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Color:
Green with modifying blue or yellow
Clarity:
Type
III
Optic Character: DR
Uniaxial Negative
Cause
of Color: Cr
and/ or V
Fluorescence: Usually
inert, but may fluorese orangy-red to red with very fine
emeralds
Fracture
:
Concoidal
Luster
:
Vitreous
to resinous
Cleavage : One
direction; very rarely seen
Durability:
Poor
to good
Characteristics
for Identification:
Calcite,
pyrite, mica inclusions, 3
phase inclusions (esp. in Colombian stones);
tremolite needles
Localities:
Colombia has the finest emeralds. Followed by Brazil, Africa,
India, Pakistan
Emeralds
has been successfully synthesized in the lab, so buyers
need to be sure their source is qualified to separate
natural from lab grown material.
This gemstone is of a medium hardness and is very
heat sensitive. Also the typical inclusions can affect
the durability, so emerald is easy to chip. Emeralds
are routinely treated with oils and resins to mask
inclusions. These treatments can be leached out when
the stone is cleaned, causing the gem's appearance
to change. Extreme care must be taken by a jeweler
when working on emerald jewelry and the wearer needs
to treat the carefully as well..
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Emerald
Be3Al2Si6O18
Emerald is the green variety of the mineral beryl,
owing it's vibrant color to a trace amount of chromium.
Locals include Colombia, Brazil, India, Pakistan and East
Africa. Most emeralds contain numerous inclusions
of softer minerals. These inclusions
have been termed jardins, or gardens by the French.
Emeralds have been cherished since man first discovered
them. Emerald was the sacred stone of Venus, Hermes drafted
the Words of Creation on an emerald tablet. The Holy
Grail is reputedly carved from a large emerald crystal that
fell from Satan's crown as he descended from Heaven to Hell!
Today it is regarded as a stone of the heart.
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