How to Know Emerald Value?

Emerald is perhaps the most popular and valuable colored gemstone- of course behind diamond (which is most often preferred to be colorless!) However, not all Emerald Stones are as valuable as you could think of them to be! So, how to know true value of emerald? The value of this gemstone is dependent upon a combination of attributes known as 4Cs- Cut , Carat , Color and Clarity. A perfect "emerald green", large in size, considerably clear and perfectly cut or faceted gemstone is the most valuable one! But how to recognize and know the value of emerald by examining all these properties? Read on to know this.

• Examine the color – it is the most important attribute of this precious stone. It should be a bright intense green which is not too dark and at the same time not too pale. Not only color, check the tone also. Tone is the depth of color- how dark or light a color appears. It can range from colorless to black. Emerald tone is referred to as "light," "medium-light," "medium," "medium-dark," and "deep green". Always select the medium dark green tone because a dark green tone would no let the stone get brilliance.
• Look at the size of the stone- more carats mean more weight and larger size and large size in turn means more value. As larger emeralds are found rarely, they are considered best quality stones- the one with 1-carat weight will cost more than twice a 1/2-carat stone. Sometimes, cut and mounting can make an emerald appear larger (or smaller) than its actual weight. So, always ensure about the right weight before you buy it. If you are lucky enough, you might get a clean one over 3 carats with good quality – it is best priced in the market.
• See the cut- it also affects the value of emerald. A poorly cut gemstone will not sparkle nor will it reflect light from the bottom facets. You will be able to see straight through it. In some of the poorly cut stones, the facets overlap and meet at lines instead of points. In an average cut, there is some sparkle but the facets are uneven. In a perfect cut, light reflects from its every facet. You cannot see through it, you can see only the sparkle!
• Examine clarity also though it is not as important in determining value as the color is because fissures, or inclusions are bound to be there in natural emeralds. However, a very poor clarity can lead to durability problems. So, you should be careful of inclusions that reach the surface of the stone. A gemstone with terrible clarity will have too many cracks, whispy white particles, etc. and you will not be able to see into it at all. Light too is not reflected in such poorly valued gemstones. Average clarity means a transparency good enough to catch some light on and off and also a little bit of sparkle. In a perfectly clear emerald, there will be no haziness or typically visible inclusions.

Many treatments are given to emeralds to make them more beautiful. Although these treatments are acceptable to a certain level- as these treatment do not diminish a gemstone's value- but they must be "permanent." However, some treatments like dyeing is not acceptable and they do diminish their value . You can even find created or synthetic emeralds made up of the same mineral with the difference that they are made in a laboratory rather than by nature. Created emeralds are about about 1/10 the price of natural ones with the same characteristics.