How to distinguish an artificial emerald from a natural one?

Author: viktoria Category: Articles and store news Date of creation: 2020-06-19 Views: 8692 Comments: 0 Emeralds – very valuable minerals, they keep pace with diamonds, sapphires and rubies in their value and beauty. But we’ll tell you how to avoid buying a fake stone in this article. Emerald – incredibly beautiful gemstone from the beryl group. This is the favorite mineral of all nobles, celebrities and just people who know a lot about stones. This wonderful mineral is found in different green shades and is considered a symbol of wisdom, power and strength. Emerald has been revered at all times. Emperors, shahs, and sultans had luxurious jewelry with this green mineral and gave it to their wives and favorites. But, since in today’s realities emerald is a rather expensive stone, fakes of this mineral are often found. How to distinguish a natural emerald from its imitation?

What does a real emerald look like?

Emerald is a type of beryl with a characteristic green tint. Because of its cool greenery, the stone is called “ice green,” although in fact, shades of emerald in nature range from milky green to rich, bright green with a slight blue. The emerald owes its unique color to the presence of impurities of chromium and vanadium. (shades of emeralds)

Approximate characteristics of emeralds that will help distinguish them from fakes

1) Color: green 2) Shade: from light green to dark green 3) Transparency: from opaque to transparent with light inclusions 4) Hardness: 8.0 on the Mooss scale, which means a fairly high strength of the stone 5) Inclusions: found in almost every stone stone in the form of veins, stripes. Such inclusions are called “emerald forest” 6) Defects: are the norm for emeralds (small microcracks, internal fractures only confirm the naturalness of the stone)

Counterfeit emeralds: types, how to recognize

There are many varieties of fakes and imitations of emeralds. The most common of them: Imitations from cheaper stones. Often, quartz, chrome diopside or tsavorite garnet are passed off as emerald. These are natural stones that have green tints, but it is not difficult to distinguish them by looking at the structure and shade of the stone. Glass. Often ordinary glass inserts are passed off as emeralds. This brazen type of deception is especially unpleasant, since there is not even the slightest hint of naturalness. The glass is painted in the desired green color, similar to emerald. Attention! If you see a large emerald on sale at a very “nice price”, don’t rush for the cheap price! This is most likely glass, which has no value. Moreover, the glass quickly warms up in the hand and has a strong shine and perfect transparency, and these are the main signs of fakes! Doublets or triplets. This is a special type of imitation, which consists of several layers. The essence is that the stone is glued together from several parts (a doublet – from two parts, a triplet – from three parts). To do this, they take low-quality emeralds and glue them with bottle glass or quartz. The stone becomes larger and has a higher carat value. It is often very difficult to visually distinguish a fake. Artificial emerald (grown or hydrothermal). Growing emerald crystals began in the 19th century, and with the development of technology, this process is only gaining scale. The grown crystals are highly transparent and have a very rich color, which is why they differ from natural ones. They are similar to glass, but have higher strength.

