November 20th, 2009
We have 3 new 1 carat emeralds available for purchase just in time for the holidays. These are part of our temporary inventory and are only available for a few weeks so please do not wait if you are interested. All three Colombian emeralds have great cut and polish but each have unique characteristics. You can purchase these now on our emeralds for sale page.
This 0.97 carat below is a great example of a Chivor mine emerald with exceptional crystal and clarity. Even though this emerald has good color and light to medium tone the crystal nature of this stone make it pop out from the rest. Offered at $1700/carat.
This 1.20 carat emerald below has the best color and tone of the three. A truly beautiful emerald at $1800/carat.
This 1.02 carat rectangular emerald cut below is a fairly standard medium tone stop light green Colombian emerald. It didn’t photograph very well so I have it priced at a very competitive $1200/carat.
Tags: 1 carat emeralds, best color for emeralds, Chivor emerald, crystal emerald
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September 13th, 2009
This 1.20 carat emerald cut emerald is new to our inventory today. This Colombian emerald is a nice example of what some call a stop light green emerald or grass green emerald. Usually what people are describing is an emerald with very good to good color and medium tone. Although not considered “top color” medium tone emeralds are often my favorite. They tend to be very bright and look great in all types of lighting situations. They look particularly good at night in low light settings such as restaurants.
Overall this emerald has good to very good color, medium tone, moderate inclusions, good cutting, a moderate level of enhancement, and measures 7.0 x 5.9 x 3.9mm. The main drawback of this Colombian emerald is that some of the internal inclusions are slightly yellow. You should be able to see this in the photos. You can’t see this with your naked eye but you can with a loop. This emerald is priced accordingly at $1000 per carat or $1200 total. This 1.20 carat emerald is available now.
Tags: grass green emerald, medium tone emeralds, stop light green emerald, top color emeralds
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August 10th, 2009
This stunning pair of emerald drops is available now and will make an incredible pair of emerald earrings. Most high quality Colombian emerald rough is faceted so it’s rare to find such beautiful teardrop shaped emerald drops in these large sizes. These are well matched in size and color although you can see a slight difference in shape and color when they are shown side by side. The Emerald drop on the left is 8.23 carats and measures 14.4 x 9.4 mm. The emerald drop on the right is 8.02 carats and measures 14.4 x 9.4 mm. Total carat weight on this matched pair of emeralds is 16.25 and the cost is $1600 per carat or $25,999 total cost. Please email or call me with any questions you may have on these unique emeralds.
Tags: Emerald Drop Cabochons, Emerald Drop Earrings, Emerald Teardrops, Teardrop Emeralds
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August 9th, 2009
This 3 carat emerald (actually 3.01 carats) is new to our inventory and is available at $1300 per carat for a total of $3913. This large emerald has very good to good color, medium tone, and is moderately included. Other than the size I’m impressed with the quality of the cut and polish and the low level of treatment. The first picture shows the emerald at an angle with a reflection off the table. This is a great way to see any surface reaching fissures. There are none on the table. There are a few on the pavilion as expected but in general I would say this has faint to moderate level of treatment (oil, resin, or polymer). This Colombian emerald does not have an AGL report but I will be happy to send if off for a lab report for an additional fee with purchase. Measurements are 10.2 x 7.1 x 5.2 mm. Please email or call if you would like more info or purchase this 3 carat emerald here.
Tags: 3 carat emeralds, 3-carat emerald, Colombian emerald, large emeralds
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June 30th, 2009
This post is for men only so if you are a woman please stop reading. I was listening to a radio ad from a prominent national jeweler and the sales pitch was something like this. Come buy the diamond and we will set it in a temporary mounting. Then you can bring your fiancée in to choose the ring that she likes. No, no, no this is bad advice men. Although I agree you should choose the diamond or emerald first you need to choose the setting before you give it to your fiancée. If you need to get some advice from a sister or friend that is fine but do not give your honey a temporary ring. This is not romantic.
I guarantee she is going to like the ring because you spent the time and effort to get it. By searching out the perfect emerald and then finding a custom jeweler you will be creating a unique ring that she will love. You will also get to tell her about the whole process that you went through to create this ring for her and that will become her story as well.
What if she doesn’t like it? Well then, you have just learned that she is the wrong woman to marry.
I gave my wife an emerald engagement ring and I’m a little embarrassed to say that it is not what I would consider a very nice emerald. This was before I became an emerald dealer and really didn’t have any experience with emeralds back then. Still, she loves that ring because I picked it out for her and she fondly remembers the day I gave it to her. I’d like to replace that ring now with something nicer but she will have nothing to do with that!
