How Do Emeralds Get Their Green Color?
Emeralds are beautiful stones that come in a variety of green colors. Some emeralds consist of yellow and blue tones. If you heat up an emerald, it will lose some of its color. The emerald stone is a variety of green beryl, which is a somewhat transparent and somewhat translucent material that is glassy. Beryl is a mineral. Pure beryl doesn't have any color but is often tinted by impurities and as a result can become green, blue, red, yellow or white. Berryllos is the Greek term that means the blue green color of a sea water stone. Does this Spark an idea?
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Chromium
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The green color in an emerald comes from a trace of Cr, or chromium. To be considered an emerald, chromium must be present, according to All-that-gifts.com. The variety of beryl that is grass green in color is an emerald and is a much-valued gemstone.
The Name
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Emeralds, which are the birthstone for those born in May, derive their name indirectly from smaragdos, a Greek term that was given to various stones that have the color green in common.
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Synthetic
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Synthetic emeralds can be produced. This is done by putting aquamarine crystals into a water solution. The manufactured emeralds look very similar to the natural ones.
Value
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A top-quality emerald is considered even more valuable than a diamond, according to Gemstone.org. The color green is associated with re-birth, springtime, constant love, beauty and is the holy color for some cultures as well as a symbol of unity in faith. The color green is not considered monotonous. Emeralds are lively stones and will look different under different lights.
Features
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Not all green gemstones are emeralds, although they may be referred to as such, notes Kaisilver.com. An actual emerald is very hard; however, all emeralds have cracks and inner fissures and may break if struck or dropped forcibly. The tiny breaks in the emerald are filed with man-made and natural oils to fill up the fissures and to enhance the appearance of the stone.
Tips
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Do not expose your emerald to sudden temperature changes because this can result in the loss of color. When considering buying an emerald, realize that this gem can become brittle after a few years and is likely to break and crack.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit bracelet with emerald image by Tatyana Parfyonova from Fotolia.com
