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Thread: Buying Emeralds - What to Look For?

  1. #1
    Grand Master Mr Curta's Avatar
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    Buying Emeralds - What to Look For?

    It's my wife's birthday in April, and it is about time that I took advantage of our location and bought her some emerald jewellery. I know that I could do some research on the internet, but like any good TZer I'll seek advice here first. Actually I'm well aware that there are some members here that really know their gemstones.

    I'll be buying locally in Bogotá, and should have little difficulty finding a reputable dealer. Passing off synthetics as the genuine article is very unlikely here, but hiking the price in the assumption that I'm an ill-informed tourist and misdescribing the quality is not.

    I'm thinking of buying cut stones, either loose or set in gold (my wife will ultimately make the choice of setting, and that might happen back in the UK).

    So I'm after an idea of what the best quality emeralds should look like to my untrained eye, and whether there are any obvious pitfalls to be aware of. Are there preferred cuts that bring out the colour and clarity or are best for the underlying structure of the mineral? I'm sure that it varies immensely but if possible a rough guideline of UK prices for good quality Colombian emeralds would be very useful for comparison.

    Thanks, Matthew

  2. #2
    Contact Jason on this forum
    He’s a Gemstone dealer/expert
    JFW or similar if I remember correctly
    Last edited by GOAT; 18th March 2018 at 18:13.

  3. #3
    Master
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    They should be green.

    Sorry!

  4. #4
    Master flame's Avatar
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    Hi Matthew

    Here's a emerald cut example....I think the colour is pretty good:









    Best - Neil

  5. #5
    Make sure they are real, and clarity is key. Beryl is quite soft.

  6. #6
    Grand Master Mr Curta's Avatar
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    Thanks very much for the responses and PMs thus far. There's a definite consensus of opinion of a recommended expert in the field, for which I'm very grateful.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeremy67 View Post
    They should be green.

    Sorry!
    This is, appropriately, an example of what is known in our family as a 'Jeremy' joke. Named after my brother.

  7. #7
    Master
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    1 Read this: https://www.gemsociety.org/article/emerald-enhancement/
    2 Remember that all emeralds are imperfect - not least 'jardins' and surface flaws
    3 Make sure your wife knows that emeralds are quite vulnerable - particularly to surface cracks and to chips
    4 Pay the premium to buy from a trustworthy source - why would you risk the alternative?
    5 Enjoy

    My wife has green eyes and - surprise, surprise - emeralds are my favourite gemstone. I take my own advice (above) and then buy stones that suit her eyes.

  8. #8
    Master
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    Unless her eyes are brown. Brown gems of all kinds look ok like crap. Literally.

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