If you want to avoid the last scenario, and to get directly to the first one, there are also two essential factors that, if treated with the necessary care, will guarantee success in your purpose.

The first is the “origin” of the gem (place where the mine is located), and the second is the “provenance” of the gem (place where it is treated, handled and marketed).

The origin and provenance, define everything, from purity, through colour and size, to the size and treatment that, in the end, will put in your hands, the highest quality emerald.

First, focus on the clarity and colour of the stone because that defines its purity, as all emeralds tend to have inclusions and cracks on their surface and are accompanied by tiny fractures. In other words, emeralds without inclusions are special, are known as “oil drops”, are deep green in colour, have a bluish hue, and are extremely valuable. 

According to Carlos Osorio, a graduate of the “Gemological Institute of America”, a prestigious gem research centre, the perfect emerald is one that is well-balanced, neither too light nor too dark, which is why the Colombian emerald is the ideal one. The same opinion is expressed the President of “Fedesmeraldas”, when affirming that this perfect saturation, notoriously distinguishes the Colombian emerald from the rest of the world.

Secondly, check its size and weight. Emeralds are more expensive than sapphires and rubies in small sizes. From 3 to 5 carats and above, its value and price begins to gradually increase.