Emeralds have been mined in the Urals since the 19th century. The fame of magnificent stones has long spread far beyond the borders of Russia. Ural emeralds are valued all over the world, and the cost of some nuggets sometimes even exceeds the cost of diamonds.
Unique deposit
To a large extent, the quality of gemstones is determined by the geological features of the place where they were mined. The Mariinsky deposit in the Ural mountains is considered unique. Its bowels are rich not only in emeralds, but also in other minerals. Alexandrite, phenakite, and beryl are mined there. The amazing qualities of the Ural gemstones are due to the high content of iron and chromium impurities. It is thanks to these elements that Ural emeralds are considered among the best in the world.
Chemical Features
In fact, emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl, even the chemical formula for these stones is the same: Al2[Be3(Si6O18)]. Only the emerald has a much deeper green color. It is due to the contained impurities of chromium. Emeralds are much more expensive than beryl,which is explained by their smaller distribution. Of course, beryl is mined many times more. Particularly rare are emerald nuggets with good transparency, high weight, and valuable color. The most expensive are transparent Ural emeralds with a rich green color. In addition, the price depends on the number of cracks and other mineral impurities.
Classified by color
- Color 1 - dark green and even bluish green.
- Color 2 - deep green.
- Color 3 - medium green.
- Color 4 - light green.
- Color 5 - faint green, almost colorless.
Classification by purity
A real Ural emerald is a stone that always has inclusions. Stones without inclusions with a high color characteristic, especially large ones, are in most cases fakes. Jewelers distinguish between the following categories of purity:
- G1 - with rare, almost invisible inclusions.
- G2 - with clots in separate areas that can be seen without a magnifying glass.
- G3 - with clots or a network in the entire volume of the stone.
There are also intermediate values, G2+ and G3+.
Ural emeralds in jewelry art
Ural is famous not only for precious stones, but also for skilled craftsmen. The cut is just as important as the color and clarity of the stone. Ural emeralds are used to create jewelry, and are also used as a source of investment. This is not surprising - after all, over the years, the cost of a good stone in a high-quality cut only increases.
In the Urals, there are several jewelry factories that widely use noble emerald in their work. In addition, factories offer customers faceted and rimless stones, as well as polished cabochons. Some emerald bars with low transparency and low color values are also valued in jewelry art, sometimes even higher than ornamental stones.
Work with this precious stone not only large factories and not only in the Urals. This stone was also loved by private craftsmen. High quality emeralds belonging to the first group of precious stones are mainly supplied for further jewelry use to certified enterprises. But real talent and love for your work allow you to create amazingly beautiful jewelry from simpler nuggets. In the photo below - the work of a master from Slovakia, Ural emeralds in silver.
Zykina's legendary collection
Many people know that Lyudmila Zykina has always been famous not only for her unique voice, but also for her love of beauty. Her jewelry collection is world famous.
Among other exhibits, it also has jewelry with Ural emeralds. Pictured is a yellow gold ring set with diamonds:
On the example of the favorite jewelry of the great Russian singer, we can make sure that not only gold andplatinum cut. Silver also perfectly complements the Ural emeralds. The photo below is a set of Lyudmila Zykina from a ring and earrings.
Of course, stones of a low degree of transparency, in which blotches are visible, are more suitable for silver. They are also beautiful in their own way, you want to consider their unique structure again and again. The set described above is a wonderful evidence of how subtly the master felt the value and natural beauty of the emerald. Grinding gave the stones a shape so reminiscent of the natural shape of a nugget. Earrings, huggers and pins decorated with crystals emphasized that the gems belong to the first group of precious stones.
Transparent bright green emeralds are another matter. They belong in a golden frame. A scattering of small diamonds emphasizes the deep noble color. A great example is a ring from the same world famous collection.
Interesting facts about Ural nuggets
On March 22, 2013, one of the largest ingots in the world was found at the Mariinsky deposit. Its weight is 1 kg, and the value is 5000 carats. It is a translucent, bright green ingot.
Some emeralds, especially large nuggets, have an explosive character. This is not a joke at all - due to the voltage inside the crystal, the emerald can explode!
And there are some that are not used to create beautiful jewelry, but for solid-state lasers.
In 1963, the USSR wasa postage stamp dedicated to the Ural emerald deposits was issued. Since its circulation is limited, today it is of great value to philatelists. And the postal value of the stamp was 10 kopecks, which is quite a lot by Soviet standards.
Ural emeralds also ended up in the royal collections. It is these stones that adorn the crown of the Romanov dynasty.
Certification
Ural certified emeralds can be sold not only to jewelry factories with relevant documents, but also to individuals.
Certification is needed to control quality and protect the buyer from fakes. Still, buying a faceted nugget is a serious matter. Usually such purchases are made for the purpose of investing money, or the emerald is bought as a gift. In any case, this is not just a purchase, it is an investment, sometimes even more reliable than in currency, real estate or securities.
The certificate describes the weight of the stone, the shape that the jeweler gave it, the weight in carats. And besides, two digits through a fraction must be indicated. For example, 2\3. They indicate that this is a stone of color No. 2 with G3 transparency. That is, in simple terms, bright green with abundant inclusions.
Unfortunately, no certificate can describe the bewitching beauty of the stone, its unique color, depth, intricate dance of inclusions. It's all worth seeing with your own eyes.
