Guide to All Types of Emerald Gemstones

Emerald has become one of the most well-known types of gemstones that you find in fine jewellery: lush, bright and feeling instantly luxurious. As a Jaipur-based manufacturer who works with emeralds regularly, DWS Jewellery encounters many buyers who love "emerald green" however don't know what type or origin works for them.

This guide provides an explanation of each type of emerald gemstone, including traditional Colombian and Zambian emeralds to rare Trapiche emeralds and lab-grown emeralds; therefore, enabling you to select the perfect type for use in your design or personal collection.

What distinguishes an emerald from other gemstones?

An emerald is a variety of beryl that appears green. The green in emerald is Super green because of the presence of very small amounts of chromium, vanadium and iron. To qualify as an emerald, the gem must exhibit a distinctively green colour that ranges from medium to deep green and has good colour saturation and intensity.

Emeralds are classified as “Type III” gemstones and expected to have visible inclusions. Colour contributes more to the value of an emerald than clarity. Treatment (such as oiling) is often used in the production of most natural emeralds to enhance their visual appearance by filling against the surface of the gem.

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What makes emerald gems different?

Emeralds come in many varieties. When we talk about "types" of Emeralds we typically talk about four things:

• Where the Emerald was mined (Colombia, Zambia, or Brazil).
• The color tone which can be bluish or yellowish in appearance and the level of brightness (dark vs. light).
• Clarity & Inclusions: amount of inclusions, type of inclusions, and visibility of inclusions.
• Natural Vs. Lab Grown; Treated Vs. Untreated; and Special Structures (e.g.. trapiche).

By understanding these things, you will be able to select an emerald variety that meets your budget, design style, and astrological needs (if you happen to be an Indian buyer).

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Colombian emeralds - a reference for beauty

Emerald gemstones have been mined in Colombia for more than 1,500 years, and are still considered one of the largest sources of emeralds in the world. Colombian emeralds stand out for their vivid, rich green tone, with an overall velvety-soft texture and slight traces of blue/yellow, which varies by mine-specific deposit.

Emeralds produced from the Muzo mine, the Chivor mine, and the Coscuez mine have supplied u many of the most admired emeralds in history, including the Mughal Emerald and the Rockefeller Emerald, both of which are considered to be blue chip emeralds. As a result of their quality and history as an established source of high-quality emeralds; Colombian emeralds reliably sell for significantly higher prices than emeralds from any other source. Colombian emeralds command such high prices because of their excellent reputation, brilliant colour, and the strength of tradition behind them.

Colombian emeralds are ideal for use as high-quality solutions in both wedding-related family heirlooms and as high-quality collectibles and are highly prized by people who admire premium-quality gemstones.

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Zambian Emeralds: The New Trendy Color Green

Since the late twentieth century, emerald mining has accelerated in Zambia. Emeralds from Zambia are regarded as some of the world's finest because many large deposits have been found in the last two decades; thus, there are now high-quality emeralds produced in Zambia as a result of the country's ability to find and mine large supplies over time. On average, Zambian emeralds display an attractive deep green-blue colour with good transparency, and there are very few visible inclusions in Zambian emeralds, making them ideal for jewellery making.

The high proportions of iron in the crystal structure contribute to the richness and darkness of the colour, as well as provide a sharp clean suited to this rich colour of emerald. The availability of Zambian emeralds has enabled designers and buyers to have more options while still providing quality products at an entry-level/priced product tier.

Best Suited For: contemporary fine jewellery (especially larger centre stones); large centre stone with an entry to mid price/quality - manufacturers, astrological users looking for strong colour without breaking the bank - purchase larger quantity could purchase greater variety.

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Emeralds from Brazil Are Bright, Brand-New & Affordable 

Brazil has been a major producer of emeralds since the 1960's with it having deposits in areas such as Nova Era and Goias. Frequently, Brazilian emeralds have less intensity than other Colombian or Zambian emeralds (i.e., they are tend to be lighter, more transparent and bluish- or grey-ish in hue) frequently are characterized by an average amount of flaws than the other two sources before mentioned. 

Due to the generality of these emeralds being of lesser clarity in comparison with emeralds originating from Colombia or Zambia, and having larger variances in colour (less homogeneous), there exists a large difference in price from the in comparison with emeralds coming from Colombia and Zambia. This provides the opportunity for the fashion designer and consumer to purchase larger pieces of new or trendy jewellery that are considered affordable vise-versa pieces that are of greater rarity or of more traditional designs. 

Best For: Product lines for new or trendy pieces of jewellery, large pieces priced at entry to mid-range, or for use as everyday jewellery items.

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Emerald origin regions other than Colombia, Zambia and Brazil

In addition to the “big three” (Colombia, Zambia and Brazil), there are a variety of other locations producing emeralds, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Nigeria, Ethiopia and India. The emeralds originating from most of these places are attractive and of superior quality. There are many places who've created very limited quantities of this type of emerald, as they lack access to the global markets. Most buyers will choose the most reputable name as opposed to a vendor who has an emerald of similar or better quality but has a lesser-known origin and is priced separately from the country of residence.

Every one of the locations listed sell emeralds that are unique to that region, with different hues and types of inclusions. For example, several African and Pakistani emeralds produce strong, intense green colours that can compete with the emerald of some well-known origins for classification purposes. As a result, when purchasing in bulk, buyers may find good value opportunities when the colours and/or clarity of the emeralds are good, regardless of whether the origin of the emerald is from a well-known location.

