An In-Depth Look at Emerald Gemstones
Among the four most popular gemstones (diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires), emeralds are the rarest — and often the most valuable. They naturally have visible inclusions, known as “jardin” (“garden” in French), which make them brittle and more susceptible to damage during the cutting, polishing, and setting process. An emerald without any such imperfections is likely synthetic.
Colombian emeralds are especially difficult to cut because of the way their color is distributed, often requiring extra care to bring out their intense hue. A well-done cut enhances the color’s richness. Highly skilled stone cutters, known as lapidaries, know how to cut emeralds strategically so that fractures do not appear at the stone’s surface or corners. They can even influence the stone’s color by changing the emerald’s number of facets and proportions.
Because of this, some cuts are better for enhancing the color of an emerald. For instance, a deep cut with a small table and fewer facets lets in less light, making the stone appear darker. A shallow cut with a large table and more facets, on the other hand, lets in more light so that the stone appears lighter.
Though popular among diamonds and other gemstones, the emerald cut is named after the stone it’s most frequently used for. The shape — a step cut with long, rectangular facets—suits emeralds in particular because of the structure of their crystals. The faceted corners protect the stone’s corners, preserving the emerald’s integrity.
At Kwiat, we often fashion emeralds as emerald, oval, pear, and cushion shapes, all of which make ideal center stones in engagement rings, pendants, and earrings.
