2-carat emerald: green beryl with a history
Carat (ct) is a unit of measurement that indicates the weight of a precious stone. Two carats equal 0.4 grams. The category “2-carat emerald” includes not only stones with exactly 2 carats, but also stones that weigh a little more or a little less than 2 carats. Many factors are taken into account during cutting. Depending on the rough stone, cutters try to cut the largest possible gemstones of good quality. This results in stones of different sizes and weights. If two stones are cut exactly the same and weigh the same to the decimal point, it is very likely a coincidence.
Emerald: the green beryl
Emeralds belong to the beryl group. The green precious stones are thus related to the blue aquamarine, the golden yellow heliodor, the pink morganite and the colorless goshenite. The green color is part of the emerald's name, which comes from the Greek “smaragdos”, meaning “green stone”. The color ranges from light yellowish green to bluish green to dark green. The most valuable are deep green emeralds, which are mainly found in Colombia.
The emerald owes its color to the trace elements chromium or vanadium.
History and symbolism
Emeralds were already being mined in ancient Egypt. There, the stone was revered as a symbol of fertility and life. Cleopatra also had a penchant for the green gemstones and claimed ownership of all the emerald mines in Egypt for herself. She even had her seal made out of an emerald.
The Romans established a symbolism for the emerald that still exists in some parts of the world today. They attributed healing properties to the stone, which could be one of the reasons why Caesar hoarded this stone. The Arabs adopted the belief in the healing properties of the emerald and carried it further across Africa to Spain. From there it reached South America. Even today, especially in Brazil, a prospective doctor is given an emerald ring for the exam. In North Africa and Arabia, a doctor is trusted more if he wears an emerald on his finger.
2-carat emerald: Uses
2-carat emeralds are particularly suitable for jewelry. You can have a goldsmith set the cut stones in rings, bracelets or necklaces. If you find two similar stones, earrings are also an option. Emeralds are particularly effective in combination with yellow gold. However, they are also often set in silver or white gold and decorated with small diamonds.
If you are looking for a piece of jewelry for someone born in May, consider an emerald. According to the American Gem Society, the green stone is the birthstone for the month of May.
2-carat emerald: origin and mines
In the days of Cleopatra and Caesar, emeralds were mined in Egypt and in Habachtal in Austria. From the 16th century, Colombia was added. Spanish conquistadors obtained the valuable gemstone from mines of the Muzo Indians, and later a mining site in Chivor was added. Even today, Colombian emeralds are considered the most valuable emeralds due to their high quality and deep green color.
In the 19th century, a mine in the Ural Mountains was added to these sites. Other deposits can be found in Australia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Norway, Pakistan, Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the United States.
Properties & treatment
Emeralds have a hardness of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale. This makes them comparatively hard gemstones (the hardest gemstone is the diamond with a hardness of 10). Emeralds are rarely eye-clean. This means that they usually have inclusions that can be seen with the naked eye. The inclusions have been given their own name: “jardin”. The term comes from the French and means “garden”.
Treatment with oil
While rubies or sapphires are treated with heat, oil is used for emeralds. The gemstones are placed in a pressure vessel together with cedar oil. Under high pressure, the oil enters the fine cracks in the stone.
In addition to cedar oil, resins and synthetic resins are also used.
2-carat emerald: the most common cuts
Emeralds come in a variety of faceted and cabochon cuts.
The emerald cut, which was developed especially for this stone, is a common cut. It is an octagonal cut with “steps” that accentuate the green color of this stone.
It is a facet cut. In contrast to the smooth cabochon cut, facet cuts can be recognized by their corners and edges. Emerald-cut stones can be elongated or almost square. How an emerald is cut always depends on the quality and shape of the rough stone.