Now to answer the question I posed in the title of this post. It depends. Emeralds make incredibly beautiful engagement rings that are unique and dramatic. You must already know that your fiancée likes emeralds or you probably wouldn’t be reading this. Many of our emerald loving customers say that diamonds just seem too ordinary for their style. But another aspect you should consider is how often your fiancée will wear her engagement ring. Unlike diamonds, emeralds are not really meant to be worn every day or all day when set in a ring. If she plans to wear the ring everyday most jewelers will recommend a bezel setting. If she will wear it only when going out at night then all other settings would be fine. If nothing short of surgery will get that ring off her finger then a diamond might be a better choice.
Tags: Emerald engagement rings, emeralds, fiancée
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June 26th, 2009
1 Carat Emerald
Another new emerald at just under a carat with very good color and tone just came back from from the lab. This 1 carat emerald (0.91 carats) emerald is moderately included with a slight hint of blue. Very nice cut and polish at $1800 per carat or $1638 total. Standard Clarity enhancement (oil, resin, or polymer) is present. The feathery inclusions in this emerald give it a very warm appearance that is very pleasing to see.
This emerald has now been sold.
Tags: 1 carat emerald, Colombian emerald
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June 22nd, 2009
I’ve been experimenting with some new lighting techniques and have changed many of the main photos on the emeralds for sale page. The original photos can still be seen if you go to each emerald’s detail page. All of the original photos were shot using an LED ring light which helps bring out the sparkle in the emeralds. My new lighting set up uses two daylight balanced florescent lamps with a cube type light tent. This produces soft lighting which really lets you see the inclusions in the emerald but doesn’t show the emerald’s brilliance very well. I’m not entirely happy with these new shots yet and may need to adjust my lighting some more. Feel free to comment on whether you prefer my original photos over these new ones.
Tags: emerald brilliance, Emerald lighting, photographing emeralds
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June 12th, 2009
Here’s another Colombian emerald that will be added to our inventory in a few weeks. Round cut emeralds are not very common because emerald cuts tend to yield the best return from emerald rough. This stone has fantastic color, a moderate level of inclusions, a great cut, and excellent polish. This emerald is at AGL right now getting a lab report but should be back in a week or so. If you want to reserve this one send me an email. Price will be $1900 per carat or $3268 total. Truly a unique and beautiful Colombian emerald.
Tags: Colombian emerald, Round cut emeralds
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June 11th, 2009
This is one of a few new Colombian emeralds that will be added to our inventory in the next couple weeks. This beautiful emerald is over 2 carats and is very well cut. This emerald has amazing color and very nice clarity. There is one large inclusion that you should be able to see on the left side but it does not reach the surface and is not distracting. This is at AGL right now getting a lab report but should be back in about a week. If you would like to reserve this one send me an email. Pricing will be $1900 per carat or $3952 total.
Tags: 2 carat emerald, Colombian emerald
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June 11th, 2009
Former AGL Vice President Chris Smith is the new owner of American Gem Laboratories. Last month they revealed some changes in the types of reports that will now be offered as well as a change in pricing. The Fast Track II report that we have been ordering is not available anymore. Here is the lineup of available reports.
Fast Track I Gembrief – This report will give you the standard ID and enhancement information. This is basically the same report as before but with a higher price tag ($55.00).
Fast Track Premium Gembrief – This report will give you the standard ID, enhancement, plus locality type determination for $115.00.
Prestige Gemstone Report – This is their signature report starting at $120 for ID and enhancement. Color grading with origin starts at $240 and goes up from there.
This means we will probably get the Fast Track I Gembriefs going forward. It doesn’t appear that you can get any color grading done below $240 per stone. We will of course send any of our emeralds in for the Prestige report if a customer requests it but it will be an additional charge. The Fast Track I Gembrief will be free with most of our emeralds for sale.
Tags: AGL, Fast Track I, GemBrief
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June 10th, 2009
We decided to start this blog to replace our News section of the website. This will allow us to organize our information a little better. Also it will allow our customers another avenue to interact with us through the comments section. We always appreciate emails and phone calls and now there is a third way to get a hold of us. I expect to keep this blog fairly informal and look forward to sharing current industry news, information on new products, and articles about Colombian emeralds.
Tags: AZemerald, emeralds, emeralds blog
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