Emeralds

are one of the "big 4" and are the most popular green gem. Emeralds tend to be included, many to the point of translucency.

Durability is an issue with emarald and should be considered when selecting rings and bracelets. Emerald may not be the best "everyday" piece.

When buying emeralds, look to color first and clarity second.

Most of the world's emeralds are oiled with a colorless oil such as rapeseed to help improve the appearance. Traditional gemology does not allow colored oil. Avoid "fillings" such as "Opticon". Care is important for emeralds. Never allow your emerald rimg to be put into an ultrasonic cleaner. Emeralds needs re oiling periodically. Make sure you take your gem to a responsible gemologist, jewelry maker or seller.

Chatham emeralds are synthetics, lab creations or whatever one wishes to call them. But they are not natural gemstones.

Properties

• Crystal System - Hexagonal
• Hardness - 7.5-8
• Specific Gravity - 2.68 to 2.78
• Refraction - Double
• Refractive Index - 1.57 to 1.59
• Dispersion - .014
• Birefringence - .005 to 009
• Wearability - Poor/Good
• Special Care - Clean only with warm or room temperature soap and water. Avoid wearing gem where it will get rough treatment. No ultrasonic. Requires periodic reoiling by knowledgable persons.