Emerald
beryl
Beryl coloured by chromium, and one of the four traditional precious stones, mined at Cleopatra's Egyptian workings, then in vast quantity in the Muzo and Chivor mines of Colombia. Almost every emerald sold has oil in its fractures, which is expected and disclosed by grade rather than scandalous. People carry it for love, abundance and clarity.
Seen · you don't have this one yet
The overwhelming majority of emeralds are fracture-filled with cedarwood oil, other oils, or polymer resins to hide surface-reaching fissures. Oiling is traditional and disclosed by grade; it is also impermanent, and heat, solvents or an ultrasonic cleaner will strip it and make the stone look worse. Dyed and synthetic (Chatham, Gilson, hydrothermal) emeralds are widespread.
This one does not go in water. It dissolves.
Mineral facts
Hardness
7.5-8 Mohs
Formula
Be3Al2Si6O18 with Cr and/or V
Family
silicate
Where it comes from
Colombia (Muzo, Chivor), Zambia (Kafubu), Brazil, Afghanistan (Panjshir), Ethiopia, Russia (Ural)
What it is
Beryl coloured by chromium, and one of the four traditional precious stones, mined at Cleopatra's Egyptian workings, then in vast quantity in the Muzo and Chivor mines of Colombia. Almost every emerald sold has oil in its fractures, which is expected and disclosed by grade rather than scandalous. Its inclusions are considered evidence of authenticity rather than damage.
What it is confused with
green-glass, synthetic-emerald, green-fluorite, peridot, chrome-diopside, dyed-beryl
Saturated green hexagonal prisms, typically included to the point of visible internal texture, the classic jardin, a garden of fissures, liquid feathers, three-phase inclusions and mineral crystals that is expected rather than a defect. Flat basal terminations and lengthwise striations. Raw specimens frequently sit in white calcite or black shale matrix. Because emerald is so included, clean transparent material at low cost is a strong warning sign of glass, synthetic or dyed beryl.
Commonly faked · check before you buy
How to tell
Look for a jardin, an internal garden of irregular feathers and fissures, plus hexagonal habit and hardness 7.5, 8. Round bubbles and swirl marks under 10x mean glass. Perfect clarity at a low price means synthetic or fake. Fluorite is soft and cleaves in triangles.
The overwhelming majority of emeralds are fracture-filled with cedarwood oil, other oils, or polymer resins to hide surface-reaching fissures. Oiling is traditional and disclosed by grade; it is also impermanent, and heat, solvents or an ultrasonic cleaner will strip it and make the stone look worse. Dyed and synthetic (Chatham, Gilson, hydrothermal) emeralds are widespread.
What it means for you
The Moon is at 1° Scorpio today. Emerald is a silicate, 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale, and it is the stone traditionally carried when the problem is proximity rather than intensity.
You know what this one would do for you. You just don't have it.
Emerald for every sign
Aries
An ultrasonic cleaner strips the oil out in seconds.
Almost every emerald sold has oil in its fractures, and that is disclosed by grade rather than scandalous. An ultrasonic cleaner strips the oil out in seconds. The stone then looks worse than it did, and its internal garden of feathers, the jardin, counts as evidence rather than damage.
Taurus
The jardin is treated as evidence of authenticity.
Beryl coloured by chromium, mined at Cleopatra's Egyptian workings and later in quantity at Muzo and Chivor. Its internal garden of fissures is called the jardin and is treated as evidence of authenticity. Almost every stone has oil in its fractures, and an ultrasonic cleaner takes that oil out.
Gemini
The jardin is evidence of authenticity, not damage.
Almost every emerald has oil in its fractures, disclosed by grade rather than hidden, and an ultrasonic cleaner strips it straight out and leaves the stone looking worse. The internal mess has a name, the jardin, and it counts as evidence. Perfect clarity at a low price means glass.
Cancer
The garden of flaws inside is proof it is real.
Classical tradition held that an emerald changed colour if a lover was unfaithful. Almost every emerald sold has oil in its fractures to hide them, disclosed by grade and stripped straight back out by an ultrasonic cleaner. The garden of flaws inside is called the jardin and it is proof the stone is real.
Leo
The flaws are called the garden and they prove it real.
