Emerald (Panna)

Emeralds have been considered to be one of the most demanded gemstones to date. They have been admired for their beautiful yellowish-green to bluish-green hue. They belong to the Beryl group of gemstones. A stone of the beryl group should have a medium tone to be called an Emerald. Emeralds have the finest greens among all green gemstones. The green color of emerald is due to the presence of iron, chromium, and vanadium. Emeralds have a hardness of 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale and a fair to good toughness. Therefore, one needs to take care while handling emeralds as they tend to break when pressure or heat is applied to them.

Emeralds are mined from different places on the earth. The major sources include- Columbia, Zambia, Brazil, and Central Asia. ‘Columbian’ emeralds have a slightly bluish-green hue with a medium-medium dark tone and a strong to vivid saturation. They are considered to be the finest of all emeralds. ‘Zambian’ emeralds are generally darker and more bluish-green than Columbian emeralds and have better clarity as well.

More than 90% of the world’s emeralds are fracture-filled. Depending on the type of filler and the amount of filling, the price of an emerald varies. Gemological laboratories grade emeralds depending on the type and the quantity of filler used for clarity enhancement of the emeralds.

Emeralds can also be synthesized in labs using various methods like hydrothermal, pulling methods, and so on. Only a skilled gemologist can separate between a synthetic and a natural emerald. The various emerald imitations include glass, synthetic spinel triplet, and beryl triplet.

Emeralds are generally suggested by astrologists to a person to boost his/her financial opportunities. It is the birthstone of the Gemini (Mithun Rashi). Astrologists generally suggest people wear a rich green emerald with a slightly bluish secondary hue. The stone is a symbol of growth and vitality.