Egyptians | Discount Loose Gemstones

Emeralds – The Best Know Gemstone of the Beryl Group

Natural Beryl - Emerald

The best known gemstone of the beryl group, the stunning green Emerald color is caused by the trace elements of Chromium and Vanadium. In its pure from, Beryl is colorless. A trace of iron can turn the Beryl into an Aquamarine, whereas a bit of Manganese adds a pink color to the stone. Of all the Beryls, Emeralds are the most highly valued and have the longest history. Egyptians used Emeralds as early as 3500 BC, however most of them were pale, drab, and heavily included. It wasn’t until the 1500’s , when the Spanish came to the Americas, that Europeans discovered how beautiful Emeralds could be and vast quantities of Emeralds were brought to Europe by the conquistadors.

The name “Emerald” derives from the word smargus, which means “green gemstone” in Ancient Greek. Emeralds are seldom clear, but contain a miniature world of inclusions characteristic of certain minerals or patterns can be used find out the country of origin and also the mine that produced the gemstone. Emeralds are commonly oiled with polymers and epoxies to fill cracks and inclusions and enhance the color and appearance of the gemstone. This is considered an acceptable trade practice as long as it is disclosed to the buyer. Some fillers are more stable than others, but it’s usually not possible for salespeople to know exactly what an emerald has been filled with. Most Emeralds should be re-oiled every few years to preserve their color and should not be cleaned using ultrasonic cleaners.

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Abundant Amethyst

Due to their relative abundance, quartz gemstones are quite affordable, with Amethyst being the most expensive variety. Amethyst can vary in price from $2 to $100 per carat depending on the color, quality, and cut, and may be the oldest gemstone known to man. European rock crystal objects have been unearthed with remains of prehistoric man dating back as far as 20,000 BC. The Egyptians frequently used Amethyst as beads, good luck charms, and seals which date back to before 3100 BC.

Amethyst is classified by mineralogists as a variety of crystalline or crystallized quartz, which occurs as regular crystals or as coarse aggregates that are often visible to the naked eye. Quartz can also be composed of crystals so tiny that they can only be seen if you view a thin slice of the crystal under a high magnification and polarized light. This type of quartz is called Chalcedony, or more technically cryptocrystalline or microcrystalline quartz.

Amethyst is commonly found in United States, Britain, Brazil, Bolivia, India, Uruguay, and Zambia. Synthetic Amethyst, along with its cousin Citrine and other colors of synthetic quartz are made in Japan and especially Russia. Amethyst can be heated to lighten its color or to transform it into Citrine and sometime green quartz (referred to as Green Amethyst). Green and Yellow Quartz can be irradiated to product Amethyst, which may fade from heat treatment if it’s exposed too long. Sunlight can also lighten Amethyst. Poor quality material is usually tumbled to make beads, and if a stone is pale in color, it may be set in a closed setting or have foil placed underneath the stone to enhance color. Amethyst is commonly imitated by glass and synthetic corundum.