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Emerald

Emerald is the bluish green to green variety of beryl, a mineral species that includes aquamarine.

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Color

Highly saturated green color defines high quality emerald.

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Beveled corners

Emerald cuts have concentric parallel rows of facets and beveled corners.

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“jardin,” or garden.

Eye visible inclusions create an internal scene referred to as “jardin,” or garden.

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Six-sided

Emerald crystals are commonly six-sided.

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Flat-top

The tops of emerald crystals are typically rather flat.

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Color direction

The best color is usually perpendicular to the top of the crystal.

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Tools

Research

Interference thin films in Russian emerald resembling a sky filled with fireworks. Photomicrograph by Ungkhana Atikarnsakul; field of view 3.60 mm.
Fireworks Display in Russian Emerald

The inclusion scene in a Russian emerald resembles fireworks illuminating a night sky.

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Figure 1. A 12.62 ct trapiche emerald with areas of near-colorless goshenite. Photo by Shunsuke Nagai.
Zoned Trapiche Emerald with Goshenite Overgrowth

A 12.62 ct trapiche emerald with areas of goshenite is analyzed in GIA’s Tokyo laboratory.

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Figure 2. This gold and emerald pendant contains 61 Colombian emeralds with 33 stones missing, presumably lost during its residence on the seafloor for more than 300 years. The pendant is approximately 3.5 in. (8.9 cm) wide. Photo by Emily Lane.
Splendors from the Deep: Historic Treasures from a Spanish Shipwreck

An in-depth look at jewelry recently recovered from a 1715 Spanish shipwreck.

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Figure 1. Emeralds in matrix and various cut stones from the Curlew mine in Western Australia. All stones were mined in 2023. The cut stones are untreated and range from 0.45 to 7.92 ct (triangular shape). Photo by Lhapsin Nillapat; courtesy of Matthew Allen (The Gemstone Trading Company).
New Emerald Production from the Curlew Mine, Western Australia

GIA’s Bangkok laboratory studies emeralds from the Curlew mine’s recently renewed production.

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Cat’s-eye emerald (11.31 ct) and star emerald (4.99 ct) from Chitral, Pakistan. Photo by Lhapsin Nillapat; courtesy of Mohammed Ayub (Pretty Little Gem Co, Ltd, Bangkok).
Phenomenal Emeralds from Chitral, Pakistan

GIA’s Bangkok laboratory encounters two phenomenal gems while examining a parcel of emeralds from Pakistan.

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Figure 1. Emerald and beryl specimens from Newfoundland, Canada. The chip on the right has a distinct green rim in this position, on its lower right edge. Photo by Emily Lane; courtesy of Art Gardner and Terry Russell.
Beryl from Newfoundland, Canada

Beryl and emerald specimens from a recent discovery in Newfoundland are examined at GIA.

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Double cabochon cat’s-eye emerald weighing 5.11 ct and measuring 10.77 × 8.95 × 7.39 mm, from Goiás State, Brazil. Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of Douglas M. Liebman Estate Jeweler.
An Exceptional Cat’s-Eye Emerald

A double cabochon cat’s-eye emerald conjures fond memories for an estate dealer in Tucson.

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A pseudo-icosahedral crystal of pyrite in a 2.88 ct Colombian emerald. Photomicrograph by Taku Okada; field of view 1.01 mm.
Pseudo-Icosahedral Pyrite in Colombian Emerald

A 2.88 ct Colombian emerald plays host to a metallic yellow pyrite crystal.

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Tubular three-phase inclusions with albite (Ab) at each end in a natural Colombian emerald. These inclusions are oriented parallel to the <em>c</em>-axis of the crystal. Photomicrograph by Javier Toloza; field of view 0.95 mm.
Unusual Inclusions in Natural Emerald from Chivor

Tubular three-phase inclusions are observed in a Colombian emerald.

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Prismatic black tourmaline in a Zambian emerald. Photomicrograph by Virginia Schneider; field of view 1.76 mm.
Tourmaline in Emerald

Examination of a Zambian emerald reveals prismatic black tourmaline inclusions.

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