Emerald

About Emerald

Cleopatra mined emeralds in Egypt 4,000 years ago - her mines were lost for centuries. Their green comes from chromium and vanadium. Almost all natural emeralds have inclusions (jardin in French, meaning garden) - flawless specimens are extraordinarily rare and exceed diamonds in price per carat. The Bahia Emerald at 180,000 carats is the largest ever found. Colombian emeralds are the most prized. They are 20x rarer than diamonds. The Incas and Aztecs considered them sacred. Colombia produces 50-90% of world supply. Most are treated with oils or resins to improve clarity.