Green with envy
Um, yum? I’ve loved emeralds ever since I was just a little girl dreaming of the day Mr. Right would come along and sweep me off my feet. Now, while the modern definition of ‘feet sweeping’ leaves much to be desired, emeralds are still my favorite gem. I’ve always loved the fact that emeralds, like people, are enhanced by their flaws. According to Amethyst Gallery, “flaws are not looked on as negative aspects for emerald like they would be for other gemstones. Indeed, these flaws are considered part of the character of the stone and are used to assure the purchaser of a natural stone.”
The fabulous ring above includes .6 carats of lovely oval emerald set in 14k white gold and costs less than $300.
I like that ring a lot. Emeralds pretty.
Plus there is little chance of the stone being accidentally bumped out!
emeralds are relatively fragile, though. They are porous and should not be submerged in water (so you’d have to take off your ring to shower) and they should never be cleaned with those jewelry cleaner solutions. Just in case you do get an emerald!
That’s true, Anon. I’ve also heard you should never clean emeralds using ultrasonic cleaning machines or steam cleaners. Hot soapy water can strip the oils jewelers use to treat the gems.
this is totally a created emerald though…. sturdier than natural
Non-created emeralds are VERY expensive — more expensive than diamonds. I must say that I am not a fan, as they generally don’t have any sparkle. There are plently of other green gems that I do like and that are much more reasonably priced, such as Green Tourmaline.
Ooh, Tourmaline is tasty, too! I’m a big green fan in general.
A friend of mine chose a created emerald for her wedding ring, and saved enough that she was able to have it placed in a simple, elegant platinum setting (they started out as starving students).
Another idea: my younger brother’s wife has a wedding ring that’s similar to this one, only it’s set with an uncut diamond. It’s gorgeous in a very non-traditional way. They’re both artists, and appreciated the uniqueness of the whole thing.
You can also go to Ross-Simons.com and ogle their (green) diopside jewelry – it’s GREEN (with emphasis), and has the kind of sparkle most people expect emeralds to have. R-S also has emeralds, and, in fact, all manner of sparkly green stones in different colours (green amethyst, green garnets, peridot, etc.). They actually have a lot of nice alternatives to diamonds, in many, many shiny colours. They even have diamond skull rings for the newly-engaged gothy girl.