The bewitching emerald gemstone shines bright in our new Emerald Crystal Collection. Handcrafted earrings featuring the most beautiful translucent emerald slabs. Learn about emeralds and see the collection below.
The first known emerald mines were in Egypt, dating from at least 330 B.C. Cleopatra was known to have a passion for emerald and used it in her royal jewellery. When emerald mines were discovered in South America in the 16th Century, an extraordinary supply of emeralds was suddenly available and Europeans fell in love with the bewitchingly beautiful gemstone.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) describes how emeralds are formed: "Emeralds are formed when chromium, vanadium, and iron are present in the mineral beryl. The varying presence of these three elements gives emerald its range of colour. Chromium and vanadium make an intense green colour, while iron gives the stone a bluish tint".
"The most valuable emeralds are bluish-green to green and have a medium to medium-dark tone. Since emeralds typically form in six-sided prisms, they are naturally suited for, and often shaped into, the emerald cut".
Emeralds sit at a 7.5 – 8 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Due to the low toughness the emerald is not ideal for engagement rings but can be crafted into amazing pieces of jewellery.
Each year, about 60% of the world emerald supply comes out of Colombia. The Puerto Arturo mine is located near the town of Muzo. The remaining supply of Emerald is found in Brazil, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Madagascar.
These loose emerald slab sections are from the gemfields of Minas Gerais in Brazil and show the wonderful pattern of growth that the emerald crystal evolved from in the earth.
The crystals are in their natural shape with the outer edges being lightly polished and their surfaces then cut and polished as flat sections.
The slabs become windows that reflect the growth of the crystal and it is this growth pattern that we used to design earring settings that mirror the natural inclusions and fabric of the emeralds themselves.
The settings are open and framed in such a way as to fully showcase all the beautiful colours and flowing structure of the crystals.
