An education
in emeralds.
What the finest emeralds are made of, why a single origin matters and how to read a stone before you buy it, in eight short chapters.
What an emerald is
Beryl, chromium and why the green is rarer than it looks.
Read →02The colour of Colombia
The geology, the history and the effect called gota de aceite.
Read →03Reading a stone
The four Cs of emerald, with colour first and everything else following.
Read →04Treatments & what “natural” means
Oiling, resin and the minor to significant scale that places a stone.
Read →05Certification & provenance
What an independent laboratory report actually tells you and why origin leads.
Read →06Melee & matched parcels
Why single-origin, colour-matched melee is the harder product to supply.
Read →07Caring for your emerald
Cleaning, storing and re-oiling, the gentle way, so a stone lasts centuries.
Read →08The certification process
How a stone is examined, documented and verified, step by step. Coming soon.
Read →Where to go deeper.
Independent, authoritative sources, none of them sellers of these stones. Start with the GIA for gemmology and the geological references for the science and history of Muzo.