Aside from the common blue and red gemstones, green is also a great choice for these precious stones.
Here, we shall delve into the details about green gemstones handling the following:
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- What exactly is a green gemstone?
- Where is the best place to buy these stones?
- The best green gemstones in the jewelry world
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What is a Green Gemstone?
Green gemstones are all over the jewelry market. In fact, they are the most fancied and loved gemstones among aficionados, jewelry collectors, and designers. Most green gemstones are associated with wealth, nature, energy, and life.
If you love the color green, you are going to have a nice time reading about different kinds of green gemstones and knowing the best among the several hues to pick and include in your wardrobe.
There are more than 100 types of green stones. The most popular green gemstones are emeralds, although people normally confuse this with other green gemstones.
Watch the video shown below to know why green gemstones are marvelous:
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Best Place to Buy Green Gemstones
You can find green gems both online and in the physical jewelry stores in malls. It might be a little difficult to fund the most expensive kinds. You may be lucky to find them when there is an auction.
Types of Green Gemstones
There are a variety of green gemstones available, every stone having unique features. Below is a list of some of the best green gemstones you will find being used in jewelry.
- Emerald
- Green Diamond
- Jade
- Demantoid Garnet
- Green Garnet
- Green Topaz
- Amazonite
- Green Sapphire
- Peridot
Green Gemstones and Pictures
#1. Emerald
- Very popular gem
- Routinely treated
- Not so durable
- Costs between $100 and $15,000
Emeralds come in various shades with the ones with intense shade attracting high price tags. Normally, the price of an emerald stone is determined by its cut, number of inclusions, and the kind of treatment it undergoes.
Initially, emeralds were extracted from the grounds in Egypt. They have a deep shade of green and belong to the larger Beryl group. These stones normally have fissures and inclusions.
While you might love an eye-clean emerald that is evenly smooth, it is difficult to find such.
Most emeralds are green and this means that their color is the most crucial of all the features. While inclusions in a diamond lower its value, the same in an emerald will not significantly affect the value.
Emeralds measure 7.5 to 8 on Mohs and if well taken care of, they can last longer than you think. The inclusions found in an emerald can make it weak and likely to crack.
These green stones are not meant for jewelry to be used in tough environments. Although they are good for different kinds of jewelry, they are normally treated and the cracks are filled to improve their appearance and stability. When you buy an emerald, the jeweler will most likely advise that you take special care of it.
RECOMMENDED: Best Place to Buy Emerald Rings
Pros
- Quite durable
- Varied price range
Cons
- Needs to be treated regularly
#2. Green Diamond
- Synthetic gemstones available
- Extremely rare
- Very valuable
- Costs between $10,000 and $4 million
Show me a green diamond and I reward you! These gems are rarely found. The ones that are found always have a variety of shades ranging from fancy deep or fancy intense to faint green.
The green color in green diamonds is gotten from long periods of irradiation. These gemstones are however not radioactive because the radiation process goes way back thousands of years.
These diamonds are very expensive, though not more than the pink diamonds. The most expensive green diamond is the one that has the deepest hue. You may have a daunting experience trying to find a fancy green diamond stone.
Because of its rarity, some manufacturers decided to grow synthetic green diamonds in the lab, with similar qualities but cheaper prices.
Pros
- Very durable
- Unique stone
Cons
- Too expensive
#3. Jade
- Loved by Asians
- Waxy to vitreous shine
- Medium hardness
- Costs between $40 and $200
Jade gemstones were discovered more than 7,000 years ago in countries in Asia. To be more specific, the “Imperial Jadeite” was a precious and important gemstone in China. Jade is one of the ornamentals stones that is used to make jewelry.
There are basically two types of Jade: nephrite and Jadeite. Jadeite’s texture is sugary while that of a Nephrite is smooth and waxy.
Jadeite is very rare and because of its history, it is considered a valuable gem in Asian countries. Nephrite on the other hand is not very rare and carries a lesser value compared to Jadeite.
Although jade only has medium toughness of 6 on the Moh scale, it is compact resulting from its formation process. Jadeites are normally cut into cabochons or other smooth cuts, rarely faceted.
Pros
- Medium durability
- Has royal affiliations especially in China
Cons
- Too cheap to be valued
RECOMMENDED: Jade vs Emerald
#4. Demantoid Garnet
- Very expensive
- Super brilliant
- Has inclusions
- Not easily found
- Costs between $900 and $20,000
Although it is a type of green garnet, the demantoid garnet is not a green garnet itself.
