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emerald
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What is an emerald?
An emerald is a highly valued gemstone known for its vivid grass-green color. It is a variety of the mineral beryl, with its color resulting from trace amounts of chromium.
Although emeralds may display little fire or brilliance when cut, the intensity of their color makes them highly desirable. The most significant source of fine-quality emeralds is Colombia, but they are also mined in Russia, Australia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Synthetic emeralds have been successfully manufactured and closely resemble natural crystals in color and beauty.
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What color are emeralds known for?
Emeralds are known for their magnificent grass-green color, a variety of beryl that is highly valued as a gemstone. The color is due to the presence of small amounts of chromium. Emeralds do not deflect light or break white light into component colors very well, so cut stones have little brilliancy or fire (flashes of color). The refreshing green color was once believed to be good for the eyesight.
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How are emeralds formed in nature?
Emeralds are a green variety of beryl, a mineral composed of beryllium aluminum silicate. The magnificent green color that gives emeralds their extraordinary value is due to small amounts of chromium. When chromium replaces a small percentage of aluminum in beryllium aluminum silicate, the ligand field produces shifts in some of the absorption energy levels compared with ruby. This results in the elimination of red transmission and an intensification of blue-green transmission, leading to an emerald-green color. Emeralds are found in mica schist and in bituminous limestone.
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What makes emeralds different from other green gemstones?
Emeralds, a green variety of beryl, are highly valued gemstones, known for their grass-green color. The color is due to the presence of small amounts of chromium. Unlike some other gemstones, emeralds do not deflect light or break white light into its component colors at a high rate, so cut stones lack significant brilliancy or fire. Though synthetic emeralds can rival natural ones in color and beauty, fine-quality emeralds are most notably produced in Colombia, and are also mined in Russia, Australia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
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Where are the most famous emerald mines located?
The most significant source of fine-quality emeralds is Colombia. The most famous mine is at Muzo, though workings are also known to exist at Coscuez. The emeralds are located in thin veins of black, bituminous limestone that contain ammonites of the Lower Cretaceous age.
Other locations where emeralds are mined include:
* Russia
* Australia
* South Africa
* Zimbabwe
* The Ural Mountains
* Habachtal, Austria
* Eidsvold, Norway
* Hiddenite, N.C., in the United States3 Britannica SourcesThis answer is created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why do emeralds often have inclusions, and how do these affect their value?
Emeralds often have inclusions because of their formation process, which involves crystallization within host rocks under immense pressure and heat. These inclusions are essentially trapped minerals, fluids, or other foreign materials.
Inclusions can affect an emerald's value in several ways:
* Clarity Inclusions can affect the clarity and transparency of the gem, which can reduce its value.
* Identification Inclusions can help gemologists distinguish natural emeralds from synthetic ones.
* Stability Significant inclusions can compromise the structural integrity of the emerald, making it more susceptible to damage.However, some inclusions can be seen as a unique "fingerprint," proving the gem's natural origin and adding character, which may not always detract from its value.
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emerald, grass-green variety of beryl (q.v.) that is highly valued as a gemstone. The name comes indirectly from the Greek smaragdos, a name that seems to have been given to a number of stones having little in common except a green colour; Pliny’s smaragdus undoubtedly included several distinct species. Much confusion has arisen with respect to the “emerald” of the Scriptures: the Hebrew word rendered emerald in the Authorized Version probably meant carbuncle, a garnet.
The ancients appear to have obtained emeralds from Upper Egypt, where it is said to have been worked as early as 2000 bc. Greek miners were working the mines in the time of Alexander the Great, and later the mines yielded their gems to Cleopatra. Remains of extensive workings were discovered about 1817; “Cleopatra’s Mines” are situated in Jabal Sukayt and Jabal Zabārah near the Red Sea coast, east of Aswān. The Egyptian emeralds occur in mica schist and talc schist.
During the Spanish conquest of South America, vast quantities of emeralds were taken from several rich deposits in Colombia. The only South American emeralds now known occur near Bogotá, Colom. The most famous mine is at Muzo, but workings are known also at Coscuez. The emeralds are found in thin veins in a black bituminous limestone containing ammonites of Lower Cretaceous age.
About 1830 emeralds were discovered in the Urals. They have been worked on the River Takovaya, northeast of Sverdlovsk, where they occur in mica or chlorite schist. Emeralds have been found, also in mica schist, in the Habachtal, Austria, in granite in Eidsvold, Norway, and in a pegmatite vein piercing slaty rocks near Emmaville, N.S.W., Australia. Fine crystals have been obtained from Hiddenite, N.C., in the United States.
Many virtues were formerly ascribed to emeralds. When worn, the stone was held to be a preservative against epilepsy, and when held in the mouth it was believed to be a cure for dysentery. It was supposed to assist women at childbirth, to drive away evil spirits, and to preserve the chastity of the wearer. Administered internally, it was reputed to have great medicinal value. Its refreshing green colour was said to be good for the eyesight.
The physical properties of emerald are essentially the same as those of beryl. Its refractive and dispersive powers are not high, so that cut stones display little brilliancy or fire. The magnificent colour that gives extraordinary value to this gem is probably due to small amounts of chromium. The stone loses colour when strongly heated.
Because of emerald’s high value, attempts were long made to manufacture it synthetically. These efforts finally met with success between 1934 and 1937, when a German patent was issued to cover its synthesis. Synthetic emeralds are currently manufactured in the United States by either a molten-flux process or a hydrothermal method; in the latter technique, aquamarine crystals are placed in a water solution at elevated temperature and pressure and used as a seed to produce emeralds. The crystals thus grown appear very similar to natural crystals and rival them in colour and beauty.
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