The Gorgeous Green Emerald Thread

[BigAkoya]

@BigAkoya
I’m tagging BigAkoya as she may have that knowledge/information for you.

Hi! Thanks for tagging me.

@sgj99
I'll share my thoughts.
I am a major emerald fan... I love love love emeralds. I love Colombian, there is no substitute in my mind.
All emeralds are beautiful, and you can find emeralds from all countries (e.g. Colombia, Zambia, Brazil).
In terms of pure value, Colombia vs. Zambian, Colombians are prized far more than Zambian. The price also reflects that.

Colombian emeralds have an inner glow. They are intense green with a blue or yellow tone. Everyone talks about the beauty and glow of Colombian emeralds.
Zambian emeralds are nice, but many tend to be deep green with a gray mask.
Yes, you can find fine Zambians that look close to Colombians. A dealer might say "it looks like a Colombian," and that's because Colombian is the reference for emeralds.

Buying emeralds is 100% preference, but for me, I only buy Colombian.
You may want to look at different emeralds to see the difference. You can also look at the prices as well.
For all emeralds, there is oil vs. no-oil. Be sure top also ask about treatment as that changes the pricing as well.

As FYI, the majority of stones in the market are Zambian (Gemfields is a major source). There will be some lower priced emeralds that are Brazilian. It's important to ask country of origin and treatment. If you are going to spend a lot of money on an emerald, be sure to get the stone certified, including treatment and country of origin.

If you go down the Colombian path, the two major regions are Muzo and Chivor. Muzo emeralds have a glow like no other, but they are a bit more included than stones from Chivor. I buy Colombian emeralds from Muzo.

Finally, one last thought...
I am sure you know by now, but nearly all emeralds are included. An emerald that is not inlcude is either a very fine speciment piece, or it has been heavily treated, most likely the latter if the price was cheap.

Emeralds are not like diamonds, where clarity is a top priority. For emeralds, assuming the stone is a fine stone, it is all about the color. Take your time to look at stones and see the difference. You can also see the huge difference in pricing as well, depending on country, treatment, color, etc.

Emeralds are 100% preference, and the perfect emerald is the one you love.
Hope this was helpful. Good luck to you!

ETA: Before you decide on a stone, I would highly recommend you look at Colombians. They will be more expensive than Zambian for sure. However, you will be able to see the difference and decide what you want.

 

[sgj99]

Hi! Thanks for tagging me.

@sgj99
I'll share my thoughts.
I am a major emerald fan... I love love love emeralds. I love Colombian, there is no substitute in my mind.
All emeralds are beautiful, and you can find emeralds from all countries (e.g. Colombia, Zambia, Brazil).
In terms of pure value, Colombia vs. Zambian, Colombians are prized far more than Zambian. The price also reflects that.

Colombian emeralds have an inner glow. They are intense green with a blue or yellow tone. Everyone talks about the beauty and glow of Colombian emeralds.
Zambian emeralds are nice, but many tend to be deep green with a gray mask.
Yes, you can find fine Zambians that look close to Colombians. A dealer might say "it looks like a Colombian," and that's because Colombian is the reference for emeralds.

Buying emeralds is 100% preference, but for me, I only buy Colombian.
You may want to look at different emeralds to see the difference. You can also look at the prices as well.
For all emeralds, there is oil vs. no-oil. Be sure top also ask about treatment as that changes the pricing as well.

As FYI, the majority of stones in the market are Zambian (Gemfields is a major source). There will be some lower priced emeralds that are Brazilian. It's important to ask country of origin and treatment. If you are going to spend a lot of money on an emerald, be sure to get the stone certified, including treatment and country of origin.

If you go down the Colombian path, the two major regions are Muzo and Chivor. Muzo emeralds have a glow like no other, but they are a bit more included than stones from Chivor. I buy Colombian emeralds from Muzo.

Finally, one last thought...
I am sure you know by now, but nearly all emeralds are included. An emerald that is not inlcude is either a very fine speciment piece, or it has been heavily treated, most likely the latter if the price was cheap.

Emeralds are not like diamonds, where clarity is a top priority. For emeralds, assuming the stone is a fine stone, it is all about the color. Take your time to look at stones and see the difference. You can also see the huge difference in pricing as well, depending on country, treatment, color, etc.

Emeralds are 100% preference, and the perfect emerald is the one you love.
Hope this was helpful. Good luck to you!

