Emerald Rings Guide

Emerald rings are stylish and have a feeling of sophistication.  They are equally at home being worn day to day or for a night out. They come in several different shapes: round, oval, pear, trillion, and square. Emerald rings are very popular for engagements and weddings. They are also the  birthstone for the month of May, meaning that it is traditional for people born in this month to wear them.

Emeralds are a form of the mineral beryl, their green colour being due to trace amounts of chromium. They are most often mined in Colombia, and are also found in several other countries including Egypt, Pakistan, Russia, Austria and others.

Emerald is said to be a difficult gemstone to cut due to the high value of the rough stone and also due to the large number of inclusions and fissures found in the stones.

The majority of emeralds are treated by being soaked in oil (cedar oil or synthetic oils which have the same refractive index as the stone) to improve the clarity by filling in the cracks which are often found in them. The use of oil is a traditional and accepted treatment, but in the U.S.A. the U.S. federal Trade Commission requires that this treatment be disclosed when a treated emerald is sold. Anything that would make the stone lose these oils could affect the appearance of your emerald ring. Excessive exposure to heat or bright light can make the oils in the gemstone dry up. You should try to keep your emerald ring away from high temperatures and bright sunlight. Avoid the use of strong detergents or other cleaning chemicals for cleaning your emerald ring as they can also remove the oils from the stone. The use of ultrasonic cleaners which are frequently used to clean jewellery should be avoided. The naturally-occurring fissures which are found in emeralds also makes them more likely to crack or chip under physical impact.

Emeralds are traditionally given as a gift to mark a couple's 55th wedding anniversary, frequently in the form of an emerald ring. Emerald rings are not just for women either, as many rings for men incorporate these beautiful gemstones.

The ring metals chosen for mounting and showing off these gemstones are most often gold and platinum, the warm colour of gold being a particularly good colour to complement the emerald green.

As with other gemstones, emeralds are graded using the 4 'C's: Colour, Cut, Clarity and Crystal. Unlike diamonds, which are clarity graded at 10x magnification, they are graded using normal unaided vision. Since most of these gemstones are flawed, those which are considered to be flawless can fetch a high price.