Everything you need to know about Emeralds

Emeralds have been prized for centuries, and it's not hard to see why. Their beautiful green colour is magnificent, and makes a sparkling statement in jewellery. So today, we’re here to help you learn everything there is to know about these beautiful gemstones!

Emerald Colour

First up, let's start with colour. The colour of Emeralds can range from pale to dark, typically with a slight blue or slight yellow undertone. But which colour is ‘better’ you ask? This simply just comes down to personal preference, and which gemstone captures your heart.

At Fenton, we source within a range of mid to darker green emeralds with a blue undertone. We have chosen this colour, firstly for its beauty (we’re sure you’ll agree) and also because this is a colouring which is typical of Zambian emeralds, which is a country with mines which adhere to our strict transparent and responsible sourcing policies. So you can have peace of mind knowing your Emerald has been sourced with care for the planet and the people involved in the journey of your Fenton jewellery.

Emerald Clarity

The next one, clarity, is pretty important when it comes to Emeralds.

Inclusions (internal imperfections) and blemishes (external imperfections) are natural characteristics that occur as part of the crystallisation process. Every gemstone will always have inclusions, but the nature of these inclusions will vary depending on the gemstone family, variety and its geographical origin.

Emeralds are included gemstones. This means when buying an Emerald you shouldn’t expect a perfectly translucent green gemstone.

For us, this means our emeralds will have translucent, wispy feather-like inclusions and sometimes liquid droplets or small platy inclusions (these can often reflect light when the emerald is rotated under a light source). We like to think of inclusions as like fingerprints, in that each emerald will have its own unique set - this is part of what makes your emerald individual and beautiful!

However, we do not source emeralds with black mineral inclusions or surface reaching fractures. This is something you should always watch out for if you are buying an Emerald, as these can affect the long-term durability of the emerald!

To give you a better idea of what we mean you can see some examples below of the type of Emeralds which we do and do not source.

Emerald Shape / Cut

Like with other gemstones, Emeralds are available in many different cuts (shapes), so you can create something truly special to you.

The oval, round and cushion cut Emeralds are typically more ‘sparkly’ given the higher number of facets (angles cut on the surface), whereas the emerald cut is a more traditional style.

Note: the emerald cut in any gemstone is less ‘forgiving’, and so if you are worried about the visibility of inclusions, a more faceted stone, such as an oval cut, may hide them better!

Emerald Care

When considering buying an Emerald It is important to be aware that they are brittle gemstones. This means they are softer than sapphires, rubies and diamonds and are more prone to scratching and chipping over time. Don’t panic, they are perfectly fine to wear everyday, they just require more care when being worn!

We recommend taking your emerald ring off when doing activities that require excess use of the hand such as going to the gym or doing household chores.

Wondering how to clean an Emerald Ring? We suggest that when cleaning your emerald ring, you should use tepid water and a soft toothbrush to very gently scrub it, and always avoid using chemicals (including soap) as this can cause damage. You can read more about caring for an Emerald here.

Where do Emeralds come from?

We think no matter the gemstone you choose, it’s always important to ask your jeweller where it has come from. As I’m sure you know, the gemstone mining industry is sadly not without its flaws, which is why we work tirelessly to ensure every mine we work with adheres to our strict responsible mining policy.

What does this mean? In short, no child labour, equal pay for all, strict health and safety policies, active protect of the local environment and never working with mines in conflict zones.

For all we passionately believe these standards should be adhered to industry wide, it is sadly not the case. So always remember, to ask questions about what your Emerald is coming from!

How much does an Emerald cost?

While it might not be an important factor for all, we still believe that everyone should be charged a fair price for the product they receive. It’s important to do your research and make sure that the jeweller you choose is delivering the right quality of ring for the price you’re paying.

This is why we only ever source our gemstones directly from the mines. Typically a gemstone can pass through a whole host of middle men and resellers, each making a profit, before it ends up with it’s owner. This means the price you pay to the jeweller is heavily inflated.

Whereas with a Fenton ring, we can cut out all of that markup, guaranteeing the best value for your money. That sounds pretty sweet to us.