How To Shop Emerald Gemstone: A Buying Guide

Gemstones are valued for their preciousness and natural flavors. Since most of the gemstones are extracted from deep inside the earth’s crust, they are already subjected to harsh temperatures which in a few cases, give the stones their much sought-after vibrant colors while in other cases, may cause them to develop inclusions in the form of cracks which may reduce their value. 

Are you wondering how the actual worth of all the gemstones in the market is evaluated? Well to answer this question we need to shift our focus on the 4Cs: Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat weight of a stone. If you are a May-born individual then an emerald birthstone is the best to offer yourself in the springtime since it represents growth and rejuvenation. In this blog, we’ll focus on the best features that satisfy the 4Cs of the king of greens, the vibrant-hued emeralds.

Emerald Gemstone Color 

Color is the most important factor when considering the quality of any gemstone and so is it for the green emeralds. The color quality is determined by three factors:

1. Hue: It means the actual color of the emerald which should necessarily be green or in shades of yellowish or bluish-green. 
2. Tone: It determines the lightness or the darkness of the hue. An emerald stone needs to have a medium to dark tone to qualify as one. However, those which are too light in color are rather called green beryl whereas those which are too dark to appear green also cannot be called emeralds.
3. Saturation: It is synonymous with the purity of the color, hence an emerald has to be vivid green and not brownish or grayish to be qualified as an emerald.

One thing that you must remember while going out for emerald shopping is that you should not get bewitched by the extravagant colors of the emerald as shown in the catalog or online. Any professional jeweler or photographer will recommend you evaluate in person the true worth of this exquisite gemstone by testing it for its pure green to bluish-green hue, medium tone, and vivid saturation.

Emerald Gemstone Clarity

If you think that you would be able to find untreated or natural emeralds in the market at a bit higher price then this is probably not going to happen since over 99% of the emeralds are subjected to some or the other form of treatment. This is because most of the emeralds contain eye-visible inclusions and hence both the buyer and the seller transact the stones knowing the fact that the stones have been treated to remove these inclusions. Some of these inclusions can be in the form of solid, gas or liquid particles combined in various forms. Hence only the ones which are eye-clean are valued high for their rarity.

Emerald Gemstone Carat 

It is the measurement unit to determine the weight of the stone which is closely associated with the rarity or high value of the stone. Emerald stone price will depend on the carat weight; the higher the carat weight, the more will be the value of the stone. As such you would be able to find emerald stones with sizes ranging from less than a carat to more than 100 cts.

Emerald Gemstone Cut

While cutting colored gemstones, the most prominent factor is to keep the carat weight maximum. The cut of a gemstone also has a significant role to play in enhancing its color saturation and clarity levels. Emeralds are cut in various shapes, the most popular being the emerald cut. Others on the list are Asscher, oval, cushion, round, radiant, heart, marquise, and pear cut. 

End Note

Though there is nothing fixed when it comes to the pricing of an emerald gemstone, it is solely determined by how much the stone qualifies on the 4Cs parameters. So if you are up to buy a handful of emerald gemstones as in a necklace or even a single piece studded as a centerstone of an emerald ring then you must look according to the 4Cs mentioned above to make sure you have not been duped by the jeweler you had been solely depending on while making your emerald purchase. 

If you are not sure whom to trust for buying your pretty expensive emeralds then contact a professional who would make your emerald buying process a cakewalk by assisting you in clarifying each aspect of the 4Cs instead of making a thoughtless quick purchase from any online platform.