Surprising Facts About Emerald from the Eponymous Isle
Posted in Uncategorized on November 22, 2021.
Emerald ranks second amongst the top four gemstones. Its popularity dates as far back as Ancient Egyptian times, and it mounts many Claddagh wedding and engagement rings to this day, including our very own traditional Irish jewelry.
Here’s some interesting trivia about this precious gemstone by its namesake: the Emerald Isle.
Flawed Emeralds are Hotter than Flawless Ones
It’s pretty common for emeralds to have ‘inclusions’, which is just a fancy way to say flaws. These inclusions are nicknamed Jardin, and they’re what give each emerald an air of individuality.
While diamonds are valued on how clear they are, among other things, emeralds are valued on the lack thereof, but not always. Although a highly-saturated emerald is highly sought-after, a completely unflawed, un-Jardin-like emerald can beat the best diamonds price label-wise.
Colombia is a Minefield of Emeralds
A staggering 90% of the world’s diamonds come from Colombia. As a country that has more emeralds to offer, you’ll also find the most expensive emeralds to originate here.
Case in point: the red-carpet emerald earrings worn by Angelina Jolie, which remain the best jewels to ever grace an awards ceremony to this very day. The 115-carat emeralds for these pear-shaped drop accessories came from Colombia and came with a price label of a gasp-worthy $2.5 million.
Natural and Synthetic Emeralds Have Identical Features
Like other gemstones, synthetic emeralds are created in a lab and possess all the physical, chemical, and visual attributes of their natural counterparts.
However, despite being gems in their own right, they aren’t valued half as high as natural emeralds. This could have to do with the fact that artificial technology—not nature—created lab-grown emeralds.
The Most Expensive Emerald Jewelry Amounts to $100 Million!
The most expensive emerald jewelry set in the world is helped by framed by diamonds and costs a whopping $100 million. Its first owner was Elizabeth Taylor, who didn’t just have the most expensive emerald jewelry in the world but also one of the most expensive jewelry collections.
We’re not encouraging anyone to get rich by marrying multiple times, but if Elizabeth Taylor’s marriages can make her the proud owner of so many precious jewels, including the emerald and diamond brooch, necklace, ring, bracelet, and drop earrings set, by all means, go ahead.
The Emerald Buddha is a Reference to Color
Much like the Emerald Isle, which is named after its green countryside rather than due to an excessiveness of emerald mines, the Emerald Buddha does not have a speck of emerald gemstone.
The Bangkok-based Buddha is actually made of the semi-precious stone called jade, which is also a shade of green, albeit one that bears no resemblance to the emerald gem.
Get an Irish Jewelry Designer from the Emerald Isle to the US
No one does emerald jewelry better than the Emerald Isle, and no one in the Emerald Isle does it better than Carol Clarke, an Irish jeweler who’s brought the best of Claddagh and Celtic jewelry to the United States through an eCommerce platform.
Visit our ring store to buy emerald or any other kind of jewelry, ranging from Claddagh engagement rings to Ogham pendants, and more and have orders over $300 shipped to the US for free.
Reach out to our store for queries and concerns.