Untreated emeralds are made into gemstones
by polishing only the high-quality
portions of the rough material. The
emerald as shown in the photograph
on the next page
is a 0.7-carat untreated Zambian emerald
with a beautiful green color. A close
look shows that there are dark facets,
light facets, and reflecting facets,
which combine to create a balanced
mosaic pattern.
In many cases, some
imperfections will be visible in an
untreated emerald. Emerald crystals
often have many imperfections, and
it is impossible for a cutter to avoid
all of them when polishing a stone.
As long as beauty and durability are
not significantly affected, it is
important to judge the quality of
the gemstone by looking at its overall
appearance without being too concerned
about these imperfections. Since untreated
emeralds are not impregnated with
oils or polymers to hide imperfections,
there is no risk that they will lose
their beauty later due to the reappearance
of fractures as these fillers deteriorate.
Gemstones are products of nature,
and it would be a mistake to expect
perfection from them. It is up to
us to be able to judge when an imperfection
is not a defect, and therefore something
we should accept. |
The emerald
ring shown below is a three-stone
ring set with oval-shaped brilliant-cut
diamonds on either side. The three-stone
ring is a traditional adornment style
that brings out the combined beauty
of the gemstones used. The emerald
is held in place by wide prongs of
yellow gold that also serve to protect
it. Setting an emerald in yellow gold
imparts yellow to the green color,
further bringing out its beauty. The
use of yellow gold is especially indispensable
for the strongly bluish color of Zambian
emeralds.
One major source of untreated
emeralds is the Sandawana mine in
Zimbabwe. These emeralds average only
0.08 carat, but aside from low-quality
material, they are not oil-treated.
Untreated emeralds also come from
the Swat district in Pakistan, the
Panjir Valley in Afghanistan, and
Brazil. Also, there are some Colombian
emeralds with very few imperfections
that can be confirmed as being untreated.
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