Extraordinary Gemstones · 04
Emerald
The garden in the stone
Emerald is among the stones humanity has treasured longest: Egypt's mines were worked two thousand years ago, and the colour has never fallen from favour. Its green is not merely a colour but a climate; no other gem holds light quite so gently.
Emerald is beryl coloured by chromium or vanadium, elements delivered to the crystal by geological accidents so unusual that fine emerald is rarer, ounce for ounce, than fine diamond.
From the House
Emerald, in the house's hands
The Science
What the earth had to do
The jardin
Emeralds grow in tectonic turmoil, and nearly all carry inclusions, the jardin, or garden. Connoisseurship does not demand emptiness of an emerald; it asks that the garden be graceful, and that colour dominate the impression.
Colour above all
The ideal is a vivid, slightly bluish green of medium to medium dark tone, saturated but never dark. Minute differences in chromium content separate the memorable from the merely good.
The question of oil
Tradition permits the filling of surface reaching fissures with oil; the degree of enhancement is documented by laboratories and weighs heavily on value. Stones with no or insignificant enhancement command extraordinary premiums.
Provenance
Where the finest come from
Colombia, Muzo, Chivor, Coscuez, remains the reference for the classic warm green. Zambia gives cooler, bluer stones of remarkable clarity; Brazil and Afghanistan's Panjshir valley complete the modern map.
Collecting
How collectors judge it
Fine emerald rewards the patient eye: colour, the character of the garden, the degree of enhancement, origin and size, in that order. Great Colombian stones with minimal enhancement are among the scarcest goods in the coloured stone trade.
The Genesis Perspective
Green stones hold a special place in the Genesis vault, among them a 4 carat Colombian emerald of Muzo green, set as a ring, and the carved jadeite for which the workshop is known.
Further Reading
From the Genesis Journal
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Whether you are searching for an extraordinary natural gemstone, commissioning a bespoke creation or seeking expert guidance, we look forward to hearing from you.