How to Make Emerald Rings
Emeralds have been a source of enchantment for thousands of years. Ancient cultures all over the world have worn and prized emeralds, and their popularity has never diminished. Fortunately, new sources of emeralds continue to emerge. Finding the perfect emerald for a ring requires some research and a relatively large investment.
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Instructions
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Learn About Emeralds and Create Your Ring
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Learn about emeralds. Current major sources for emeralds include Columbia, Brazil and Zambia. Columbia is the historic source of the finest emeralds, and emeralds of good quality from Columbia are the most expensive. Brazil generally produces emeralds of secondary quality. Zambian emeralds were discovered most recently; these are very high in quality and slightly lower in cost. A high-quality emerald from any location will cost at least $2000 a carat.
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Identify a quality emerald. The first consideration in buying an emerald is color. A good emerald should be a saturated deep green with a hint of blue; the pastel, light-green emeralds found in most chain jewelry stores are of very low quality. The second consideration in buying emeralds is clarity. Emeralds are naturally very included (have many flaws); however, a superior emerald has very few. Almost all emeralds are treated in some way to improve their color and durability. A gem dealer should disclose to you all treatments. Some treatments are accepted in the trade as stable and durable, while others are not.
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Consider an emerald alternative. If you love the look of emerald but find the price prohibitive, consider some beautiful, natural, less expensive alternatives, including green tourmaline, green sapphire, chrome diopside and tsavorite. Some collectors prefer tsavorite, a green garnet from Kenya, to emeralds because tsavorite tends to be much cleaner and it sparkles more.
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Consider a lab-created stone. Unlike cheap mass-made simulants like cubic zirconia, lab-created emeralds are grown under highly controlled conditions simulating nature's processes. A lab-created stone is the chemical twin of a natural stone; however, lab-created stones are consistently flawless and display perfect color. You can purchase them at a fraction of the cost of natural stones.
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Find a setting. A quality emerald should be set in platinum or gold. Silver is too soft to protect and secure a fine stone. Emeralds are elegant set in white gold or platinum. Yellow gold provides a dramatic contrast with darker emeralds. Most jewelers keep a large supply of settings on hand to create engagement rings. You can choose a solitaire setting or a setting designed to feature accent stones. Diamonds are beautiful with emeralds, but if you would like something more interesting, consider high-contrast accent stones like spessartites (orange garnets), pink or purple sapphires, or turquoise. If you are rough on jewelry, let your jeweler know. He will help you find a setting that will offer your stone the most protection.
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Set your stone. If you have purchased a fine gem or an expensive setting, paying a professional jeweler to set your emerald is appropriate. Emeralds are brittle stones that an amateur could easily crush. Setting a stone costs $10 to 20 dollars and is well worth the investment for a stone that cost thousands.
If you would like to learn to set stones yourself, purchase stone-setting pliers and take lessons from a jeweler or view a video on the topic (see "Resources"). The basic process of stone setting involves securing your setting in a clamp or jeweler's vise and carefully applying pressure to the prongs until they bend over the stone. If you want to experiment with this process, learn with inexpensive materials like silver settings and cubic zirconia, amethyst or citrine.
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Tips & Warnings
Never clean an emerald in a steam or ultrasonic cleaner.
