Ancient civilizations in Africa, Asia, and South America independently discovered emeralds and made them a gemstone of highest esteem. They are found in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks in a small number of locations worldwide.įor over 5000 years, emeralds have been one of the most desirable and valuable colored stones. So, gemstone lovers of this sub, do you have any advice for me? Find a lighter sapphire, go with an emerald, or even a tourmaline or other stone? Resources or where to shop for sapphires, emeralds, or other green gem options? I have been stalking shiny precious gems but it seems like everything I like sells almost instantly.Emeralds are gem-quality specimens of the beryl mineral family with a rich, distinctly green color. I'd written off emeralds as being too soft, but I think I've been trying to find a sapphire that looks like an emerald, and maybe emerald is just the way to go and I'll have to accept that I won't wear it every day, which isn't ideal but also not a deal breaker. When I went to a different jeweler, I tried on an emerald ring that caught my eye and I've been thinking about it ever since. (In fact I actually didn't take any pictures of two others I looked at because they were even darker than the ones pictured.) Now I'm wondering if green sapphires usually appear this dark and the ones I've seen online just have great lighting? (Although I have also been eyeing champagne diamonds.) I looked at a zillion online and saw many I liked, but when I finally saw some in person, I was disappointed by how dark they were unless the light hit them just right.

I started my ring shopping by learning about gemstones and decided that I wanted sapphire, since I want color and they're the hardest stone other than diamonds.

Emerald green sapphire