ETA: Before you decide on a stone, I would highly recommend you look at Colombians. They will be more expensive than Zambian for sure. However, you will be able to see the difference and decide what you want.

Yes, Colombian Emeralds are much more favored. I was just curious what everyone here thinks about the two. Like you, emeralds are my favorite stone.

Hi! Thanks for tagging me.

@sgj99
I'll share my thoughts.
I am a major emerald fan... I love love love emeralds. I love Colombian, there is no substitute in my mind.
All emeralds are beautiful, and you can find emeralds from all countries (e.g. Colombia, Zambia, Brazil).
In terms of pure value, Colombia vs. Zambian, Colombians are prized far more than Zambian. The price also reflects that.

Colombian emeralds have an inner glow. They are intense green with a blue or yellow tone. Everyone talks about the beauty and glow of Colombian emeralds.
Zambian emeralds are nice, but many tend to be deep green with a gray mask.
Yes, you can find fine Zambians that look close to Colombians. A dealer might say "it looks like a Colombian," and that's because Colombian is the reference for emeralds.

Buying emeralds is 100% preference, but for me, I only buy Colombian.
You may want to look at different emeralds to see the difference. You can also look at the prices as well.
For all emeralds, there is oil vs. no-oil. Be sure top also ask about treatment as that changes the pricing as well.

As FYI, the majority of stones in the market are Zambian (Gemfields is a major source). There will be some lower priced emeralds that are Brazilian. It's important to ask country of origin and treatment. If you are going to spend a lot of money on an emerald, be sure to get the stone certified, including treatment and country of origin.

If you go down the Colombian path, the two major regions are Muzo and Chivor. Muzo emeralds have a glow like no other, but they are a bit more included than stones from Chivor. I buy Colombian emeralds from Muzo.

Finally, one last thought...
I am sure you know by now, but nearly all emeralds are included. An emerald that is not inlcude is either a very fine speciment piece, or it has been heavily treated, most likely the latter if the price was cheap.

Emeralds are not like diamonds, where clarity is a top priority. For emeralds, assuming the stone is a fine stone, it is all about the color. Take your time to look at stones and see the difference. You can also see the huge difference in pricing as well, depending on country, treatment, color, etc.

Emeralds are 100% preference, and the perfect emerald is the one you love.
Hope this was helpful. Good luck to you!

ETA: Before you decide on a stone, I would highly recommend you look at Colombians. They will be more expensive than Zambian for sure. However, you will be able to see the difference and decide what you want.

I read somewhere (it was a couple of years ago) that Gemfields is very proactive about ethically mining the stones.
I’m like you, I prefer the color of Colombian stones. The Zambian emeralds I’ve seen are too dark for me.

 

[BigAkoya]

I read somewhere (it was a couple of years ago) that Gemfields is very proactive about ethically mining the stones.
I’m like you, I prefer the color of Colombian stones. The Zambian emeralds I’ve seen are too dark for me.

In today's environment, you will find ethically mined/fair trade a key priority in much of the gemstone trade.
That said, no group is without its faults. Gemfields does very well marketing themselves. They are a big company, and they spend big dollars on marketing (in addition to the Kagen Emerald mine in Zambia, they also own the Montepuez Ruby mine in Mozambique).
If you research in depth, Gemfields is not without fault, and they have had issues/lawsuits.

I think most mines try very hard these days, but is it perfect? No. The same is true of other heavy labor-dependent trades. Everyone tries and focuses on ethics, and it's much better than what it was decades ago.

By the way, Gemfields also purchased Faberge a few years back, so naturally, Faberge now uses Gemfields stones as much as they can in their pieces.

 

[ElenaAlex]

any opinions on Colombian vs Zambian emeralds? I’m curious what others think.

Colombian emeralds are greener, Zambian have more bluish tint due to the iron. Colombian have more inclusions due to the way they are formed, also the price tag is higher. I'd say they are both beautiful, it depends on your preferences. I prefer Colombian because I love the green color they have.

 

[sgj99]

Colombian emeralds are greener, Zambian have more bluish tint due to the iron. Colombian have more inclusions due to the way they are formed, also the price tag is higher. I'd say they are both beautiful, it depends on your preferences. I prefer Colombian because I love the green color they have.

yes. I’ve done quite a bit of research and understand the differences. I love seeing everyone’s gorgeous emeralds and value what all of you think about these stones and the knowledge you share.

But what I’m really asking for are opinions on which is preferred by you or if it doesn’t matter.