Emerald rings are the perfect gift for men and women who are born in the month of May. Emerald is popularly known as the birthstone ring for May. Not only is it a perfect gift for May babies, but it is also a stone used to symbolize anniversaries; particularly 20th, 35th, ad 55th years of marriage.
We’ve sourced and selected the most beautiful emerald rings for sale to inspire you to get one for yourself. Discover and learn what to look for in an emerald ring and what to consider before getting one.
Antique Natural Emerald Rings
Emerald Gemstone History
Emerald is the French word ‘esmeraude’. While ‘Esmeraude’ is from the Latin and Greek word ‘smaragdos’ which means green stone. Emeralds were discovered millions of years ago. It was particularly discovered in Cleopatra’s mines. Ever since they were discovered, they have always been regarded by society as a good symbol of wealth. In fact, a karat emerald in a ring may already be very costly. It may range from $50 to $10,000. If you want to get the best value for your money with the right emerald ring, then keep reading.
You may be confused about how to assess the quality of an emerald ring or how to approach buying one. Well, that is the very reason why this article is created. We want you to be aware of how much you should be paying for an emerald ring and how you are going to assess its quality. The great news is that you do not have to really consider tons of things to be sure that you got the right ring.
A novice buyer like you should really only be considering the color of the emerald ring. Emeralds would typically come in forest green, deep green, and bright green colors. Before getting a new emerald ring, it important that a buyer like you, beginner or advanced, know how to distinguish a high-quality emerald to a low-quality one.
Quality Distinctions in Emerald Rings
Purchasing emerald rings online may not be an easy task especially if you want to ensure that you get a genuine emerald ring. There are a few qualities to look into before clicking the buy button. The first step you need to do is to consider emerald clarity, size, color, and shape. Unlike diamonds that are graded by using a special lens magnifier to see its imperfections, an emerald ring can be graded by just looking at it with your naked eye.
This makes everything a lot easier for you since you can use the images online as a reference for your purchase decision. Since you have the ability to grade it yourself, it becomes more important that you know the things you need to look for in order to make a wise decision. As a buyer, you ought to know the different markers and indicators of a high-quality emerald ring, more so when you decide to buy an emerald ring wedding set. When you know them, you are more likely to get the best deal in the market.
Emerald Clarity
You can easily examine the clarity of an emerald ring by looking at it with your bare eyes. If you see no cracks and inclusions with it, then it is a good quality emerald. You should also be able to see the brilliant glow of the emerald from the inside.
Seeing small counts of cracks, cloudiness, and inclusions do not automatically make the emerald of bad quality.
The stone is a natural product of nature so it is normal to see a few marks of imperfection. They are avoidable for the gemstone.
They should still be acceptable for the jeweler to sell. In fact, the cloudiness of an emerald adds more character to it. It does a much better and positive effect on the stone than bad.
Emerald Sizes
Emeralds are popularly used in engagement rings. With the wide variety of emerald rings available for engagements, we have found out that they are typically featured with sizes ranging from 0.5 karats to 1.5 karats. For pendants, bracelets, and necklaces, larger emeralds are featured. Some are even sized as big as 30 karats.
Now do not be confused because karats actually refer to the weight of the gem and not the size. But for you to have an idea of how big can a karat get, we will give you an example. A dime is almost equal to 4 carats of emerald. This only means that the normal 0.5 karat use in rings is approximately a quarter of the size of a dime. When purchasing an emerald ring, you should not just base your judgment on how visible the emerald is. Sometimes, you may be getting a higher karat of emerald but it is somehow hidden because of the setting of the gemstone on a ring. It would always be safer if you read about it in the description of the product. Or better yet, ask the seller directly.
Emerald Shapes
Emeralds are most probably known to its stereotypical rectangular shape. In fact, rectangular shapes for gems have been named as the emerald cut. In a specific sense, emeralds are popularly known to have a rectangular shape with angled cuts on its four corners.
The emerald cut for emerald rings is an ideal purchase for people who are looking for a unique design. This type of cut is also perfect for tennis bracelets. Although emeralds are popularly produced with their unique cut, there are still other popular cuts for it like cushion cut an oval cut. Cushion cuts are also commonly used for engagement rings while oval cuts are used for bangles and necklace pendants.
