1.98 Ct. Emerald from Colombia

This emerald, offered by The Natural Emerald Company, is a transparent 1.98 carat, emerald cut gem with precise dimensions of 8.08 by 6.60 by 5.71 millimeters, a clarity grading of slightly included when viewed at eye level, vivid color intensity, and an excellent polish. The cut is a classic emerald cut, chosen to enhance the stone’s green saturation and to present broad, flat planes that read color uniformly across the table. The stone carries a standard enhancement, consistent with expectations for fine Colombian material, and its origin in Colombia contributes to the bluish green tone and depth of saturation that collectors and connoisseurs seek. Measurements and proportions are balanced, with a table and step faceting pattern that negotiate the gem’s internal character and external geometry to produce a look that is both refined and purposeful. The overall presentation is one of concentrated color and controlled light return, with the polish quality ensuring facet junctions are crisp and reflective, supporting the gem’s ability to display its internal and external attributes clearly.

At the heart of the emerald’s distinctive sparkle is its crystal structure and the way light interacts with it. Emerald belongs to the beryl family, which crystallizes in a hexagonal system, creating a lattice that supports both transparency and internal features commonly referred to as jardin. These internal features include tiny fluid inclusions, mineral crystals, and growth fissures, which in this stone are present at a level categorized as slightly included to the eye. Rather than diminishing the gem, these features scatter and diffuse light in subtle ways, producing a depth and inner luminosity that cannot be replicated by gems that rely solely on high dispersion or extreme brilliance. The step cut employed here amplifies this effect, presenting broad facet planes that act like windows into the gem, allowing layers of color and internal structure to interact with incident light. Light entering the stone is absorbed selectively by chromium and vanadium chromophores that give emerald its characteristic green, while minor light scattering from inclusions and fine surface polish combine to yield a soft, lively shimmer. This interplay creates flashes of brightness along facet edges and a continuous, velvety glow across the table, an optical character that is qualitatively different from the pinpoint scintillation of high dispersion stones.

The sparkle of this Colombian emerald is best described as an internal radiance, a jewel like glow that balances intense color with nuanced light behavior. Under direct illumination the stone offers brisk flashes along the step facets, these flashes defined by the contrast between deep saturated zones and lighter regions where light is returned to the observer. Under softer, diffuse light the inclusions disperse small amounts of light within the crystal, producing a plush depth that seems to come from within rather than being reflected from the surface. The excellent polish enhances edge definition and ensures that facet reflections are clean and consistent, which is essential in a stone where color distribution and internal features are the primary means of optical expression. The emerald cut maximizes the visible face up color, allowing the vivid green to dominate perception, while the proportionate pavilion depth and balanced crown ensure that the stone retains sufficient light return to prevent a heavy, dead appearance. In short, the combination of Colombian origin, vivid saturation, slight internal features, step faceting, and superior polish delivers a type of sparkle that emphasizes depth and inner life, a quality that many gem connoisseurs value as unique and difficult to match.

From a practical and connoisseurship standpoint, this 1.98 carat emerald is both a collector worthy specimen and a highly wearable gem with appropriate care and setting considerations. The gem’s transparency and vivid color intensity make it particularly suitable for a center stone in rings or pendants where the emerald cut can be showcased in a setting that protects the girdle and corners, such as a bezel or a secure prong setting with protective design elements. Although emeralds have a hardness that supports regular wear, their internal characteristics and natural fissures justify careful handling and the avoidance of harsh impacts, extreme temperature shocks, and aggressive household chemicals. Routine cleaning with warm soapy water and a soft brush is recommended, and mechanical or ultrasonic cleaning should be avoided unless confirmed safe by a trained professional familiar with the stone’s enhancement condition. The Natural Emerald Company provides full documentation of the gem’s observed attributes, including its slight inclusions, vivid color intensity, dimensions, weight, and standard enhancement, to assist in appraisal, insurance, and maintenance planning. This emerald’s structural and optical attributes convey a sparkle that is at once rich and complex, a luminous depth that remains distinctly characteristic of fine Colombian emeralds, and a reasoned choice for those seeking a gem whose visual impact arises from its natural crystalogy and expert cutting rather than from sheer brilliance alone.