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Emerald

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

Emerald
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Optical Properties (8)
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Emerald (297)
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Figure 1. Eight Kazakhstani emeralds (left) and three Ukrainian beryl and emerald samples (right), with gemological tweezers shown for scale. The leftmost Ukrainian emerald has a chemistry between that of aquamarine and emerald. Photo by Emily Lane; courtesy of Gerhard Franz and Oleksii Vyshnevskyi.

Emeralds and Beryl from Kazakhstan and Ukraine

A report from GIA’s Carlsbad laboratory on emerald and beryl samples studied as part of an ongoing beryl characterization research project.

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Figure 1. This 0.73 ct octagonal step cut was composed of chrysoberyl and alexandrite. The alexandrite portion showed a color change from blue-green in fluorescent light to red-purple in incandescent light. Photos by Shunsuke Nagai.

Dendritic Patterns in Emerald

A partially filled fissure in an emerald exhibits patterns resembling natural foliage.

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Figure 2. Catherine de’ Medici’s sixteenth-century pendant, measuring approximately 5.5 × 4.0 × 1.4 cm and weighing 52.35 g, in enameled gold with emeralds and four colorless gems (BnF collection no. 56.336). Photo by Serge Oboukhoff; courtesy of the Museum of the National Library of France.

Emeralds in Catherine de’ Medici’s Pendant: An Unexpected Geographic Origin

Archival research and gemological characterization reveal the geographic origin of two emeralds set in a pendant linked to Catherine de’ Medici, Queen of France from 1547 to 1559.

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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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