Monday, October 11, 2010

Buying and Caring Tips for Emerald Jewelry



Buying Tips

Emeralds are beautiful gemstones that are greatly prized for their lush green hue. Shopping and judging the quality of emeralds becomes much easier once one has general awareness and knowledge about the basic attributes of this gem.

Color

How good is the color of an emerald, can easily be determined on the basis of three main criteria.

i. Intensity (or saturation) - It refers to the brightness or vividness of the color. A gemstone that displays more brightness is considered more valuable.

ii. Tone - How much gray, black, white or brown is present in the crystal, defines its tone. The closer the color of emerald would be to green without any other tints, the better is the quality of the gem.

iii. Distribution - Refers to the even or uneven distribution of color.

Clarity

Clarity is also another principal factor that determines the quality of a gem. Emeralds are so often found with inclusions in their crystal structure that even the finest of these gems are found with some inclusions. These inclusions are like the finger prints of nature which nature imprints on the crystals of these gems.

Cut

Cut refers to the proportioning and the finish of a stone. How a stone is cut greatly affects depth of the color and the liveliness projected by the gem. A well cut gem would any day command greater price over a not so well cut gem of the same quality.

Carat

Carat or weight is definitely last, but not the least factor that determines the value of a gemstone. A heavier emerald would be prized more than the one that weighs less.

These four factors are also popularly known as the 4C's, the four factors that determine the value of a gem.

Caring Tips for your Emerald Jewelry

- Always store your emerald jewelry in a separate box, so that your emeralds do not get scratched.
- Avoid wearing your jewelry when doing any intensive physical work. A hard blow might crack the stone.
- The best way to clean your emerald jewelry at home is with luke warm water, mild detergent and soft tooth brush. But do not clean your emerald jewelry any more than few times a year.
- Never get your emerald jewelry cleaned by ultrasonic cleaners. Emeralds are often given fracture filling treatments, cleaning it with an ultra sonic might cause the filling to come out.
- Have your jewelry professionally cleaned at least once a year. The settings many a times tend to become loose, professional jewelers can take care of this as well.
- Never use steam cleaner to clean your emerald jewelry.

Emeralds are one the most beautiful gemstones. Given you take proper care of your emerald jewelry, it will stay as beautiful forever.

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