Emerald Rings Guide

Emeralds are beautiful and opulent gemstones, with a long history of emerald jewelry featuring in the collections of European royalty, going back hundreds of years! Although Emeralds aren’t as expensive as other gemstones, such as the more popular and common Diamond, they are a precious gemstone and are priced as such. A reasonable quality natural emerald will be worth upwards of $1000 per carat, and the price increases proportionately for larger stones. A large stone of 3 carats would cost $8000-$9000 or more, for example. The other factor affecting the price of an Emerald is the level of inclusions in the gemstone. Almost all Emeralds have these inclusions, which usually take the appearance of a network of tiny air bubbles, cracks, or other marks inside the gemstone. Some feel that these enhance the individuality of the stone, but it is common for Emeralds to be treated with a filler to minimize the appearance of inclusions.

There is an alternative to a piece of jewelry featuring mined Emeralds, that neatly circumvents both the price and quality issues with a natural Emerald. Lab Created Emeralds are now widely available, and the process used to create them is significantly easier than that of other created gemstones meaning the prices are much lower. The particular benefit of synthetic Emeralds is that the process eliminates inclusions completely, meaning no fillers are required to end up with a perfectly clear, sparkling stone.

It’s worth explaining what a synthetic or lab created gemstone really is. While it is possible to make a simulated gemstone that looks like the real thing, but is made using different materials (for example a simulated Diamond might be made out of Cubic Zirconia), a true lab created gemstone is made using the same elements, and has the same type of crystalline structure. This means that it cannot be told apart from a mined version of the same gemstone with the naked eye, and specialized gemological equipment would be needed to detect small variations in the crystalline growth pattern.

All of this means that lab created emerald rings and other jewelry are a very interesting proposition for a buyer who wants something unique, but finds price is an issue. Created Emerald rings with stones up to 1 carat can be found for well under $500, including a setting and half-carat stones with settings are often in the $200-$300 price bracket, making these extremely affordable – while looking identical to a high quality mined Emerald in every way.