Buying Tips
Always make a careful, naked-eye observation of the gemstone you intend to buy. Observe the gem in all directions under different lighting conditions (natural light, incandescent, fluorescent, halogen). This first careful observation is the key to establishing the identity, characteristics and quality of the material under analysis.

Hold the stone in your fingers and feel it. Don’t use tweezers or magnifying lenses at this stage.

Pay close attention to the color of the gemstone. It is normally this first color impression that will indicate the origin of the stone, whetherit is natural, and what country it is from or whether synthetics or imitations should be suspected.

Don’t forget that color is the most important factor in the price evaluation of colored gemstones and the most difficult to determine. If you are not proficient in the color subtleties of the stone you are observing, seek the assistance of a qualified gem dealer.

Carefully study the surface of the gemstone by tilting it and using oblique lighting techniques to view the surface. If cracks and fissures are detected with the naked eye, it is a sign of a highly -treated stone that could be damaged easily. Make sure the gemstone surface is free of grease, dust or anything that might interfere with your observation.

Carefully observe the brilliance of the stone and the faceting style. These elements will be considered in the identification and price evaluation process.

Once this initial observation stage is completed and if you have not observed damages that could endanger the stone, proceed to handle the stone with tweezers and a 10X loop.

Study the stones’ transparency and clarity, the second most important aspect in price evaluation.

Look closely at the features that will confirm the right identity of the gemstone. Pay close attention to the inclusions. This can yield a fair assessment of the mine origin. And, this can affect overall brilliance and durability of the material.

Continue by studying the surface of the stone, make sure you are not looking perpendicular to the surface, but in an oblique fashion. This technique will allow you to observe the treated areas of the stone starting from the surface where the treating agent was introduced. Alternate between dark and light backfields. This will aid your observation of the internal features and fractures. Try to determine the origin of the enhancing material that will affect the overall presence and durability of the stone in the future. When in doubt, seek the assistance of a qualified gem testing laboratory.

Observe the overall cutting and polishing of the surfaces. This is the third most important factor in the price assessment of a gemstone. It will affect the brilliance of the gemstone.

Shape and overall balance and harmony of form are important factors in the marketability of gemstones. Keep this in mind.

Don’t forget the maxim, “It’s too good to be true,” when presented with a gemstone at a below market price. Be aware, the material is either something different from what it appears to be under naked eye observation or its provenance is doubtful. Keep away from both situations.

Don’t forget the most important factor in buying gemstones is to do it whenever possible through well established, reputable dealers or jewelry stores.

When buying a gemstone, if you do not have experience, request a Gemological Certificate of Identification, issued by a qualified third party not related in any manner to the seller.

The buying tips given here apply best to loose stones. Gemstones set in jewelry are generally more complex to identify and evaluate, especially if set low on the mountings.

There are gemologists and qualified laboratories in most major cities in the world. For a partial listing, please refer to the section Gem Labs For further referrals and gemstone information, please refer to the section on Trade Organizations, Education.

-Are all emeralds green?
Yes, in order for a gemstone to be referred to as an emerald, it must have a certain intensity and saturation of green color within the green-yellow or blue-yellow color hues. If the gemstone does not meet this criteria of the right color hue, correct saturation and intensity, it should correctly be called green-beryl and not emerald.

-Where are the emerald mines located?
The emerald mining areas in Colombia are basically located in two different states. The most important producers (Muzo and Coscuez) are in the state of Boyaca, about 200 kmt north from Bogota, and comprise the “Special Emerald Reserve”. The second producing area is located in the eastern part of the state of Cundinamarca. In this region lie the Chivor and Gachala mining areas. These two main producing areas, even though hundreds of kilometers away from each other, share the same geological fault. To date, no additional mining areas have been discovered in Colombia.

-Is Colombia the only emerald producer?
No, Colombia is not the only emerald producer. Colombia is the largest producer in dollar value in recent years. Other countries like Brazil and Zambia produce substantial volumes of emeralds but the quality is lower in the larger size goods. There are other producers like Sandawala in Africa, the Ural mountains in Russia and the high altitude emerald deposits of Afghanistan.

-Who owns the emerald mines?
The emerald mines, as all other mineral rights in Colombia are owned by the State. The State leases out areas to private companies or individuals. There are two basic types of permits. A permit granted for the exploitation of larger areas and other permits for small mining projects. The payment is established in proportion to the areas granted. A flat rate is established independent of the levels of production.

