Emerald’s beautiful blue green hue has entranced mankind for almost 3 billion years and is considered part of the “Precious Four” gemstones including Ruby, Sapphire and Diamond.
WHERE ARE EMERALDS FROM?
Columbia is a relatively new source for emeralds but the most recognized by name. As far back as 3500BC the first known Emeralds were being mined in Egypt and was one of Pharaoh Cleopatra’s favorite gems. Israel is known for its Emerald cutting expertise and in Brazil the Belmont Emerald Mine is one of the most sophisticated and eco-friendly color gemstone mining operations. The Panjshir Valley in Northern Afghanistan produces some of the finest quality emeralds in the world.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE GRADED AN EMERALD? 
It’s all about the color of green…many experts don’t agree exactly when the color is dark enough to be considered an Emerald. Lighter green beryl has been called Emerald by many but in fact these gems are green beryl and that is where the disagreement continues. GIA uses lab-graded comparison stones to determine if the green color is dark enough and saturated enough to be called Emerald.
HOW DO YOU CARE FOR YOUR EMERALD JEWELLERY?
This gem requires more care when wearing than sapphire or ruby. Emeralds with no inclusions are very rare and are often worth more than diamonds. A large percentage of natural Emeralds are heavily included, and some may be fracture-filled. This makes cleaning your Emerald jewelry in an ultrasonic or by steaming quite unsafe. The vibrations created in an ultrasonic environment can weaken these fracture-filled gems and the extreme heat from a steamer could cause oils or resin used to fill the fractures to liquefy. Using warm, soapy water together with gentle scrubbing is the safest way to clean Emeralds.
Emerald is the gemstone of the 20th and 35th wedding anniversary and the birthstone for the month of May. It has inspired and excited mankind for generations, providing the ability to insight, evoking tranquility, wisdom and extreme serenity.