The internal fissures are called the jardin, the garden, and in emerald they count as evidence rather than damage. Almost every stone sold has cedarwood oil in those fissures to hide them, which is expected and graded. An ultrasonic cleaner strips the oil and it looks worse forever.
Virgo
Clean emerald at a low price is evidence of glass.
The jardin is expected. That internal garden of feathers and fissures is evidence the stone is real, and clean transparent emerald at a low price is evidence of glass. Almost every emerald sold carries oil in its fractures, disclosed by grade. An ultrasonic cleaner strips it and the stone looks worse.
Libra
The flaws have a name, and the name is garden.
The internal fissures have a name, jardin, the garden, and they are expected rather than counted against the stone. Almost every emerald sold has oil or resin in those fractures, disclosed by grade and stripped out by an ultrasonic cleaner in seconds. Clean, transparent and cheap is the warning sign.
Scorpio
The internal garden of flaws proves it is real.
Beryl coloured by chromium, and nearly every one sold has oil or resin in its fractures to hide fissures that reach the surface. That is disclosed by grade rather than scandalous, though an ultrasonic cleaner strips it back out and the stone looks worse afterwards. The internal garden of flaws proves it is real.
Sagittarius
The inclusions are treated as evidence rather than damage.
The inclusions are called the jardin and are treated as evidence rather than damage, which is a position no other gemstone gets away with. Cleopatra's Egyptian workings came first and Muzo and Chivor in Colombia came later and bigger. Almost every one you have seen has oil in its fractures.
Capricorn
Perfect clarity at a low price means somebody grew it.
The internal garden of feathers and fissures is expected rather than a defect. Almost every emerald also has oil or resin filling those fractures, disclosed by grade rather than hidden, and an ultrasonic cleaner strips it and leaves the stone worse. Perfect clarity at a low price means somebody grew it.
Aquarius
Its flaws are part of the specification.
The inclusions have a name, jardin, and they are expected rather than counted as damage, which is close to unique among gems. Almost every emerald has oil in its fractures, disclosed by grade, and an ultrasonic cleaner pulls that oil straight back out. Its flaws are part of the specification.
Pisces
The oil comes back out and leaves the cracks visible.
Almost every emerald has oil in its fractures, disclosed by grade rather than hidden, and an ultrasonic cleaner pulls it straight back out and leaves the cracks visible. The inclusions are called the jardin and are expected. Pliny recommended looking at one to rest the eyes.
Correspondences
What tradition attaches to this stone. Folklore, not chemistry.
Element
earth
Planet
Venus
Chakra
heart
Signs
taurus, cancer, aries, gemini
What tradition says
In crystal lore, emerald is associated with the heart, fidelity and truthful speech; classical tradition held that emerald would reveal a lover's infidelity by changing colour, and Pliny recommended looking at it to rest the eyes.
Care
- Do not put this one in water. It dissolves or spalls. Dust it dry.
- Hard but brittle and full of fissures. Never use an ultrasonic or steam cleaner — it removes the oil and can crack the stone. Wipe with a barely damp cloth; avoid solvents, alcohol and heat.
Beryllium-bearing; safe as a solid stone. Never grind or saw dry.
Common questions
What does emerald mean?
Emerald is carried for love, abundance and clarity. Beryl coloured by chromium, and one of the four traditional precious stones, mined at Cleopatra's Egyptian workings, then in vast quantity in the Muzo and Chivor mines of Colombia.. Tradition links it to the heart chakra.
Is emerald real or fake?
The overwhelming majority of emeralds are fracture-filled with cedarwood oil, other oils, or polymer resins to hide surface-reaching fissures. Oiling is traditional and disclosed by grade; it is also impermanent, and heat, solvents or an ultrasonic cleaner will strip it and make the stone look worse.. Look for a jardin, an internal garden of irregular feathers and fissures, plus hexagonal habit and hardness 7. 5, 8.. The overwhelming majority of emeralds are fracture-filled with cedarwood oil, other oils, or polymer resins to hide surface-reaching fissures.
Can emerald go in water?
No. Emerald dissolves or spalls in water. Dust it dry instead of soaking it.
Rare · deep grass green, blue-green, yellowish green
Where this leads
This stone belongs to
Related crystals
FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND REFLECTION. NOT MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, FINANCIAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. How this works