The Beauty Of The Emerald Gemstone

Emeralds are made from the mineral beryl which is colored green by small amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. The hardness of beryl is 7.5 to 8 on the 10 point Mohs scale when it comes to mineral hardness. Most emeralds have several inclusions which means their brittleness is generally classified as poor.

Like other colored gemstones the emerald gemstone is graded on four basic parameters. This is color, cut, clarity and crystal. Crystal is another term for transparency or what many gemologists call diaphaneity. When it comes to colored gemstones, color is often the number one criteria. However, when grading emeralds crystal comes in a close second. However, both conditions are necessary to grade emeralds. A good emerald must be not only a pure verdant green hue, but also have a high degree of transparency.

Vintage emeralds were typically mined in Egypt and Austria. Some vintage emeralds also came from northern Pakistan. There is a rare type of emerald known as trapiche which is sometimes found in the mines of Colombia. This type of emerald has a star pattern. Ray-like spokes of dark carbon impurities give the emerald a six pointed radial pattern. Due to the transparency and fire of these emeralds they are often the most prized. The three main emerald mining areas of Colombia that produce these rare emeralds are Muzo, Coscuez and Chivor. Other countries also produce fine emeralds such as Zambia, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Russia. Emeralds can even be found in North Carolina in the United States. As recent as the nineties emeralds were discovered in the Yukon Territory of Canada.

An emerald gemstone provides a lovely green hue to jewelry and goes excellent with both silver and gold. For a non-traditional form of jewelry consider the beautiful and unique options that emeralds give you.

For more information about the Emerald gemstone please visit, www.doverjewelry.com.