Makeup in a romantic style. Create romantic makeup step by step

, sapphire, ruby, chrysoberyl, alexandrite, noble spinel and euclase, refers to semi-precious stones of the first order.

The main criteria for the quality of an emerald are its color, and then its transparency. An ideal emerald is a transparent stone with an evenly distributed rich color. Large, defect-free emeralds of a dense tone weighing from 5 carats are valued more than diamonds.

Name

The word "emerald" (originally will die) comes from the Semitic root b-r-q“to shine” (cf. Hebrew ‏‏‎ bareket"emerald"), borrowed into Russian through tur. zümrüt, in turn borrowed through Pers. زمرّد ‎ zumurrud from Greek σμάραγδος smáragdos. Sanskrit goes back to the same source. मरकत marakata, lat. smaragdus and its medieval variant esmeraldus, esmeralda.

Physical properties

Emerald is a transparent variety of beryl, colored grass-green by chromium oxide or vanadium oxide, sometimes mixed with iron oxide (South African emeralds). That the emerald has the same chemical composition that beryl was proved in the 1790s by the French chemist Louis Vauquelin, who studied chromium and chromium-containing rocks. However, emerald continued to be classified as a separate type of stone until 1830, and in amateur literature green and even blue beryls were called emeralds until the very end of the 19th century. In the 20th century, it was discovered that emeralds are more likely to contain impurities of vanadium than chromium.

Emerald easily loses color at temperatures above 700 °C, but is resistant to acids and other reagents.

Hardness and fractures

Natural emeralds are rarely flawless, they usually have cracks and splits, often dissected by a complex network of fine veins and fissures. Increased fragility - characteristic feature stone: its hardness is 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale (diamond has 10), in combination with thin cracks in the transverse section, this makes it very sensitive to compression and heat.

Unlike a diamond, where quality is typically assessed at 10x magnification, an emerald is assessed by eye: a stone that has no visible cracks (provided normal visual acuity) is considered flawless.

Color

The color of a stone is divided into three components: hue, saturation and lightness. Emeralds come in various shades - from yellow-green to blue-green, but the main tone is always green, right down to the darkest green tone.

The color distribution of emerald is uneven: usually the free end of the crystal is brighter colored than its base; there are also zonal crystals with a longitudinal change in color intensity (often with a brighter core) and with transverse alternation of light and dark green zones. In brightly colored stones, dichroism is noticeable even to the eye - a change in color from yellowish to bluish-green when the crystal is rotated.

The best emeralds are approximately 75% tone on a scale where 0% is no color and 100% is opaque black:108. A high-quality stone should have a rich color with bright emerald shades. A dull green or grayish-green tint is also possible.

Transparency

Only emeralds highest quality transparent. Most often, stones are clouded with inclusions of liquid and gas bubbles, healed cracks, as well as pinpoint inclusions of other minerals captured by emeralds during growth. Stones that do not have surface damage are extremely rare, so almost all emeralds are treated with various chemical mixtures to give them a beautiful appearance. appearance :108 .

Origin

Emerald from Brazil

Emeralds are formed by the interaction of acidic magma with host ultramafic igneous rocks, so their deposits are represented by greisenization zones. Occasionally, small emeralds form at exocontacts of pegmatites.

In most deposits of the world, emerald is confined to phlogopite mica, formed as a result of greisenization - exposure to high-temperature aqueous solutions to ultramafic rocks. As a result of this process, the original rocks, due to the feldspars of granites, are transformed into polysyllabic ones rocks, containing quartz, light mica and often valuable ore minerals in the form of inclusions. The presence of greisen is a leading search indicator for deposits of rare metal ores and precious stones, including emerald.

The best quality emeralds are confined to hydrothermal veins located in carbonaceous shales. Colombian emeralds occur in low-temperature carbonate veinlets cutting through black bituminous limestones.

Since emerald is close in density to quartz, alluvial placers of this stone are usually not formed; secondary deposits are represented only by weathering crusts.

Place of Birth

Good emeralds are rare, most of them are found in the Colombian deposits of Tunja (discovered in 1555) and Muso (known since 1537), in New Granada, Zambia, Brazil and Egypt. Emeralds of lower quality are found in Habachtal, Salzburg (Austria), the Mourne Mountains (Ireland), Lake Mjosen (Norway) and some other places.

Emeralds are also mined in Russia, USA, Canada, Australia, Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, China, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa, Somalia, Nigeria, Namibia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Madagascar.

Colombia

Nowadays, from 50 to 95% of all emerald production comes from Colombia (the exact percentage varies greatly from year to year in different directions) . Between 2000 and 2010, emerald production in Colombia increased by 78%. In addition to ordinary emeralds, Colombia also produces trapiche emerald, which is characterized by the formation of crystals in the shape of a wheel with spokes.

