Emerald
Natural Faceted Gems
Emerald is the green to bluish-green gem variety of beryl, colored mainly by traces of chromium or vanadium. Its hexagonal crystals commonly contain fractures and mineral or fluid inclusions, so color usually matters more than flawless clarity.
Identity
- Material or variety
- Emerald
- Scientific or material identity
- Beryl
- Classification
- Natural mineral or mineral variety
- Composition or formula
- Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈
- Crystal system or structure
- Hexagonal
- Geological or manufacturing origin
- Forms from silica- or mineral-rich fluids in cavities and fractures.
- Mohs hardness
- 7.5 to 8
- Specific gravity
- 2.63 to 2.92
Origins
Brazil · Colombia · Ethiopia · Pakistan · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Appearance & optical properties
deep emerald-green beryl with subtle jardin-like inclusions.
History & discovery
The name descends through Latin and Greek words for a green gem. Emerald was mined in Egypt by about 1500 BCE and admired in the Roman world. Centuries later, stones brought from Colombia after the Spanish conquest introduced Europe to a major new source and helped reshape the gem trade.
Uses & care
- Common uses
- Emerald is faceted or carved for rings, necklaces, earrings, and other jewelry. Distinctive hexagonal crystals and crystals attached to matrix are also collected as mineral specimens.
- Handling and cleaning
- Use warm soapy water and gentle scrubbing. Avoid ultrasonic and steam cleaning because many emeralds contain fractures or fracture fillings; protect the stone from heat, chemicals, and hard knocks.
Jewellery
8 pieces of Emerald jewellery. Learners earn each one in DigMyGem by learning words; until then it shows as a silhouette.
Chalk Emerald
Ring
A 37.82-carat Colombian emerald recut by Harry Winston and set in a platinum ring ringed by sixty pear-shaped diamonds. Mr and Mrs O. Roy Chalk gave it to the Smithsonian in 1972, where it is still on display.
Photo: Cliff from Arlington, Virginia, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
Crown of the Andes
Crown
A gold votive crown made in colonial Colombia and set with about 450 emeralds, the largest known as the Atahualpa Emerald. It is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Photo: This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art . See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons 
Mogul Mughal Emerald
Pendant
A 217.80-carat Colombian emerald carved with Shi'a invocations and foliate scrollwork, probably worn as a Mughal talisman and dated 1695-96. It is now held by the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha.
Hooker Emerald Brooch
Brooch
A 75.47-carat square-cut Colombian emerald said to have been worn by Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II, later set by Tiffany and Co. in a platinum brooch with over a hundred diamonds. Janet Annenberg Hooker gave it to the Smithsonian in 1977.
Photo: dbking, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
Napoleon Tiara
Tiara
The Napoleon Tiara is a papal tiara given to Pope Pius VII in 1805. Its top holds a 404.5-carat emerald that once belonged to a tiara of Pope Gregory XIII.
Photo: Marie-Étienne Nitot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons 
Topkapi Dagger
Jewel
The Topkapi Dagger is an emerald-studded curved dagger made in 1746 as an Ottoman gift to the Shah of Persia. It is kept in Topkapi Palace.
Photo: Hajotthu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
Imperial Crown of India
Crown
The Imperial Crown of India was made for King George V in 1911 for the Delhi Durbar. A very fine 32-carat emerald sits at its front.
Photo: Cyril James Humphries Davenport, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons 
Duke of Devonshire Emerald
Jewel
The Duke of Devonshire Emerald is a 1,383.93-carat uncut Colombian emerald. It is held in the Natural History Museum in London.
Photo: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
