The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder describes emeralds in his encyclopedia as “Nothing greens greener.” He was right because the intense green of emeralds can’t be compared, which is one of the reasons why the stone has gained wide acceptance and popularity over the years. That said, emeralds are considered to be one of the finest green gemstones in the world today.
In today’s world of gemstones, there are two primary types of green emeralds: marketable and valuable. These include natural green emeralds and synthetic green emeralds. Additionally, these two types of green emerald are similar in many ways, with only a few differences. They are very similar in terms of importance, composition, appearance, and condition of creation. On the other hand, the difference is in the tools used, the location, and production. So it’s vital that you get familiar with the two types to understand the differences.
In this article, we will walk you through the two types of green emeralds. After that, we will discuss their similarities and differences and how you can identify them.
Natural Green Emeralds
As the name suggests, natural emeralds are created by nature. They are very hard to come by making them rather sought-after. Natural emeralds are created when minerals like beryllium bubble up the earth’s crust into hydrothermal veins. The substance got its green color from chromium, iron, and vanadium.
In creation, natural emeralds usually come with inclusions and impurities. This is due to the traces of trapped gases and other minerals during the production, crystallization, and cooling. These impurities give some of the gemstones a cloudy appearance. However, there are natural green emeralds that are flawless, but they are rare to come by.
If you’re not a gemologist, the various methods used to grade the stone’s quality can be complex to understand. However, there are a few simple things to understand for you to make your purchasing decision. Check out the durability, clarity, color, and carat if you’re looking to buy a green emerald necklace or emerald stud earrings.
Synthetic Green Emeralds
Though synthetic emeralds have the same chemical composition and color as the natural emeralds, it’s made in a lab instead of the earth. While synthetic emeralds are synthetic gems, it’s also one of the most difficult gems to synthesize. Synthetic green emeralds are produced from either hydrothermal or flux processes.
The flux process is a conventional method of creating manufactured emeralds. The flux method uses a heat solution of minerals, which later forms crystals upon cooling. However, this process is time-consuming, and it might take more than a month to grow large emeralds. On the other hand, the hydrothermal imitates the creation condition of natural emeralds. One big difference is that they do not produce freely-grown crystals.
Similarities Between Natural and Synthetic Green Emeralds
Natural and artificial green emeralds are very similar, and they share almost the same physical and chemical characteristics. Because of this, it’s sometimes difficult for the layperson to distinguish between the two green emeralds. However, if you know the difference between them, you’ll find it easy to identify.
Differences Between Natural and Synthetic Green Emeralds
While natural and synthetic green emeralds are similar in many ways, there are few distinctions between the two types. One of the significant differences between natural and synthetic emeralds is that natural emeralds occur naturally in the earth while synthetic emeralds are created in the laboratory. Another difference is that natural green emeralds usually contain inclusions or impurities which makes them unique and flawless ones even more valuable. Synthetic emeralds are produced artificially and without natural flaws.
Another difference is that natural emeralds are created by coincidence with the right amount of conditions and elements. On the other hand, manufactured synthetics are formed based on market demands, making them faster to produce than natural emeralds. The color of natural emeralds can vary from beautiful pale to the popular vivid green, depending on the amount of chromium present in the composition. In contrast, manufactured green emeralds are created to have uniformly vivid green colors.
How to Differentiate Between Natural and Synthetic Green Emeralds?
It’s often difficult to differentiate between natural and manufactured green emeralds. However, there are some factors to consider when you want to buy your gemstones. The color of the emerald is one of the most important factors to consider when making a purchase, and natural emeralds have a more distinct green color compared to synthetic emeralds. Also, natural emeralds are usually more expensive than synthetic emeralds as they are much more difficult to come by and are sought-after. Other ways to identify the natural emeralds from the synthetic ones include:
- Using a magnifying glass to check out the flaws
- Shining a black light on the emeralds
- Checking out the inclusions using a jeweler’s loupe
- Looking for sparkling effects when placed under light
You can also request the service of gemologists to help you identify natural emeralds from manufactured ones. Gemologists carry out several laboratory tests to confirm if the emerald is natural or manufactured.
Why Choose Eshed for Your Green Emeralds?
In the gem market, you will come across several synthetic emeralds of low quality. At Eshed, what makes us stand out is that we only offer natural emeralds, so you can be sure of the value when you buy from us. Natural emeralds at Eshed start from $3,000. While this might seem expensive in comparison to synthetically manufactured emeralds, they are of a higher quality. Our products range from emerald rings to green emerald bracelets, emerald jewelry, and more.
We’ve got you covered if you’re not sure of the type of gemstone jewelry you want to buy. Just tell us what you need it for, and we will give you the best option of the highest quality to consider. We have an excellent customer support service that will help you if you have any issues.
Conclusion
Emeralds are one of the most valuable stones in the world. While differentiating the synthetic emeralds from natural stones can be difficult, that won’t be the case when you purchase your gemstones from Eshed. We only deal in natural green emeralds of superior quality, so you need not worry. Whether you want to buy green emerald earrings or any other green emerald jewelry, we have the answer.