May is emerald month, so much of this month I will focus on emerald facts. The following is from a Q&A sessions I had with a customer this week.
Customer: In my research, I have learned that natural emeralds are somewhat fragile/brittle, and some jewelers don’t sell nor work on these natural stones. From what I can tell about the Chatham emeralds, some of these natural fagilities are removed in the manufacturing process – is that correct?
Michelle: Chatham emeralds are REAL emeralds, so they have the same chemical, physical and optical properties as natural emeralds, including the same hardness of 7.5 – 8. But part of what makes natural emeralds so fragile is that they are generally heavily included. Many natural emeralds contain surface-reaching fractures, which makes them more prone to breakage etc. Chatham emeralds, particularly the gem quality stones, do not have any inclusions visible to the naked eye. So that eliminates some degree of worry about chipping and breaking. Chatham emeralds are also covered against breaking and chipping and in the 12 years we’ve been selling Chatham, I’ve not had a single customer with a broken or chipped stone.
Author: Michelle M. Rahm is a GIA-trained Graduate Gemologist and is President of Colorado’s Mile High Chapter of the GIA Alumni Association. She has been selling gemstones and jewelry online since 1997. Visit her websites JewelryImpressions.com and OurCustomWeddingRings.com
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This is great information, and hearing that you’ve had no broken or chipped Emeralds in 12 years is even better! This is my birthstone and if I were to purchase any Emerald jewelry in the future I’d feel confident in purchasing yours. Thanks for the information, I love your site!
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