Zambia

Zambian emeralds are more distinguished high quality than Colombian ones. Zambia's largest emerald deposit is the Kagem mine, which is located 45 km southeast of the city of Kitwe. In 2004, about 20% of all emeralds mined that year were mined here, making Zambia the second “emerald” country after Colombia. In the first 6 months of 2011, 3.74 tons of emeralds were mined in the Kagem mines.

Brazil

Stones mined in Brazil are lighter and much purer than Colombian ones. It was also here that the world's largest emerald was found at 57,500 carats (11.5 kg), called Teodora and approximately valued at $1.15 million.

Egypt

In Egypt, emeralds are mined in mines near El Quseir and Mount Zabara (this deposit, according to hieroglyphic monuments found there, was mined already in 1650 BC). Deposits near Aswan, 50-60 km from the Red Sea coast, were developed under Pharaoh Sesostris III about 37 centuries ago. Slave miners dug shafts up to 200 meters deep in hard shale, which could accommodate up to 400 people at a time. It was believed that emerald was afraid of light, so the work was carried out in complete darkness. On the surface, the emerald-containing rock was split into pieces and smeared olive oil in order to distinguish precious crystals.

Emerald mines of the Urals

USSR postage stamp from the “Ural Gems” series

And they [the Indians] carried a lot of silver and gold things along the "ario" with them to make an exchange with those with whom they were going to trade, these included crowns and tiaras, belts and gauntlets, and armor, both for the legs, [ so] and breastplates, and tongs, and rattles, and counting threads and bundles, and “red silver”, and mirrors set in that silver, and bowls, and other drinking vessels; and they transported a lot of woolen and cotton capes, and shirts, and “alhulas”, and “alcacers”, and “alarems”, and many other clothes, most of this was decorated with patterns, very rich in red and carmine, blue and yellow colors, and all other colors applied different ways, and [with] images of birds and animals, and fish, and trees; and they carried several small weights for weighing gold, similar to a steelyard, and many other things. On some bunches of beads there were several small emerald and chalcedony stones, and other stones and things made of glass and tree resin. They brought all this to exchange for sea shells, from which they make multi-colored grains for rosaries, similar to coral necklaces, as well as white ones, which are transported in almost overcrowded ships.

Finds in Peru (-)

The conqueror of Peru, Francisco Pizarro, captured the largest military booty in history, which included some emeralds. After the capture of the Inca king Atahualpa, the Spaniards were offered the famous “Ransom of Atahualpa” for his release, in the form of gold and silver items (then melted into ingots), filling the room up to the mark at the height of the raised hand. According to the report of the notary Pedro Sancho, Governor Francisco Pizarro with his servants and translators received the following amount during its division on June 18, 1533: gold - 57,220 pesos, silver - 2,350 marks. Many items were inlaid with emeralds and other precious stones.

Some of the Inca's treasures were taken to Santo Domingo, where this news caused a real shock. One man in Panama swore that "it was a magical dream." Historian Oviedo: “that this is not a myth or a fairy tale.” The first of four ships, loaded with treasure, arrived in Seville at the end of 1533. The royal "fifth" was delivered by Hernando Pizarro himself. After this event, the desire to find treasure became the main desire of all newcomers to the New World. So, in 1534, the future chronicler Cieza de Leon, traveling with his merchant father, saw in Seville how the treasures from Atahualpa's ransom were unloaded, which apparently served as a reason to leave for South America.

Juan de San Martin and Antonio de Lebrija. Report of the Conquest of the New Kingdom of Granada (July 1539).

Emeralds constituted an important source of income for the Chibcha Indians in the cities of Bogota and Tunja: the main item of exchange “for these emeralds was gold and beads, which were made in that region, and a lot of cotton clothing.”

In ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead It was recorded that the Egyptians received the emerald as a gift from the great god Thoth. Green color The stone is reminiscent of spring, and it was considered a symbol of eternal youth. The Egyptians called emerald “the stone of the goddess Isis” and attributed to it the ability to turn dreams into reality, read minds, see the past and foresee the future. It was also believed that emerald rewarded a person with fidelity and unchanging love. This stone was the patron saint of expectant mothers, he was considered the best gift for women in labor. Emeralds were also widely used in ancient Egyptian jewelry, and many people desired to be placed in their tombs.

In ancient times, emerald was also considered a powerful talisman, healing for vision, and a remedy for the bites of poisonous animals (one type of which was supposedly fatal to poisonous snakes).

