How to Buy an Emerald
Before publishing this article on our website, we discussed a great deal about the kind of information we wanted to provide to our custom-madeers or anyone who was interested in buying an emerald, so that readers can reduce the risk of being deceived or disappointed for not receiving the gem they expected in exchange for their money. We reviewed the minimal technical aspects that must be known before purchasing an emerald, the different retail channels available, and even the tips that are usually given to people when buying gems, especially emeralds, which led us to a simple but important conclusion: trying to make anyone sufficiently knowledgeable through a few tips to make them feel knowledgeable enough to buy an emerald is an error that increases the risk for the buyer, so, although we respect and value the efforts made by some companies to provide information on the aspects to be considered for the purchase of emeralds, we insist on the most fundamental point and that is, to purchase emeralds or emerald jewelry only to reputable companies that have the ability to guarantee and stand behind the quality of each of its gems. Please be aware of the following:
1. Buy only from companies you trust and that have verifiable references, or from those who have agreements or established relationships with recognized and prestigious institutions in the world of gems that can verify their professionalism.
2. When dealing with a serious or trustworthy company that issue their own gemological certificates for the sale of its gems, these may be useful, but keep in mind that if it is an important purchase you should discuss with your supplier about the possibility of obtaining a certificate from an independent and recognized laboratory which holds some kind of international prestige.
3. Colombian emeralds are among the most highly valued and are internationally recognized for their quality and beauty. It is common to see in the market, that some sellers without business ethics are misrepresenting emeralds from other sources as Colombian emeralds in order to benefit from their prestige and value; therefore it is advisable to buy directly from recognized Colombian producers from their direct distributors or from companies with a certificate from a reputable independent laboratory certifying the origin of the gem.
4. Colombian emeralds show some typical inclusions that characterize them and that can be observed in a binocular loupe of 40x. Some of the inclusions that appear in the Colombian emeralds are; Dentated triphasic (inclusion of liquid, gas and solid state cubic crystal), Parisite-(Ce), golden crystals of pyrite or albite hexagonal plates, these inclusions appear in Colombian emeralds depending on the deposit in which they occur. It is important to consult a laboratory or a qualified gemologist for a proper observation and identification of the inclusions.
5. There are, synthetic emeralds, which have very similar characteristics to natural emeralds that are difficult to recognize even for people with knowledge on the subject; this makes us recommend avoiding acquiring emeralds from independent sellers who are not supported by a reputable company. As we say in Colombia, “cheap can be expensive”.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you need guidance when buying Colombian emeralds. At minEmeralds, we want to help so that you can have greater confidence that you are buying a genuine emerald, which is certainly a wonder of nature and is one of the three traditional precious colored gemstones, along with sapphires and rubies.