Emeralds are beautiful gems and loved by anyone for whom green is a favourite colour. However, if you love emeralds, it is important to understand how they should be used in jewellery, since they are not as hard as diamonds, rubies and sapphires.
The listing of just four gemstones as ‘precious’, with others being listed as ‘semi-precious’, means that this is a very exclusive list.
However, if you are keen on having emeralds in your jewellery, it is important to understand the limitations of this particular gem, as well as the wonderful ways in which you can still enjoy them.
How Much Softer Are Emeralds Than Diamonds, Sapphires And Rubies?
The first thing is to understand the different places that precious stones occupy on the Mohs scale of hardness:
- Diamonds are classed as a 10, as the hardest substance in existence
- Rubies and sapphires, which are different varieties of corundum, are classed as a 9
- Emeralds are classed at 7.5-8
A key point to understand about the Mohs scale is that it is not linear. The higher the number is, the greater the gap in hardness. This means the difference between a 1 and 2 is minor, whereas the gap between 9 and 10 is substantial.
Despite this, corundum is very hard and this means that rubies and sapphires, along with diamonds, are very suitable for jewellery such as engagement and wedding rings, which will be worn day after day and can do so without being scratched or chipped.
Why Do Emerald Fissures Happen?
For emeralds, the situation is different. A Mohs scale level of 7.5-8 makes it a little more at risk of scratches, but that is not the biggest vulnerability.
Emeralds are a form of beryl, with the mineral chromium being responsible for its green colour (as is also the case for green tourmaline). This has a crystalline structure that is vulnerable to fissures and fractures.
Some of these are known as inclusions and are sometimes seen as a charming blemish, like a beauty spot. But fissures make emeralds far more vulnerable to cracks and chips than a substance of such hardness would normally be.
This might raise some interesting questions: If emeralds are so vulnerable, why use them at all? Indeed, why should they be treated as precious? And, more practically, what do jewellers do to protect them from harm?
To answer the first couple of questions, a good reason for this is historical. Emeralds were held in very high regard by ancient cultures such as the Egyptians and the Mughals in India, both for their colour and assumed religious significance.
In many of these cultures, emeralds were associated with royalty. This means their use might sometimes be ceremonial. It also means that, in practical terms, their owners would not be risking damage by undertaking physical work.
Are There Good Reasons To Have Emeralds In Engagement Rings?
Despite their weaknesses, emeralds cannot be ruled out as gems for engagement rings. Indeed, some famous women have worn them. A case in point was that of Jackie Kennedy when, in 1953, John F. Kennedy proposed to her with a two-stone diamond and emerald ring.
Of course, at the time, the couple were not as famous as would be the case a few years later when her husband became US president, but the ring was something of a ground-breaker, as two-stone rings were less common at the time than they are now.
The question of the pros and cons of having an emerald as an engagement ring were the subject of an article by wedding magazine Brides.com in 2022.
Among the cons were the issues listed above, as well as the fact that high-quality emeralds can be rarer and therefore more expensive than diamonds. However, against that is the stunning beauty of the stones.
This leaves the most critical issue of all: How can a stone that is more prone to damage be worn daily while avoiding scratches and chips? Presumably Cleopatra and Jackie Kennedy didn’t have to do much housework or go to the supermarket, but you will.
How Can Rings Be Made To Protect Emeralds From Damage?
Part of the answer comes in the care of emerald rings, which the article highlighted. However, it may also be spotted in the emerald rings displayed in the article.
Most of these were solitaire rings and all had the emerald at the heart, but what was notable was that they were held in place by gold prongs emanating from the ring. These provide an extra barrier of protection to prevent them from being chipped and scratched.
A second fact that may be noted was that some of those rings were cut in a shape that might be familiar to those who know their diamond jewellery, with an elongated shape with a flat top.
This, of course, is the emerald cut, a popular shape for diamonds worn by celebrities such as Beyonce, Paris Hilton and Angelina Jolie.
The style got its name in the 1920s, but dates back to the 1500s. That was when jewellers working with diamonds adopted the style that was commonly used for emeralds, because the cut placed less pressure on them and therefore made them less likely to be chipped.
Another way that emeralds can be protected is to have a bezel setting. This involves the gem being surrounded by a hoop of the same metal as the ring that encases it and acts as a protective shield at the side.
Are There Alternative Green Gems To Emeralds?
There is an alternative to having rings with a protective design to shield the vulnerabilities of an emerald, which is to seek a green alternative. Such possibilities include:
- Green diamonds
- Green corundums (often known as a ‘fancy sapphire’)
- Semi-precious green stones such as a tourmaline, a green garnet or a green zircon
These may be considered a possibility, but these come with caveats. In the case of green diamonds, they are extremely rare. In the case of semi-precious stones, many of these are slightly softer than emeralds (such as tourmaline) or much softer.
A green fancy sapphire may offer one of the best alternatives, although, once again, these are scarce.
However, for some, only an emerald will do. The good news is, that with the right design and craftsmanship, the weaknesses of an emerald can be protected and its extraordinary green beauty can be highlighted, enabling you to proudly wear one for life.