It is noteworthy that in Islamic countries, green emerald has always been positively perceived as desirable. magic stone. Christian tradition, on the contrary, considered it a witchcraft stone generated by hell. According to legend, the largest emerald fell to the ground from Lucifer's helmet when he was expelled from heaven. The Holy Grail was carved from this emerald. [ ]

There are images of the duel between St. George and the serpent (the embodiment of evil), in which the serpent’s body is made of emeralds. [ ]

Alchemical installations for the production of the philosopher's stone, which is capable of turning metals into gold and giving immortality, were (according to alchemists) written on the emerald tablet. In the history of myths, this tablet is a huge emerald on which postulates are carved occult sciences. This emerald was allegedly found next to the mummy of the Egyptian god of wisdom, Thoth, who is identified with Hermes.

In Central Asia it was believed that “whoever wears an emerald does not see dreams that confuse the spirit. Emerald strengthens the heart, eliminates sorrows, and saves from epilepsy and evil spirits. If an emerald is set in gold and used as a seal, then its owner is insured against pestilence, the spell of love and insomnia.”

In Russia of the 15th-17th centuries, emerald was considered a stone of wisdom and composure, and it was this quality that A. Pushkin valued in his emerald ring.

There is a tragic story associated with this emerald. Together with other stones, which were seized from Kokovin by denunciation, the auditor Yaroshevitsky sent him to St. Petersburg, to the vice-president of the Department of Appanages L. A. Perovsky. But, after receiving the precious mail, the stone mysteriously disappears in the capital. And again Ya. V. Kokovin is accused of his loss - and Yakov Vasilyevich was arrested and put on trial. After serving more than two years, he was released seriously ill. In 1839, the slandered Kokovin turned to the emperor with a request to reconsider the case. However, there was no review of the case, and in 1840 Y. V. Kokovin died.
As a result, decades later, from the property of L. A. Perovsky (the true culprit of the loss), the emerald ends up in the collection of Count Kochubey and then, in the course of revolutionary ups and downs, leaves the country. It was subsequently purchased by the Soviet government and returned. Now the emerald is kept in Moscow in the Mineralogical Museum named after. Fersman.

According to some experts, the President emerald is “explosive”, that is, after some time, due to internal stresses in the crystal, it can disintegrate into several parts.

Artificial emeralds

Emerald is the last mineral among upper class gemstones (if you take into account the Mohs scale). In Sanskrit and Persian, the name of this stone sounded like “zammorod” and “zumundi”, which meant “green”, and in Old Slavonic emeralds were called “smaragd”.

And here English word emerald appeared only in the 16th century. There is a version that this is the name given to all minerals that are green in color.

Emphasizing the aristocratic nature of the stone, its “inaccessibility” and transparency, people nicknamed the gem green ice.

What did emerald do to deserve such a reputation?

Mysteries of history

Like many other gems, green minerals sometimes became the makers of history.

So, at the beginning of the 16th century, conquistador Fernando Cortes wanted to give his bride five rare emeralds. The minerals were distinguished not only by their unsurpassed quality, but also by their special shape in the form of a rose, bell, goblet, horn and fish. In order to get the stones, a desperate Mexican stole them from the Incas.

Cortez did not know that Queen Isabella of Castile, who became his mortal enemy, was hunting the stones with him. The story of the emeralds only added fuel to the fire of the then raging struggle between two clans for the Spanish throne. However, none of the jewel hunters were victorious.

In 1541 unique stones mysteriously disappeared.

Igneous mineral

Emerald is of igneous origin and is a type of beryl. However, it is easy to distinguish from other stones of similar color due to its high degree of purity and transparency, as well as its cool shade of green.

Along with diamond and ruby, it is considered one of the most expensive minerals. According to the law “On Currency Regulation” in Russia, this stone is equated to freely convertible currency, that is, it can be exchanged for any foreign currencies, act as payments in international transactions, and also participate in trading on the main foreign exchange markets. Unlike many other beryls, emerald is quite soft. Therefore, if products with green minerals are stored incorrectly, the stones lose their original shine and become dull.

Colorless oil or oil tinted with green pigment will help to enhance natural emeralds and give them a special shine. This method is often used by jewelers from different countries.

Many years ago, the German physicist Goldschmidt, while studying the mineral, discovered that the color of an emerald depends on the amount of chromium or vanadium impurities.

Natural stones, as a rule, have many defects, so it is quite difficult to find gems in nature that are ideal in purity and shade. Thus, during mining, minerals weighing hundreds of carats are found, but have no jewelry value. At the same time, rare pure bluish-green emeralds can cost more than diamonds.

The most valuable emeralds are called “antique”. These stones have a rich dark green color, which samples mined from new deposits do not have.

In nature, there are many minerals similar to emeralds: green garnet, jade, tourmaline, tsavorite, fluorite and other stones of a similar shade. How not to confuse them?

