THE PRACTICAL MATTER OF EMERALDS

You may have heard that "emeralds are soft". However, emerald is harder than quartz or tourmaline and resists most scratching and wear. The reality is that small microscopic fissures are common to emerald due to their crystal nature and current mining methods. This makes some of them less able to take being bumped or dropped. Even a diamond or sapphire can crack if it is bumped just right but emerald rings often are set lower or with stronger prongs to protect them. Ron Ringsrud, owner of Emerald House, says that his customers who are clumsy get emerald pendants or earrings before they get a ring. It is the ring that gets the abuse.

Here are the care recommendations for emerald:

Do not leave your emerald ring on while washing dishes or washing with soap. This is because the diamonds as well as the emerald attract grease and soap. As these substances accumulate on the bottom of the gemstones, they cause them to lose their lively brilliance.

For resizing or repairs take it only to knowledgeable, professional jewelers. Sometimes trying to save a little on a cut-rate job may cause extensive damage. Take it to Emerald House and we will resize it for free.

Do not clean the ring in ultrasonic cleaners, steam cleaners or acetone. These may cause damage to the stone or the setting. Avoid strong soaps, 'jewelry cleaner' liquids or other cleaners.

HOW TO CLEAN:

Clean your emerald jewelery by using room temperature running water and a soft toothbrush: brush repeatedly on the underside of the emerald (and diamonds) to remove accumulations of dirt and grease. Use a mild soap like hand soap or Woolite. You will see that the diamonds begin to sparkle like new and the emerald will brighten.

PARTIES, RESTAURANTS AND LIGHT

The inside light of incandescent or filament lamps enriches the color of most colored stones. The abundance of red and yellow in the typical incandescent lights 'warms up' the gemstone's color. The red of a ruby is enhanced under such a light while the best Colombian emeralds will soften and deepen the exquisite green color. Fluorescent lamps have an overly white mixture of color that makes people's faces seem greenish while washing out the color of an emerald. This is why a fine restaurant or lounge will have incandescent lighting.

This has one distinct advantage in that most social occasions where gemstones are worn are indoors and lit by relatively few incandescent light sources. Under these conditions of soft incandescent light the allure, loveliness and power of a fine colored stone is at its maximum. The color green in particular has a tendency to stand out strongly under low lighting conditions - for example, as the light of the day diminishes outdoors in the evening the reds, oranges,yellows and blues all become grey long before the greens of the trees, plants and shrubs cease to communicate their green color. For this same reason it is experienced that a jewelry piece with a fine jade or emerald can attract ones eye from far across the room even without much illumination. Connoisseurs of gemstones take these points into consideration when judging or appraising a gemstone. They will often check the appearance of the stone under two or three different light sources before they really feel they have 'seen' the piece!

back to main page . . . . . . . . . . back to emerald information