Emerald

Three views of the “Sacred Emerald Buddha.”…

Know your emerald jewelry well before cleaning it. Photo by Artemas Liu. Licensed under CC By 2.0.

“Emerald” is both a gemstone and a term for a shade of green. How can gemologists tell if an emerald-colored gemstone is actually an emerald…

The Emerald Unguentarium. Photo by thisisbossi. Licensed under CC By-SA 2.5.

Emerald crystal on calcite, 4.6 x 3.2 x 2.6 cm, Cosquez Mine, Boyaca Dept., Colombia. © Rob Lavinsky, www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

Emerald, 7.65 cts. Photo by Dennis Harper. Licensed under CC By-ND 2.0.

Emeralds almost always have inclusions. Some oil treatments try to make an emerald’s jardin (or “garden”) of inclusions more visually…

Oiling is a standard industry practice for enhancing emeralds. Most, but not all, emeralds receive oil treatments. These gems may lose their oil…

Synthetic emerald jewelry. Photo by Deidre Woollard. Licensed under CC By 2.0. (Cropped to show detail).