Emerald

Beryl, coloured by chromium

Emerald is the green variety of beryl, and the one stone where a flawless example is so rare that inclusions are read as fingerprints rather than faults. Everything we carry comes out of three valleys we know personally — Swat and Chitral in Pakistan, Panjshir across the border in Afghanistan. We select for a saturated, faintly bluish green and for a lively interior, because a stone with life in it outlasts a stone that is merely clean.

Living with it. Softer than sapphire and often oiled, so keep emerald away from ultrasonic cleaners, heat and solvents. Warm water and a soft brush is all it wants.

Where ours comes from

Swat · Panjshir · Chitral

Hardness

7.5–8 Mohs

Usual cut

Emerald / step

Colour range

Green