Emerald Colors
Emeralds come in different shades of green from bright green, deep green, forest green, to teal green. The softest hue of emerald green you can find is comparable to Beryl. Then, it can go as vivid and rich as the green forest and nature. When it comes to the color, the more vivid your emerald ring is, the more expensive it would be. But that does not mean that you should only look at how vivid emerald is.
You should always keep in mind that whenever looking at any gem, its brilliance will dictate how high quality it really is. If you are still kind of confused about that, you can say that an emerald should be darker but it should never be darker than it is shiny. The brilliance of the stone is still the best indicator of its good quality. To have a better idea on which emerald should be priced higher, think of the vivid teal color that has a touch of blue but is still greener.
When you find that kind of emerald, you got yourself a true gem. They should be green, deep, and must have a brilliance that comes from within. The color suggestions we are telling you are based on the preferences of a true jeweler. The final decision is still going to be yours. If you prefer a soft-hued emerald or an almost bluish emerald, you can certainly go to that direction. Your preferences and budget are more important.
Sources of Emeralds Rings
There are three main countries where emeralds are obtained: Brazil, Colombia, and Zambia. All of them are recognized for their excellent emerald mining and production. There are a few differences with the emeralds from country to country, though.
Emeralds from Brazil often come in brighter, softer, and lighter shades of green. If you are a novice emerald ring buyer, Brazilian emeralds are your best options because even the most affordable rings share a stunning shine. Although, you also have to be cautious in buying too light emeralds; you should not but emeralds that are almost yellow or have a milky tint. If Brazilian emeralds are lighter in color, Colombian emeralds, on the other hand, are darker. They feature a more vibrant and intense green color which appears with some shades of blue. This is the type of emerald that most emerald connoisseurs and jewelers are looking for. But as we mentioned earlier, an emerald should not only have a dark shade but should also a stunning shine from within. Emeralds from the Colombian Market can achieve that perfection but you should expect that they will also be very expensive.
If you are on a budget, it will be harder for you to find a dark Columbian emerald that is also acceptably bright and shiny. Last but not least is the Zambian emerald. They are an amazing alternative to the perfect Columbian emeralds. They also come in darker shades of green from forest green, teal green, to bluish-green. If you are on a budget but you want to get a darker emerald, you can opt for the Zambian emerald. The only bad side of purchasing them is that Zambian emeralds may have been obtained from exploitative labor practices. It is sad to know there are people who would take advantage of their fellowmen but it is somehow common in Africa.
Emerald Rings Grading System
On the illustration above, you would have a better idea of how a darker emerald should display a bright shine from within. Emeralds do not have a perfect and uniform grading system like diamonds do. At the moment, you can base on this grading system which most leading jewelers and sellers follow. They label emeralds with Natural A, Natural AA, and Natural AAA. ‘A’ emeralds have 50% to 75% of quality which means that they are dark green, opaque, and heavily included. Natural AA emeralds have 20% to 30% of quality which means that they are medium and moderately included. AAA emeralds have 10% quality which means that they are rich green and maybe slightly or moderately included. They also exhibit high brilliance.
Whether you want to get an emerald ring for someone who is soon celebrating their birthday or just wanting to give a precious gift for an upcoming marriage anniversary, the information on this article should guide you in making a wise and informed decision in purchasing an emerald ring. Emerald rings are not the most affordable rings but they will surely make a person feel more special. You have a wide array of emerald ring options from the most affordable synthetic emeralds to the luxurious genuine emeralds.
Buying an Emerald Ring
If you plan to give someone a genuine emerald ring, you should also ensure that you are prepared for the budget as emeralds are not the most affordable gems in the market. If you are on a tight budget, it would be easy to look for an imitation of the emerald gemstone because the market is filled with tons of them.
Not only will you be able to find imitations, but you may also come across synthetic emeralds and emerald simulators. If your goal is to get an affordable emerald ring for someone, you can easily find a ring but if you want to get a genuine emerald ring, you will need to be more educated about them. Emerald rings are expensive and it is our advocacy to guide people in making wise and informed decisions when it comes to getting valuable jewelry.
Hey lovely readers! My name is Chantal and I am obsessed with everything accessory and jewelry. My husband (and best friend) John and I, have been writing content for this blog for over 4 years now started the RTP store with over 4000 curated accessories and jewelry. We are traveling around the world to find the latest products, negotiate the best prices and find the best quality for our readers. We have managed to make our passion for feeling and looking good into our work. We are always open to new product suggestion, improvements or feedback. If you would like to chitchat with me, email me here!