Emerald, Aquamarine & Morganite
Welcome To The Beryl Family
Beryl is the family that Emerald, Morganite and Aquamarine belong to. You could almost think of them as sisters whom, although related, each have slightly different traits and qualities which I have explained in more detail below.
Emerald
The most famous of the beryl family in jewellery is emerald which was 'discovered' by the Spanish in the 16th century in Colombia and brought back to Spain and introduced to Europe.
Emeralds are a a green stone which is caused by Chromium. All emeralds vary slightly in hues or degrees of colour and the most sought after emeralds are found in Colombia and in Zambia. There is no quality difference per se between the two as both locations produce the finest emeralds the world has to offer; its simply down to personal preference.
Selecting a 'good' emerald is dependant on a few factors. Generally speaking, emeralds are defined by the darker hue of green and of how saturated they are in their colour. Good quality emeralds should be transparent, able to see right into the stone, no 'clouds' or opaqueness/haziness when looking into the stone; it needs to be very clear. An even distribution of colour is important also along with having no colour zoning (zoning means having spots or concentrations of colour in certain areas in the stone).
So colour is the most important factor when selecting an emerald.
One thing which is noticeable are the apparent inclusions which are ever present in emeralds. Its very acceptable to see visible inclusions within emeralds; this is due to how its formed and its crystal structure which allows inclusions and fractures to be very apparent. So don't be put off when viewing emeralds and noticing inclusions, its perfectly acceptable.
Emeralds do go through a treatment called oiling to help strengthen the stone and even out its colour. As emeralds often have inclusions and fractures close to the surface they affect the display of light thus refracting the play of light as it moves through the stone which displays uneven bouts of colour in some cases. These inclusions can also risk the stone being weakened so oiling acts as a benefit treatment to fill up these fractures and inclusions and to also help to distribute colour evenly. This treatment is very well accepted in the trade and finding an emerald that has no visible inclusions and no need for oiling is incredibly rare and very expensive indeed. Which is why most emeralds on the market will have had this treatment.
Its important to know not to submerge your emerald piece of jewellery into water or hot water for any amount of time as the water will allow the oil to seep out and possibly damage the stone.
There is this misconception that emeralds are 'weak' or 'soft' and as such are passed off as not very practical. Emeralds are most definitely not soft or weak, if this was the case they would not be set into jewellery; but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be looked after properly either. As is the case with any piece of jewellery emeralds need to be looked after and worn responsibly, due to its oiling as explained above its best to stay away from submerging the stone in hot water along with being careless. A diamond is the hardest known material to man but can still be damaged over time through wear and tear, the same applies to emeralds.
Aquamarine
Aquamarine is the blue sister to emerald formally named after the sea due to its inviting clear blue colour.
Unlike emeralds, aquamarine stones can be found completely flawless in vast quantities; so you will often see on the market aquamarine stones that will have no visible inclusions.
The most sought after aquamarines are on the darker side of the blue scale and have a deep dispersion of colour. As aquamarines are found naturally to be slightly lighter than the market demands, and sometimes with greenish hues, the stones are heat treated to allow the stone to become more consistent and darker in its colour. This is a well accepted practice throughout the industry for aquamarines.
It is worth noting that it is very hard to determine the differences between topaz and in some cases zircon which display similar qualities to aquamarine in regards to colour. Only a gemologist could determine the difference with testing. So be careful when buying an aquamarine that you aren't being swindled for a lesser quality stone.
Morganite
The least known out of the three, Morganite was known as pink beryl before being formally named after the famous banker Mr J.P. Morgan who was also a keen collector of gemstones.
Morganite is a pink variation of the beryl family and is often set in rose gold as it compliments the stone so well. First discovered in 1910 it is a 'recent' addition to the world of gemstones. It is very affordable and shares very similar qualities to aquamarine in that it is always more often than not incredibly transparent and lacks visible inclusions to the naked eye.
It is a stone that not many people are aware of existing when considering buying gemstones. The most sought after variation of pink colours are 'salmon' to a 'peachy' pink hue, the larger stones will exhibit more intense colour than the smaller carat weight stones so you will often find morganites available in higher carat weights compared to emeralds and aquamarines.
Morganite is often found unheated which means it has formed and been made at a good colour grade. Some will be heat treated of course, as most stones are, so don't be surprised if you view one and this is the case.
Thank You
I hope you found this helpful and interesting. If you have any further questions in regards to these stones or treatments or just general advice please don't hesitate to ask.
We also offer a bespoke service if you are looking to implement your own unique touch, to begin your bespoke journey just enquire here
Our Other Useful Blog Posts & Links:
Diamonds & The 4 C's - Which Stone Is Right For You?
A Guide To Looking After Your Jewellery & Avoid Costly Repairs
