Does Anyone Know Anything About Buying Emeralds!?

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hellokatiegirl

hellokatiegirl

Treat Yo Self!
O.G.
Sep 22, 2009
1,714
5
#1
I have always wanted an emerald cocktail ring. On a recent trip with my husband I saw one in a store window that I absolutely fell in love with. The ring contained a 1.7 carat emerald with two VS1 diamond baguettes flanking it. The salesman was willing to negotiate with my husband and me at a price that seemed reasonable. The problem was I had no idea what a good price was for this ring as a reference point and I wasn't going to buy something so expensive without researching it first.

I started researching emeralds, hoping that like diamonds there would be a set system for identifying their value. Obviously there are standards such as the color and how clear the stone is, but these qualities are not certified in a set way like diamonds are with very specific specs for each stone.

Is there anyone who has bought an emerald or maybe any other type of precious gemstone who has advice about this topic? I am just looking for some suggestions about how to go about the process or what to look for. I think I am going to go out and look at as many stones as possible to get a sense for price and what is available. What do you think?

Thanks! :D
 
#3
OMG, how gorgeous!! I would absolutely be thrilled with an emerald cocktail ring! I think emeralds are such a beautiful stone.

I'm afraid while I am an admirer of emerald jewellery and do own a pair of emerald earrings, I don't know that much about them. I'm sure you'll get great advice though from the 'team' at tPF lol! Let us know what you choose in the end (plus pics please!!!) :smile1:
 
#4
AntiqueShopper said:
The emerald should be saturated in color and clear. You should ask if the stone was treated in any way.
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I agree! It is SO hard to find an emerald today that isn't cloudy and really included. Asking about the color treatment is really important! Even the best jewelry stores don't reveal that unless you ask.
 
#5
SassieMe said:
I agree! It is SO hard to find an emerald today that isn't cloudy and really included. Asking about the color treatment is really important! Even the best jewelry stores don't reveal that unless you ask.
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i agree! make sure you ask what kind of fillers are used on the emerald, if it is oiled, which 99.99999% of emeralds are. top quality emeralds have a medium green tone with a blueish undertone. and they should "glow"
 
#7
well it depends theres fillers that are more modern and ones that were used in older stones, the more modern fillers in new stones are supposed to last a lot longer than the older fillers. what happens is over the years the fillers dry up, leaving cracks in the stones which can lead to chips or the stones breaking. if the emerald is pretty clear of inclusions the chances are that it is only oiled which is fine...but if it is more included than you need to know what kind of fillers were used and how filled it is aswell. personally i wouldnt buy an emerald if it was filled because then i feel is basically 60% stone and 40% man made filler. its best to find an emerald with as little inclusioons as possible because 1. its more aesthetically pleasing and 2. theres less fillers :D
 
#8
Thanks for all of your replies!

I had no idea that some emeralds are color treated and that fillers are often used on emeralds. This makes sense now that you mention it. I guess it can deceive the buyer into thinking they are getting a better stone than they really are. This is something to be cautious about!

Right now I want to look in person at more stones before making any decision. I am definitely going to ask jewelers about the above things as I am looking. I am starting to think that the stone I was originally looking at was a pretty go deal as it was medium green in tone, very bright and radiant, and had just a little bit of cloudiness in the bottom. You had to look through a loop to really see other imperfections.

If you have any other advice please let me know. You have all been really helpful so far!
 
#10
Oiling has been an accepted treatments for emerald pretty much forever (Greeks and Romans used to do it) because finding an emerald without lots and lots of inclusions is difficult to impossible. so the inclusions matter much less than with diamonds. The color is what counts.
On pricescope.com there is a 'colored stone' section, the people there are incredibly knowledgeable, I would definitely post questions there before buying a colored stone. It's a much harder subject than diamonds, the grading isn't as organized and the standards are less clear.
I love emeralds but they are definitely fragile. I would think twice about an emerald ring for daily wear except in a bezel perhaps. A cocktail ring should be okay. I own an emerald ring and also a pendant. I had stud earrings but gave them away.
 
#12
Clear is key, but that's all I know. I have a white gold stacking ring with 7 small emeralds. I could see right through them, and they were deep in color. The SA I got it from is a friend, and she stressed how clear they are. Used the word "premium" whatever that means. Nothing, probably.
 
#13
hmm im glad to read this advice, im sorry to be off topic, but does the same apply to rubies/sapphires ? emeralds are sounding more delicate than I thought, don't want the thread to digress just wondering....
 
#14
AmberLeBon said:
hmm im glad to read this advice, im sorry to be off topic, but does the same apply to rubies/sapphires ? emeralds are sounding more delicate than I thought, don't want the thread to digress just wondering....
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I find that rubies are similar because of the rareness of a clear stone, few inclusions, and deep color. Sapphires are not so rare - except for the padparadscha - and come in a surprisingly wide variety of colors.
 
#15
Emerald is my birthstone, so I've owned several of them.

To me, the most important thing is the way I feel about look of the particular stone. I don't like to be able to see clouds in it (natural emeralds are often noticeably cloudy), and I prefer a deep color. For that reason, I tend to like created ones. I do have a couple of natural emeralds that are clear with a lovely deep color, but they are hard to find and expensive (the ones I have are antiques).
 
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