Facts on Emeralds

The Beauty of the Emerald
Its difficult to find a flawless emerald. So it is no wonder that the emerald costs are rather steeper than any other gemstone only second to the diamond. Being a soft gem, it may have a lot of natural grains known as inclusions, while it was being formed underneath the earth’s surface. Emerald, the green variety of the mineral beryl, is the most famous and favored green gemstone. Its beautiful green color, combined with durability and rarity, make it one of the most valuable gemstones.

Beryl also contains other, lesser known gem varieties, such as aquamarine and heliodor. The Emerald's green color is caused by chromium impurities (and occasionally by vanadium impurities). Deep green is the most desired color in emeralds. The paler the color of the emerald, the lesser its value. Pale emeralds are not called emeralds, but "green beryl". They are sometimes heat-treated, in which they become aquamarine. In fact, the best emeralds available in the market today are engineered or created emeralds.

Known to be notorious for their flaws, they are in great demands of late. Thanks to the mercury retrograde that has affected many people belonging to the zodiac, it was discovered that wearing an emeralds requires you to have lots of patience and although it may give you tons of money in time to come, it is known to chew into your patience quota to a large extend. The only reason why diamonds are paired along with emeralds is because diamonds represent Venus and Venus, the planet gets in fame and money. So if you really need to accelerate your financial strength, you should wear an emerald in combination with diamonds, that look almost as if they are holding hands! You’d see so many pictures of this on the net!

The Emerald and its availability
Flawless stones are very uncommon, and are noted for their great value. Some people actually prefer an emerald with very minute flaws over a flawless emerald, as this proves authenticity of the stone. Many emerald flaws can be hidden by treating the emeralds with oil. Newer, more effective fracture-filling techniques are also practiced. Irradiation of some emerald gems is somewhat effective in removing certain flaws.

Many emerald fakes and doublets are known. Two pale colored stones may be glued together with a deep green paste, creating a stone resembling emerald, so beware! Faceted green glass resembling the emerald may also be coated with a hard substance to mask its low hardness. Synthetic emeralds are also sold to unwary buyers without the appropriate knowledge. Experts no wonder it is supposed to be worn by the elite can of course distinguish these from the fakes, and it is especially important to only purchase emeralds from reliable dealers. Experts not only determine if an emerald was treated with oil to mask internal flaws, but also give you the accurate price as well. Generally, unless otherwise specified, it can be assumed that an emerald has been treated with oil.

Emerald may develop internal cracks if banged hard or if subject to extreme temperature change, as it is perhaps one of the softest gem stones known to man. It is therefore advisable that if you need to wear it even for astrological reasons, its best not to wear one that‘s not more than 3-4 carats . Emeralds that were treated to mask internal flaws should never be cleaned with an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, nor should they be washed with soap. These practices will remove the oil and expose the hidden internal flaws. It is no wonder then as to why is it only worn by the elite class. It is not that one cannot afford this stone, its just that you need to be very, very careful while wearing it.

It is interesting to note that emerald generally speaking and not specific to any one is worn by people born in may, which is the sign of Taurus. And because of the qualities that one needs to have, its intriguing why Taureans necessarily have to build on their patience level, as they are known to be no-nonsense people who like the bull can ram their heads to prove their point, interesting ain’t it?