Colombian Emeralds as all Emerald gemstones are a variety of the mineral Beryl with traces of chromium and vanadium, which gives them their green color. The toughness of emerald gemstones is considered as poor, given that they are highly included gemstones. The formula that identifies Beryl is: (Be3Al2(SiO3)6).
Colored gemstones as emerald gemstones are graded using four simple parameters: Cut, Color, Crystal and Clarity, also known as the four Cs.
Cut is defined as the shape of the gemstone, which can be faceted as the majority of cuts, or can be cabochon cut, a rounded cut with no hard edges. The most popular faceted cuts within Emeralds are:
- Emerald cut: A squared or rectangular faceted shape.
- Cushion cut: A cut that resembles the shape of a cushion.
- Oval cut: Oval faceted shape.
Given that most emerald gemstones have surface breaking fissures, a considerable number of them are cut into cabochon rather than faceted shapes.
Color, in the case of Emerald gemstones, is defined as the intensity of the color green that the gemstone must have to be considered as a high quality Colombian Emerald. We have established three simple parameters to grade Emeralds in relation to our customers’ needs: Light green, Medium Green and Dark Green. Color is divided in: hue, saturation and tone; this way a light green colored emerald has a primary green hue, and a light tone. A dark green emerald is that whose tone is dark and primary hue is green.
Crystal and clarity are tied together when grading Emeralds. Emerald Gemstones are highly included and tend to have numerous breaking fissures. The clarity is graded by eye unlike diamonds, although some traders use loupes to determine a fair value for the gemstone. An eye-clear emerald gemstone with a dark green color is an extremely valuable gemstone.
Within the Emeralds trade the use of cedar oil to enhance the clarity of an Emerald Gemstone is an accepted practice, but the use of colored oils is not an accepted practice. The US federal trade commission requires the disclosure of any kind of treatment when a treated emerald is sold, and we have made this the base of our trading practices.
Colombian Emeralds are extracted from the mining zones in Muzo, Coscuez, Chivor, Peñas Blancas, Cunas and Gachala among others.
Muzo is one of the most productive areas in Colombia, in terms of Emeralds extraction. Deposits in the area of Muzo have been exploited since colonial times, and just after the 1970s the government regulated the mining activities in the area. Muzo Emeralds are widely known for their vivid dark green, although most Muzo Emeralds lack of an excellent clarity, they are highly priced in the market. Muzo Emeralds are also known for their size, a characteristic they share with Emeralds extracted from the mines of Cunas. Clarity is a characteristic Chivor and Gachala Emeralds do have and Dark Green emeralds from these areas are considered to be the highest quality emeralds in the world.
The extended variety in Color, Size, and Crystal clarity of Colombian Emeralds is what enables us as traders to provide any Emerald required by our customers. Emerald gemstones of the highest quality.
