Emeralds as Beads

I see these a lot. Most of them are pretty small, and they can be quite pricey. I buy them when I think that the price is right.

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The name Emerald comes from the French "esmeraude" which in turn goes back to the Greek root "smaragdos", meaning simply "green stone". There are uncountable adventure stories involving this splendid gemstone. Even the ancient Incas and Aztecs in South America, where the best Emeralds are still being found today, worshipped it as a holy stone. However, probably the most ancient occurrences known are located near the Red Sea. These gemstone mines were already exploited by Egyptian Pharaohs between 3000 and 1500 B.C., gained fame under he name of "Cleopatra's Mines", but had already run out when they were rediscovered.

Many centuries ago in the Veda, the sacred writings of Hinduism, there was written down information on the valuable green gemstones and their healing power: "Emeralds promise good luck", or "The Emerald enhances your well-being". It does not come as a surprise, then, that the treasure chests of Indian Maharajas and Maharanis contained most wonderful Emeralds. One of the largest Emeralds in the world is the "Mogul Emerald". It goes back to the year 1695, weighs 217.80 carats and is about 10 cm high. One side is inscribed with prayers, on the other side there are engraved flower ornaments. The legendary Emerald was auctioned off at Christie's of London for 2.2 million US dollars to an anonymous buyer.

Emeralds have been coveted ever since ancient times. Some of the most famous Emeralds can be found in museums and collections. For example, The New York Museum of Natural History not only shows a cup from pure Emerald, which was owned by Emperor Jehingar, but also a Colombian Emerald crystal weighing 632 carats. The collection owned by the Bank of Bogota contains no less than five valuable Emerald crystals weighing between 220 and 1796 carats. Also in the Irani State Treasure there are guarded some wonderful Emeralds, among them the tiara of ex-Empress Farah.

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Varieties of Emeralds

• Colombian Emerald - Emerald from Colombia. This emerald is usually of exceptional quality.
• Brazilian Emerald - Emerald from Brazil. The Brazilian emeralds are generally a lighter color than the Colombian emeralds. (The term Brazilian Emerald may also refer to green Tourmaline from Brazil.)
• Zambian Emerald - Quality emerald from Zambia
• Trapiche Emerald - Emerald with black impurities in the form of a six-rayed star
• Star Emerald - Usually refers to trapiche emerald (above), but may also correctly refer to the rare occurrence of an emerald displaying asterism
• Cat's Eye Emerald - Emerald exhibiting cat's eye effect. Cat's eye emerald is very rare, and only exists on paler emeralds.

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False Names of Emeralds

Emeralds have been synthetically produced since 1848. However, only recently have synthetic emeralds been available of the market. The synthetic emeralds currently produced are so similar to true, natural emeralds that they are virtually indistinguishable by normal means. Here are some names for synthetic emerald to watch out for:

• Biron Emerald
• Chatham Emerald
• Gilson Emerald
• Kimberly Emerald
• Lennix Emerald
• Linde Emerald
• Regency Emerald
• Zerfass Emerald

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Glass dyed green is also a major emerald simulator. The color of green glass and emerald may be identical, but other physical and optical properties can easily differentiate the two. Some fraudulent names given to green glass used as jewelry:

• Broghton Emerald
• Endura Emerald
• Ferrer's Emerald
• Medina Emerald
• Mount St. Helens Emerald
• Spanish Emerald

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Other false emerald names include:

• African Emerald - Green Fluorite
• Bohemian Emerald - Green Fluorite
• Cape Emerald - Prehnite
• Congo Emerald - Dioptase
• Emeraldine - Chalcedony dyed Green
• Emeraldite - Green Tourmaline
• Evening Emerald - Peridot
• Indian Emerald - Quartz or Chalcedony dyed Green
• Lithia Emerald - Hiddenite
• Mascot Emerald - Emerald Doublet
• Night Emerald - Peridot
• Oriental Emerald - Green Sapphire
• South African Emerald - Ggreen Fluorite
• Tecla Emerald - Emerald Doublet
• Traansvaal Emerald - Green Fluorite
• Uralian Emerald - Demantoid Garnet

Care of Emeralds:  Emerald may develop internal cracks if banged hard or if subject to extreme temperature change. Emeralds that were treated to mask internal flaws should never be cleaned with an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, nor should they be washed with soap. These practices will remove the oil and expose the hidden internal flaws.

Enhancements / Fakes: Faceted green glass  resembles emerald, and it may be coated with a hard substance to mask its low hardness. Synthetic emeralds are also sold to unwary buyers without them knowing the stone is synthetic. Experts can distinguish all these fakes, and it is especially important to only purchase emeralds from reliable dealers. Experts can also determine if an emerald was treated with oil to mask internal flaws.

A Disclaimer:  Effort has been made of including information that is found in at least two sources. I can make no claim on the accuracy of this information. I am not a Geologist or Gemologist. I make no guarantees and infer no warranties. For more information, please refer to the bibliography.

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Copyright Information:  Although I have included a bibliography, but no attempt has been made to give credit to individual passages. If you are an author and feel that I have infringed on your copyrighted material please let me know. With that in mind, all material and information, retain their respected Copyrights.

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I encourage the reader to pursue the further study of any topic that they find particularly interesting. A good place to start is your local library.

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Bibliography: 

• The curious lore of precious stones - Author Kunz, George Frederick, 1856-1932.
• Gem identification made easy - Matlins, Antoinette Leonard.
• Gems: Their Sources, Descriptions and Identification - By Robert Webster, Peter G. Read (Editor).
• Gemstone Enhancement: history, science and state of the art - by Kurt Nassau.
• Gemstones of the world - Walter Schumann ; translated by Evelyne Stern.
• Gems, Minerals & Lapidary Links
• Have you ever sent he inside story of a modern bead factory in India? I asked one of my suppliers to send me back some pictures. Check out the Tour.