How to Spot Genuine Emerald Engagement Rings

Emeralds are highly desirable precious stones. As such, naturally mined emeralds can often be quite expensive, sometimes even more expensive than diamonds. Thus, if you are considering emerald engagement rings, you want to be certain you are actually getting what you pay for before you hand over potentially more money than you will ever spend in one sitting again, with the exception of a house or a car.

The Price

The first thing to watch out for is the price as generally emeralds are very expensive given their limited number, due to the unique, natural circumstances that must occur for them to be created. Thus, if the price of an emerald is suspiciously low, you are very likely looking at a lab-grown emerald. However, you should be particularly wary of unscrupulous sellers who will try to sell a fake emerald for the price of a natural emerald. As such, it is important to buy any emerald engagement rings from a reputable jeweller and always ask if an emerald is created or natural if you’re unsure.

Inclusions

The majority of emeralds have inclusions, with flawless natural emeralds being extremely rare and thus extraordinarily expensive. So, if you are looking at a visually perfect emerald and the price does not make your eyes pop out of your head in horror, then it is probably a fake. However, some lab-created emeralds have carefully manufactured inclusions in order to appear genuine. If unsure, take a bright light or a good magnifying glass and look for tiny flaws or irregular patterns inside the stone, along with small natural holes or small deep lines in the pavilion. All of these are indicators of a natural emerald. If you see any air bubbles at all, then this is a clear sign that the stone you are holding is not a mined emerald.

Fire

The fire or brilliance of a precious stone refers to the flashes of light that can be seen when light hits the stone. Diamonds, in particular, are famous for their scintillation and general sparkle. However, take note that this is not a quality that emeralds are renowned for. Natural emeralds have low dispersion and therefore show little fire. If you come across any flashy emerald engagement rings, then these are probably a type of gem called cubic zirconia.

Colour

Just looking at a green gemstone’s colour can be a hint as to whether it is a real emerald or not. Natural emeralds come in a variety of green hues, ranging from pale to vivid green but typically, lab-created imitations display a bright green colour that perfectly matches other stones of its type. Another indication of fake emerald engagement rings is if the stone has a distinct yellow or chartreuse tint; this will usually indicate the green stone is either a peridot or a green garnet.

Frederick Holm writes for the F&L Designer Guides, which hosts a thriving community of independent engagement ring designers in the UK. Inspired by their journey of discovery in search of distinctive, one-of-a-kind emerald engagement rings, F&L now celebrates the works of their favourite designers and helps promote the notion of "Go Bespoke" as a more imaginative and interesting alternative to the limitations of High Street shopping.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.