Gem experts differ on the degree of green that makes one stone an emerald and another stone a less-expensive green beryl. Most gemologists, gemological laboratories, and colored stone dealers call a stone green beryl when its color is “too light” for it to be classified as emerald. Even among that group, however, there’s a difference of opinion about what’s considered “too light.”
2.97 Billion Years
Age of the oldest emeralds, from South Africa.
Cleopatra
Pharaoh known for her passion for emeralds.
$6,578,500
2011 sales price for Elizabeth Taylor’s emerald pendant – that’s $280,000 per carat.
Facts
- Mineral: Beryl
- Chemistry: Be3Al2Si6O18
- Color: Vibrant green
- Refractive Index: 1.577 to 1.583
- Birefringence: 0.005 to 0.009
- Specific Gravity: 2.72
- Mohs Hardness: 7.5 to 8