Emerald DESCRIPTION
Emerald is the product of seasonal rains that drenched dry ground in regions such as Australia’s semi-desert “outback’ because the showers soaked deep into ancient underground rock, carrying dissolved silica (a compound of silicon and oxygen) downward. During dry periods, for instance, much of the water evaporated, leaving solid deposits of silica in the cracks and between the layers of underground sedimentary rock. As a result, the silica deposits formed opal. More details about opal gemstone is here-
About Emerald Gemstone- How it Forms
Emerald is known for its unique display of flashing rainbow colors called play-of-color. Although, There are two broad classes of opal: precious and common. Precious emerald displays play-of-color, common opal does not.
Firstly, Play-of-color occurs in precious emerald stone because it’s made up of sub-microscopic spheres stacked in a grid-like pattern—like layers of Ping-Pong balls in a box. Secondly, As the lightwaves travel between the spheres, the waves diffract, or bend. In other words, As they bend, they break up into the colors of the rainbow, called spectral colors. Thus, Play-of-color is the result.
However, The color you see varies with the sizes of the spheres. In addition, spheres that are approximately 0.1 micron (one ten-millionth of a meter) in diameter produce violet. Moreover, Spheres about 0.2 microns in size produce red. And, Sizes in between produce the remaining rainbow colors.
Types of Emerald Gemstone
Although experts divide gem emerald into many different categories, In the conclusion, five of the main types are:
- White or light emerald : Opaque to semi translucent, with low play-of-color against a white or light gray background color, called bodycolor.
- Black emerald : Translucent to opaque, with play-of-color against a black or other dark background.
- Fire emerald : Opaque to translucent, with brown, yellow, orange, or red bodycolor. This material—which often doesn’t show play-of-color—is also known as “Mexican emerald .” It is also called fiery opals.
- Boulder emerald : Translucent to opaque, with play-of-color against a light to dark background. Fragments of the surrounding rock, called matrix, become part of the finished gem.
- Crystal or water emerald : Transparent to semitransparent, with a clear background. This type shows exceptional play-of-color.
Above All, The most demanding emeralds are White Emerald and Loose Emerald. Since Australia is the biggest supplier of authentic opals worldwide. In the conclusion, You must purchase the original opal from the authentic source in online market.
QUALITY FACTORS
COLORS
Emerald ’s spectacular play-of-color can display all the colors of the rainbow.
CLARITY
Experts expect different levels of clarity for different types of opals.
OVERVIEW
About Emerald
Gem experts differ on the degree of green that makes one stone an emerald and another stone a less-expensive green beryl. Most gemologists, gemological laboratories, and colored stone dealers call a stone green beryl when its color is “too light” for it to be classified as emerald. Even among that group, however, there’s a difference of opinion about what’s considered “too light.”
2.97 BILLION YEARS
Age of the oldest emeralds, from South Africa.
CLEOPATRA
Pharaoh known for her passion for emeralds.
$6,578,500
2011 sales price for Elizabeth Taylor’s emerald pendant - that's $280,000 per carat.
FACTS
- Mineral: Beryl
- Chemistry: Be3Al2Si6O
- Color: Vibrant green
- Refractive index: 1.577 to 1.583
- Birefringence: 0.005 to 0.009
- Specific gravity: 2.72
- Mohs Hardness: 7.5 to 8
Treatments
There are a number of processes used to alter the color, apparent clarity, or improve the durability of gems.
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Synthetics
Some gemstones have synthetic counterparts that have essentially the same chemical, physical, and optical properties, but are grown by man in a laboratory.
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Imitations
Any gem can be imitated—sometimes by manmade materials or by natural materials chosen by man to impersonate a particular gem.
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