-How can you know if an emerald is from Colombia?
Normally, Colombian Emeralds have a particular color and intensity. An experienced dealer learns to distinguish the subtleties of color, to the point of being able, in most cases, to ascertain the provenance of a stone by observing the color and intensity, along with a thorough examination at magnification of 10X . From a more scientific approach, the correct identification of the origin of a gemstone, can be established by means of microscopic analysis using magnifications up to 120X . If no conclusion can be drawn from a careful microscopic observation, a variety of sophisticated techniques can be employed such as an electronic scanning microscope. In any event, the correct identification can be established, since each gemstone carries within a collection of chemical traces and mineral inclusions matching the geology of the mine of origin.

-Do synthetic emeralds exist?
Yes, they are very common and becoming more common every day. Emeralds were the latecomers into the synthetic market due to complications in the manufacturing process. The first synthetic corundum (ruby and sapphire) appeared in the market at the end of 19th century. Emeralds were manufactured successfully only until 1954. Today there is more than a dozen producers scattered worldwide producing high quality synthetic emeralds for laser use and the gemstone market.

-Can you easily tell the difference between natural and synthetic emeralds?
No, it is extremely difficult in some cases to establish the difference between a natural and a synthetic stone. There has been instances were individuals have paid astronomical amounts of money for what ended up being a synthetic stone. If you are not an expert in the field of gem identification, we recommend buying your Emeralds from qualified, well established gem dealers. If in doubt, ask to have the stone identified by an independent gemologist or laboratory.

-What factors affect the price of an emerald?
As with all other color gems, the price of emeralds depends mostly on the quality of the color, being ideal, a rich green-yellowish (or green-bluish), medium to high saturation and a high degree of brilliance. Clarity or the amount of internal damage affect the price. The cleaner the stone the higher the value. The cut and general proportion must also be taken into account. The stone should be well proportioned and meticulously cut and polished. The size obviously affects the price; as the size of the stone increases, so does the price per carat. It is extremely unusual to find a large emerald, of over 10 carats that will be “eye clean”, which means it has the perfect color and brilliancy. When a large, eye clean stone appears in the market, it fetches exorbitant prices.

-How big is a big emerald?
Commercially speaking, an emerald over ten carats is considered a “big” stone. There is, however, a special market for crown jewels and special ornaments that exhibit emeralds of hundreds of carats. Emeralds in rough have been known to occur in sizes of thousands of carats. There is a number of this large hexagonal crystals in museums in various parts of the world.

-Are emeralds fashioned like diamonds?
No, each gemstone, because of the unique way in which it transmits light when passing trough it, must be fashioned to take the best advantage of this phenomena. How light behaves trough the stone depends on the refractive index of the material and its hardness. Emeralds are normally fashioned and best exhibit their color, when fashioned in the rectangular or square “emerald cut”. When stones are fashioned in their ideal proportion, the light the stone returns to the eye is maximized by the proper cut of the pavilion facets and ideal polish.

-How does the price of emerald compare to the price of diamonds and other gems?
Like the other big commercial gemstones, diamonds, ruby and Sapphire, emeralds rank side by side and are considered by some to fetch the highest prices after diamonds. This, however, is an open issue since the price of each individual color stone depends on varying factors that are not as clearly laid out as the pricing structure of diamonds. Sporadically high quality emeralds in sizes below 20 carats have fetched prices in the levels of 20.000 to 40.000 us dollars per carat.

-How can I best care for my emeralds?
Emeralds, like all other gemstones must be guarded against direct impact. Even a diamond if dropped on a marble floor or hit with force against a hard surface can fracture, abrade or remain with a concussion mark. Emeralds should not be exposed to drastic temperature changes that may affect the integrity of the stone. Because of the nature of the oiling process to which emeralds are exposed to after fashioning, care must be taken when applying hot water and soap to the gemstones. It is best recommended to remove your jewelry before washing your hands with hot water.

-How hard are emeralds compared with other gemstones?
The hardness of a material is the resistance the material has to scratching. The Moh´s scale of hardness places emerald hardness between 8-8.5, meaning it will be scratched by minerals with hardness equal or superior to 8-8.5. The hardness of emerald is below that of diamond (10) and corundum (9). However, emerald because of its irregular cleavage, is difficult to simply fracture. The toughness, which is the resistance to breakage, is considered medium-high in emeralds, as it is in other gemstones.