This stone is different from a gree garnet because of its chemical properties and its hue (grassy yellow). Being the rarest stone in the garnet family, the demantoid garnet is the most sought after.
Demantoids come in several shades, from faint green to vivid green. The vivid green demantoids are the most valuable. In your search, you most likely will not come across a demantoid that has no inclusions.
The inclusions are a good thing since they make the stone valuable. If you like jewelry that makes a statement, this is it. You will fall in love with its brilliance.
Pros
- Very brilliant
- Medium toughness
Cons
- Very costly
#5. Green Garnet (Tsavorite)
- Extremely rare
- Commonly known gemstone
- Relatively expensive
- Fairly new gemstone
- Costs between $1,000 and $20,000
Green Garnet is also referred to as Tsavorite Garnet and was first discovered in Tanzania in the 1960s. this gemstone is associated with love and commitment.
Having been discovered in the near past, the Green Garnet is a new stone in the world of gemstones. The green color and shades is a result of chromium that gets trapped in the stone when it forms.
The green garnet is valuable compared to other garnet family members because it has a striking green shade and is very rare. There are no synthetic variations of this stone. This stone is somehow tough, measuring 7 to 7,5 of the hardness scale. A Tsavorite is faceted in most cases to improve its brilliance.
Pros
- Great emerald alternative
- Popular stone
- Somewhat hard
Cons
- Somehow expensive
- Very rare
#6. Green Topaz
- Immaculate brilliance
- Highly durable
- Rarely found topaz color
- Costs between $10 and $80
Topaz is naturally a colorless stone. However, because of blemishes caused by vanadium and chromium minerals, several shades come to be like the green topaz.
The green topaz gemstone has a vitreous luster and is not a well-known topaz gem.
This stone has an impressive toughness at #8 on the Mohs scale. Making it suitable to make any type of jewelry. the green topaz has a natural great brilliance but is normally faceted to enhance this property. Looking closely at a green topaz stone will reveal that it is eye-clean and just a few will have tiny blemishes.
Pros
- Low price
- Durable
- Cut in several settings
Cons
- Not widely known
#7. Amazonite
- Gets its name from the Amazon river
- Short supply
- Inclusions look like white veins
- Shades are opaque to translucent
- Costs between $10 and $100
This gemstone is named after the Amazon river but that does not mean that it originates from the said river.
The Amazonite stone is very popular because of its white patterns that look like veins formed on the green stone.
The greatest advantage of this stone is that you do not have to treat it to make the color more visible. Its hardness is medium and comes in translucent and opaque stones.
This stone may be fairly rare but its price is reasonably affordable. Jewelers prefer to cut this gemstone in cabochons and sometimes beads because of the inclusions it has and its durability properties.
Pros
- Texture is formed by a unique pattern
- A bit affordable
Cons
- Fairly durable
- Cracks easily
#8. Green Sapphire
- Very durable
- Not easily found
- Above-average brilliance
- Costs between $800 and $7,000
In the past, green sapphires did not have so much value. It is only in the near past that they have become popular and at the same time rare.
Today, green sapphires are hard to come by. Green sapphires get their pigment from iron components that were present underground when the stone was forming.
This stone comes in different shades with the most attractive being the Green Star Sapphire. This kind of green sapphires looks even more appealing when exposed to high intensities of light. Because this stone is extremely rare, you will find many lab-grown green sapphires in plenty and at cheaper prices too.
Green sapphire measures a nice 9 on the Mohs scale, putting it at the perfect spot choice for different kinds of jewelry. the stone’s beauty and brilliance are enhanced by treating under heat.
Pros
- Durable
- Synthetic stones available
Cons
- Greener options are very expensive
#9. Peridot
- Medium durability
- Volcanic stone
- Costs between $50 and $5,000
Peridot is a one-of-a-kind green gemstone that is found or mined in volcanic areas that experience aggressive volcanic activities.
Unlike the other gemstones on this list, the peridot only comes in one shade, a phenomenon known as idiochromatic. You will rarely found peridot in any other color. This stone can be used in different jewelry since its durability is medium standing at 6.5 to 7 on Mohs.
Although most peridots are clean to the naked eye, you are likely to find a few that have inclusions that come in the form of tiny black dots or inclusions shaped like a pear. However, these inclusions can only be visible under magnification.
Peridots can be cut into various shapes like square, oval, and marquise. If you intend to use this stone for an engagement ring, make sure it is in a protective setting for the stone to last long. Consider a bezel setting, it is a great option.
Pros
- Quite affordable
- Rarely found
- Longlasting
Cons
Cracks easily when exposed to rough environments