Afghanistan are nations that enjoy a recognized emerald tradition. Every year these countries discover in their subsoils veins or rocks with a significant amount of embedded emeralds. In Colombia, in the Eastern Cordillera, between the departments of Boyacá and Cundinamarca, there are the only hydrothermal deposits in sedimentary rock of marine origin in the world. In other words, the emeralds were formed in an environment of water, which gave them a balance between their compounds and impurities, the natural clarity and the bluish-green color that characterizes them. If it had more iron, the emerald would be too dull a green, like the Brazilian. And if vanadium were the protagonist, as it happens in Zambia, it would look more yellowish. Colombia is famous for several different exports, but few people know that Colombian emeralds account for 70-90% of the world emerald market and are said to be among the purest emeralds in the world. While buying emeralds in Colombia is easy to do, there are several things potential emerald buyers should know about, so here is everything you need to know about buying these jewelry to get the best deal possible. when looking to buy a Colombian emerald.

• Make sure the emerald is natural

"Faux" emeralds are not the same as synthetic or natural. These contain various materials, such as green glass or green cubic zirconia. "Composite" gems, such as doublets or triplets, are stones fused with other materials, such as an emerald glued to a green glass base.

• Evaluate the emerald

Study the color. Color is the most important indicator of quality in an emerald; the more rare and fine the color, the less important clarity, karat, and cut will be in calculating gem value. Conversely, the more common the color, the more important clarity, karat, and cut. High-quality emeralds have intense saturation. In general, the purer the shade of green, the better the color is considered

• Look for inclusions and fractures.
  

Natural emeralds generally have inclusions and these are normally invisible to the naked eye. If the emerald is expensive and has no blemishes when viewed with a magnifying glass or under a microscope, it is likely a fake. Most emeralds have some cracks or fissures, but these should not be many or penetrate deeply into the gem, as well as not being large or far or about to break.