Signs that emeralds are natural or how to spot a fake

In order not to make a mistake when buying a natural emerald, you need to carefully study it. Look carefully at the stone to better understand its features. 1) “Emerald Forest”. The presence of small microcracks, inclusions, dark inclusions, and irregularities in the stone, which jewelers call “emerald forest,” is one of the guarantees of the naturalness of the stone. Emeralds are almost never found to be absolutely perfect. The presence of small flaws proves the natural origin of the stone. And vice versa, if you come across an absolutely transparent, uniformly colored “emerald”, it is most likely a fake. 2) Absolutely even color, no tints. A real emerald will not have a completely uniform color, like, for example, painted glass. At different viewing angles, a slightly different shade will be noticeable. 3) Absolute transparency. If you are offered an emerald that is clean even under a microscope, without any irregularities or inclusions, then this is a fake. A natural emerald will have slight cloudiness, inclusions, and blotches. 4) Huge stone at an affordable price. This should immediately tell you that they are offering a fake. Large emeralds are very rare in nature and, accordingly, the cost of such a stone will be cosmic. And so, by following simple rules and being careful, you can protect yourself from buying a fake. Moreover, you should buy emeralds from trusted large stores, such as TOPGEMS store, where you can familiarize yourself with the certificates for stones issued by the Gemcenter and consult with specialists to select the right stone. If a store that sells emeralds has at least several certificates for stones that are on sale, this is a guarantee that you will be able to buy natural emerald. Be careful, do not trust individuals selling “emeralds” on trading platforms, choose stores with a large number of precious stones and a good reputation. They certainly won’t risk their reputation for a one-time sale of a fake. Happy shopping! Jewelry stores are full of a variety of jewelry with inserts; the name of some may cause a questioning reaction from the buyer. One of these unusual phrases is a green stone of extraordinary beauty – hydrothermal emerald. The value of natural emerald has been known for several centuries, but few people are familiar with the features of artificially grown stone. How valuable a man-made stone is is what will be discussed in this article. What is meant by the name “hydrothermal emerald” The natural gem of the beryl group is endowed with an incredibly beautiful shade of green, which is distinguished by its transparency. The cost of a large natural stone of the highest purity exceeds the price of diamonds, so jewelry with emeralds is no less valuable than jewelry with diamonds. Often the name “hydrothermal emerald” evokes an association among buyers with artificial stone.This is not entirely true, since almost the same components are used to create it as during its formation in natural conditions. True, all processes are carried out under the supervision of specialists within the walls of the laboratory. What is the difference between hydrothermal emerald and the natural formation of emerald in natural layers of the earth’s crust occurs due to the impact of high-temperature aqueous solutions on the rock, which undergoes a series of transformations. In laboratory conditions, emerald formation occurs in several stages:

• crushed beryl is placed in a special apparatus for crystal growth, which has a cold and warm zone;
• crystallization occurs at 600 degrees Celsius under a pressure of at least 1,5 Kbar;
• vanadium and chromium are used as additional components, which are used to give the emerald its characteristic shade;
• all processes occurring in a special chamber are as close as possible to natural ones, except for temporary ones;
• natural emerald takes a long time to form;
• its formation takes tens of thousands of years, which certainly significantly increases its uniqueness.

What does hydrothermal emerald mean?

The word “hydrothermal” means that crushed beryl is dissociated in water heated to the required temperatures at the initial stage, and then placed on a special substrate in a cold environment. All processes are adjusted to automaticity and allow you to control the final appearance of the stone, which may differ in size and shade of green.

An artificially created emerald is created much faster. Growing stones takes from 30 to 45 days depending on size. The final appearance of a synthetic emerald is so similar to a natural one that only experienced appraisers will be able to visually tell the difference between both. Nevertheless, they still exist. Despite high technologies that are being improved every year, scientists have not yet been able to create an emerald identical to natural.

Of course, synthetic stone, in addition to a short formation cycle, has other advantages, including absence of impurities is one of the most important. The technology for turning beryl fragments into real emerald involves cleaning the stone from all kinds of inclusions that detract from its value. At the same time, there is no way to create such an effect under natural conditions.

Cost of hydrothermal emerald

Another indisputable advantage of a man-made emerald is its market price. It is inferior to the pricing policy for natural stones, which makes hydrothermal emeralds more accessible to a wide range of people. The appearance of synthetic stones with a characteristic green color was especially welcomed by sailors, for whom emerald is a talisman against storms and storms on the high seas. Despite its artificial origin, the protective properties are not at all underestimated, since the same beryl, which is the basic component for its natural analogue, is taken as the basis.

There is also another opinion from experts on the presence of magical and healing qualities of synthetic emerald. Esotericists believe that artificial stone does not affect humans, since it did not absorb the energy of the Earth when growing.

Natural stone is much more valuable because it is a creation of nature, which spent many centuries creating it. There are not many deposits of natural emerald on the globe, which are of high quality.

In any case, natural or artificial origin does not affect the beauty of the stone. When buying products with emerald, you should pay attention to its structure. If the price of the product is quite high and the seller claims the natural origin of the stone, then it is better to check the accuracy of the information with a specialist. Particular attention should be paid to inclusions that may be present in natural emeralds. Found brown impurities will indicate the presence of iron oxide, which cannot be found in natural stones. Also, as a result of cultivation in the laboratory, air bubbles or tubular connections can occur.

What determines the price of hydrothermal emerald? Artificially grown emerald is inexpensive. A quite attractive large-sized pebble can be purchased starting from 5-10 USD. The main price for a product with hydrothermal emerald will be formed by the noble metal with which it will be framed. The work of a jeweler is also important, the complexity of which can significantly outweigh the cost of the stone.