All About Emeralds
Emeralds are such a wonderful and fascinating gemstone that some can be even more valuable that diamonds. They come in hues from a light almost transparent green to a deep rich intense and radiant green.
Emeralds have been used since ancient times, in fact the early scriptures of India mentions the healing properties of emeralds in the Vedas. The Incas of Central America also regarded the emerald as a holy gemstone.
The name emerald comes from the Greek 'smaragdos' via the Old French 'esmeralde', and really just means 'green gemstone'. Innumerable fantastic stories have grown up around this magnificent gem. The Incas and Aztecs of South America, where the best emeralds are still found today, regarded the emerald as a holy gemstone. However, probably the oldest known finds were made near the Red Sea in Egypt many thousands of years ago.
Famous emeralds can be found in various museums and collections, such as The New York Museum of Natural History, for example, which has an exhibit of a cup made of pure emerald which belonged to the Emperor Jehangir. This is shown next to one of the largest Colombian emerald crystals, called the 'Patricia' and which weighs 632 carats. The Iranian Treasury is reputed to have in its collection the collection known as the Bank of Bogota including five gigantic emerald crystals weighting 220 and 1796 carats respectively.
Although it is a relatively hard gemstone it does suffer from being a mite brittle and can have fissures that result in making cutting and setting a difficult chore. Despite this the best cut for an emerald is the "Emerald Cut" and this is the one you would look for when in the market to buy a emerald gemstone. The cut should be rectangular or square with beveled corners to bring out the natural rings out the beauty and light reflecting qualities of this wonderful gemstone.
Sometimes, however, it is better to cut the emerald into a round cabochon shape if there are many inclusions on the stone.
Many emeralds can have a colorless resin coating also. This is done to protect the emeralds and also seal the pores of the stone. Without this coating many emeralds seem dull and have a matt finish. However this does have the disadvantage of reacting to certain chemicals and cleaning agents. If one has an emerald ring one should always remove it before immersing ones hands into detergent or soap and you also cannot clean them ultrasonically.
A regular cleaning by a professional is usually the most prudent action and, provided your emerald is well looked after, it can be expected to give many years of enjoyment.
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