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Trapiche Emeralds: The Six Spoked Marvel

Trapiche emeralds are one of the most rare and stunning varieties of emeralds available on the planet. They are characterized by a natural “six rayed” spoke pattern (similar to a wheel) that is formed when dark carbon or other inclusions radiate out from the centre of this natural crystal, dividing the crystal up into separate segments of colour.

The majority of trapiche emeralds are found in Colombia. As such, trapiche emeralds are different than many other gemstones in that they are valued by collectors mainly because of the distinct features of these particular pieces, rather than their “typical” clarity as gemstones will have. Trapiche emeralds are very hard to find and are very difficult to cut properly. These gems require a lot of skill from an expert lapidary artist (gem cutter) to make them look good. Because of this, trapiche emeralds are most often sold as “one-off” items, and are perfect for making statement necklaces or pendants (for your neck), and/or for creating rings.

They are very popular among buyers who are looking for new, unique pieces of fine jewelry, and are a great way to start conversations with family and friends.

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Cat’s eye and other special emerald effects

Emeralds have a rare occurrence where they exhibit the cat's-eye or chatoyancy effect. This is typically due to the presence of needle-like inclusions arranged in parallel. The light reflects off these inclusions, creating one bright line of light when the emerald is cut as a cabochon. The movable nature of this line of light provides the potential to create some unusual and magical pieces of jewellery.

In addition, there are also rare emeralds that may contain start-like inclusions or possess unusual colour zoning patterns, which may provide the possibility for more creative bespoke design when using non-uniform colours.

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Coloured/dyed emeralds - The Right Way To Buy Emeralds

Several emeralds are treated by adding a dye or colored code resin to them. Usually, lower market emeralds get dyed to create a more intense color. This gives the cheaper dyed emerald products a visual appeal that many customers and retailers see as an asset for the fashion end of the market.

DWS Jewelry offers dyed emerald jewelry lines that include earrings, bracelets, rings, and pendants manufactured in India for their wholesale and export client base around the world. The use of dyed emeralds in modern fashion collections is beneficial for retailers looking for volume, but dyed emeralds are not used for astrological reasons.

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Sustainable, affordable, lab-created emeralds

Emeralds that have been grown in a laboratory (synthetic ) replicate the natural growth of a crystal through a replication process that happens in a manmade, controlled environment. In all ways, except stone clarity and color consistency, they are composed of the same minerals as natural emeralds and visually, they appear to be identical.

Lab created emeralds, since they do not come from nature as a mine, cost less. Although they have no rarity and do not hold the same long-term collectible value as natural emeralds, they are looked at as an environmentally friendly alternative by consumers and manufacturers alike that are looking for an emerald look without the natural emerald price.

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Untreated and premium natural emeralds

Emeralds that are not treated to enhance their clarity literally represent the very best of the natural emeralds, and consequently, they are incredibly desirable by collectors and other experts in the field. Since most emeralds contain penetration fractures that extend all the way to the surface of the stone, finding gems that would look fantastic without either oil or resin is a very rare occurrence – and rarity = high pricing.

For brands that are positioned in an ultra luxury or investment space, an untreated Colombian or a top grade Zambian with appropriate provenance documentation would likely end up being one of the showpieces of very high-end collections.

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Astrology and Birthstones: Emerald (Panna) in May

In terms of both traditional astrology as well as Western astrology, emerald (also known as panna) is considered the May birthstone and is one of the nine gemstones primarily used in Navratan astrology in India. According to Vedic astrology, emerald is the gemstone associated with the planet Mercury (Budh) and, when appropriately worn according to astrological guidance, aids intellectual/communication/business/analytical skills and abilities.

DWS Jewellery produces many types of May birthstone emerald jewellery from rings and earrings to pendants and bracelets to service both western birthstone customers and Indian astrological customers. For strict astrological use, many consumers prefer natural, minimally treated emeralds from known sources such as Zambia and Columbia.

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How DWS Jewellery works with emerald varieties

The Team at DWS Jewellery creates jewellery using three main types of emeralds. They manufacture rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and cuffs from sterling silver, vermeil, and solid 9kt and 14kt gold. The company is located within the EPIP Gems and Jewellery Zone, located in Sitapura industrial Area, Jaipur, and has been manufacturing and supplying, on behalf of major international brands, gold, silver, demi-fine and gemstone jewellery now for more than 20 years.

As a wholesale manufacturer and exporter of cedarwood, DWS Jewellery can supply a large number of different varieties of emeralds – including Colombian, Zambian, Brazilian, dyed and lab grown – thus offering a variety of pricing segments, designer styles and market positions. Support is provided by DWS in-house design staff, from computer-aided design (CAD) and sampling to bulk production and international freight.

Choosing the right kind of emerald for you

There is much to consider when you buy emeralds, such as:

Your budget:

• High-end: Colombian or Zambian natural emeralds that are of the highest grade (usually untreated).
• Mid-range: Zambian and quality Brazilian emeralds with pleasing colour and moderate inclusions.
• Value/fashion: Brazilian emeralds or emeralds of mixed origin that have been dyed or created in a laboratory for use in compellingly bold designs.

How you wish to wear your emerald:

• Traditional: Colombian and Zambian emeralds that have been cut in classic or loved for their traditional shapes.
• Modern, edgy: dark green Zambian emeralds, trapiche cabochons, dyed emeralds in sculptural forms.

Why you wish to buy an emerald:

• Astrological/Vedic: certified natural emeralds that have been specifically selected for use as an astrological stone (usually Colombian or Zambian) where as much information as possible is provided regarding the natural or synthetic modifications made to them.
• Fashion & everyday: will also include a wider variety of emeralds including Brazilian, dyed, & laboratory created.