Natural Emerald Is the New Diamond – The Best Emerald Engagement Rings

Emeralds have an attractive green color that creates amazingly focal jewelry. Their beautiful tone has beautified many pieces of value throughout the ages. In fact, emeralds of the optimal shade and transparency can be also more precious than a diamond.

Emeralds are also considered to have a calming energy that creates freshness and energy in the spirit of the wearer. A stone that embodies patience and compassion, the stone imbues the wearer with those same qualities while improving mental clearness and focus. When kept in the workplace, the emerald is said to have an electric power that promotes creative imagination and harmony among team members. It is believed to bring focus and stimulate creativity.

The Meaning behind an Emerald Engagement Ring

Many myths and tales have developed around the go-to green gemstone. Aside from being the May birthstone and an alternative birthstone for Cancers, emeralds were Cleopatra’s favorite gemstones. Indeed, her noticeable displays of emeralds turned this gem into a mark of royalty.

Emeralds are also purported to disclose truths and provide the wearer a sharp wit and improved memory. The color green is also connected with prosperity, abundance, and springtime. Emerald wedding rings and engagement rings are now quite popular here.

What must you look for in an emerald? How do you choose the perfect one for your engagement ring? If you have heard of the Four Cs of diamond quality (color, clarity, cut, and carat), all you need to do is apply them to an emerald.

Color

In emerald, the most necessary “C” is color. If you are having an emerald, you want an amazing green. But, there are several different shades of green. Gemologists grade color based on hue, tone, and saturation. For any colored gemstone, a pure hue with the greatest saturation will demand the maximum prices. So, if you choose a bit different green than a bright grass green, you will save some money. In fact, slight nuances in hue can have a big effect on price. Slightly yellowish greens are more cost-effective than slightly bluish greens.

Similarly, tones lighter or darker than about 75% of darkness will also be more reasonable. While most people think darker is better, darker emeralds are generally less appealing and show less sparkle. In addition to the gem’s main color, there are a few things to look for when purchasing an emerald.

Clarity

With emeralds, clarity will be a compromise. Few emeralds have excellent clarity, and even fewer have good clarity and wonderful color. Since every emerald will have some clarity issues, you will have to look up for a gem that appears good in spite of its clarity.

In some gems, blemishes are well-placed near the sides. These are less visible than imperfections in the middle. Dark inclusions are more visible than lighter ones, so lighter inclusions are typically preferable to darker ones.

Cut

Next, consider the quality of the emerald’s cut. Most emeralds get low-quality native cuts that often feature windows or poor ratios. Gem cutters must select very carefully between having better cut quality and retaining more weight. To get the most out of the stone, they often cut it for weight.

Because of the shape of rough emeralds, the most economical cut is the classic emerald cut, which features broad steps of facets. This gives the stone a completely different look than brilliant cuts, which are recognized for their scintillation. Other cuts waste more of the rough stone, so their prices are higher.

Carat

While carat, or weight, doesn’t affect emerald quality, it makes a huge difference in price. Fine emeralds are hard to find in any size, and larger emeralds can demand very high prices. Thankfully, emeralds are less dense than diamonds, helping to make them significantly larger sized for the same carat weight.

Ring Settings for Emeralds

Because of their inadequate durability, it’s best to use protective ring settings for an emerald engagement ring. Many jewelers employ bezel settings to avoid chips and fractures. In this type of setting, a rim of metal covers the whole girdle of the stone, which is most vulnerable to damage. Some jewelers like to add ornamental raised prongs to a bezel setting. This can make it appear like a prong setting, but with the proper protection of a bezel.

So now instead of wondering what type of diamond ring to buy, whether you should buy diamonds at Costco for a better price or what size to buy? You can consider all the traits above and choose to buy an Emerald ring.

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Interesting related article: “How To Purchase An Engagement Ring While Saving Money.”