Green Eyed Monster

Continuing our monthly colour-based stone breakdown, September’s chosen hue is green.

Despite being one of the most valuable stones found in nature, Emeralds do not enjoy as much popularity as in the past – although more modern settings with diamonds in white gold are a very striking choice!  Emeralds come from the same family aquamarines (described in our ‘Feeling blue’ feature back in July) in that they are a beryl, but only those with sufficient chromium to give that distinctive, deep, green (coming mostly from Colombia and parts of Africa) are able to carry the ‘emerald’ title.  Light reflection and refraction is not strong in emeralds, which, some argue, makes them less interesting to look at, but a large stone with a strong, even colour will come close to rivalling similar sized diamonds in value.  Even synthetically produced emeralds hold reasonable value.

18 carat yellow and white gold bracelet, set with emeralds weighing a total of 3.25 carat, and diamonds weighing a total of 0.35 carat - £2,850.00

18 carat white gold necklet with integral chain, set with a pear shaped emerald weighing 0.33 carat and diamonds weighing a total of 0.19 carat - £1,295.00

18 carat white gold, emerald and diamond drop earrings - £975.00

18 carat white gold cocktail ring, set with an emerald weighing 1.78 carats and diamonds weighing a total of 0.32 carat - £4,850.00

18 carat white gold pendant set with an oval cut emerald weighing 0.73 carat and diamonds weighing a total of 0.21 carat (with an 18 carat white gold chain) - £2,850.00

Peridot is a semi-precious gemstone - a silicate of magnesium and iron.  Being less expensive, but not given to particular inclusions, as well as being available in a lovely range of tones, from a yellow-ish, through to bottle green, it is a very versatile choice, often used in conjunction with other coloured stones altogether. 

18 carat yellow gold drop necklace with peridot, citrine and diamond - £525.00

9 carat gold drop earrings set with an oval cut peridot and 0.13 carat of diamonds  - £325.00

9 carat white gold ring with a cushion cut peridot and 0.06 carat of diamonds - £575.00

Another silicate, this time of calcium and aluminium, forms a stone from the garnet family – Tsavorite – found mostly in Kenya and Tanzania.  Available in a range of shades, the clear, bottle green makes a lovely alternative to emeralds, especially since the stone offers fantastic lustre.  However, they are rarely found in large sizes.

18 carat white gold bracelet set with a total of 2.06 carats of tsavorite and 1.98 carats of diamonds – £4,850.00

18 carat white gold earrings set with a total of 0.58 carat of tsavorite and 0.30 carat of diamonds –  £875.00

Since some people find the brightness of peridot to be too strong, green amethyst can offer a fantastic alternative within the semi-precious categories.  Amethyst is a quartz – silicon dioxide – which is one of the most widely distributed minerals on Earth and is often used in jewellery (by various names depending on the colour) due to its clarity of colour and excellent lustre.  The green variety used in the jewellery industry is a more muted, pastel green which looks particularly lovely when set with white gold.

18 carat white gold pendant set with a square cut green amethyst and diamonds (with a 9 carat white gold spega chain) – £740.00

A green Beryl is essentially a low grade emerald – the same components as in the real thing, but with insufficient chromium to give it it’s distinctive colour (and value!).  However, when a beryl is pale and translucent, it offers a watery luster which is very pleasing to the eye.

18 carat white gold pendant set with a green beryl weighing 11.35 carats and diamonds with a total weight of 1.18 carats, with chunky chain - £8,250.00

Green tourmaline is an interesting gemstone since the variety of shades it is found in make it very good at imitating other stones.  The darker, more olive coloured stones tend to hold less value than the bright, mid-tone ones.

18 carat white gold cluster ring, set with an oval green tourmaline and diamonds weighing a total of 0.70 carat - £1,625.00

Malachite, a basic copper carbonate which forms in stripes of different green tones, is not typically very high-value, but is much admired in sculpture, and occasionally used within the jewellery trade – more often set in silver.

Sterling silver and malachite bracelet - £495.00

9 carat yellow gold stud earrings set with malachite - WAS £285.00 – NOW £114.00

Jade, most commonly known for its use in oriental art (the paler, ‘nephrite’ jade being prolific until the mid-eighteenth century, when the darker ‘jadeite’ became more popular), is also sometimes used in the jewellery industry.  Found in small quantities all over the world, the largest deposits are located in Russia and New Zealand.

Nephrite jade bead bracelet with 9 carat yellow gold clasp - WAS £95.00 – NOW £47.50