You can distinguish emerald from other green gems using a refractometer. This special device measures the refraction of light that occurs in a particular stone. The emerald indicator is approximately 1.58 units.

Modern technologies

Most often, gem-quality emeralds have relatively small size, but in modern production Artificially grown or synthetic minerals are often used. The main growing methods are flux and hydrothermal. To do this, the crystals are placed in an environment whose temperature is about 600 degrees Celsius, and Atmosphere pressure can reach up to 1400 atm.

Jewelers also use the ancient technology of making doublet stones, connecting two small emeralds or an emerald and some other mineral.

Emerald is one of the few stones after which a certain method of cutting minerals, widely used in jewelry production, was named.

This is a type of step cut, in which the stone is given a rectangular shape with beveled corners. The emerald cut protects even the most fragile minerals from damage and chips, and also advantageously represents the color of the stone and its purity.

Southern stone

When valuing expensive stones, their location often plays an important role. So, for example, the best sapphires are considered to be those from Kashmir, the highest quality rubies are those from Burmese, but those from Colombia are recognized as the standard emeralds. It is in Colombia that the famous Muso mines are located, where amazing bright green minerals are mined.

The famous Etbay deposits of Jebel Zubara and Jebel Sikait are located in a mountain range on the Red Sea coast at an altitude of 550 m.

In addition, precious minerals are mined in the Eastern and South Africa, in Egypt, India and Pakistan. In Russia, the Urals are famous for their emerald deposits.

Experts can recognize the “nationality” of each stone by special inclusions characteristic of minerals of a certain country.

In addition to Colombian ones, gems from Zimbabwe are also especially valued, which are still cheaper than standard stones.

Star image

Having never lost its value, this precious mineral is still very relevant today. In the right frame, even classic products with emerald inserts sound new and modern.

Most often the stone has a gold frame. Supplemented with diamonds, jewelry with emeralds looks sophisticated and elegant. Such products will be a wonderful accent to your evening look.

Emerald jewelry may well become a family heirloom. Luxurious gems are preferred by style icons such as Sherlize Theron. Sharon Stone, Beyonce, Cameron Diaz, Dita Von Teese and others.

Emerald is the last mineral among the highest class of gemstones (if you take into account the Mohs scale). In Sanskrit and Persian, the name of this stone sounded like “zammorod” and “zumundi”, which meant “green”, and in Old Slavonic emeralds were called “smaragd”.

But the English word emerald appeared only in the 16th century. There is a version that this is the name given to all minerals that are green in color.

Emphasizing the aristocratic nature of the stone, its “inaccessibility” and transparency, people nicknamed the gem green ice.

What did emerald do to deserve such a reputation?

Mysteries of history

Like many other gems, green minerals sometimes became the makers of history.

So, at the beginning of the 16th century, conquistador Fernando Cortes wanted to give his bride five rare emeralds. The minerals were distinguished not only by their unsurpassed quality, but also by their special shape in the form of a rose, bell, goblet, horn and fish. In order to get the stones, a desperate Mexican stole them from the Incas.

Cortez did not know that Queen Isabella of Castile, who became his mortal enemy, was hunting the stones with him. The story of the emeralds only added fuel to the fire of the then raging struggle between two clans for the Spanish throne. However, none of the jewel hunters were victorious.

In 1541, the unique stones mysteriously disappeared.

Igneous mineral

Emerald is of igneous origin and is a type of beryl. However, it is easy to distinguish from other stones of similar color due to its high degree of purity and transparency, as well as its cool shade of green.

Along with diamond and ruby, it is considered one of the most expensive minerals. According to the law “On Currency Regulation” in Russia, this stone is equated to freely convertible currency, that is, it can be exchanged for any foreign currencies, act as payments in international transactions, and also participate in trading on the main foreign exchange markets. Unlike many other beryls, emerald is quite soft. Therefore, if products with green minerals are stored incorrectly, the stones lose their original shine and become dull.

Colorless oil or oil tinted with green pigment will help to enhance natural emeralds and give them a special shine. This method is often used by jewelers from different countries.

Many years ago, the German physicist Goldschmidt, while studying the mineral, discovered that the color of an emerald depends on the amount of chromium or vanadium impurities.

Natural stones, as a rule, have many defects, so it is quite difficult to find gems in nature that are ideal in purity and shade. Thus, during mining, minerals weighing hundreds of carats are found, but have no jewelry value. At the same time, rare pure bluish-green emeralds can cost more than diamonds.

The most valuable emeralds are called “antique”. These stones have a rich dark green color, which samples mined from new deposits do not have.

In nature, there are many minerals similar to emeralds: green garnet, jade, tourmaline, tsavorite, fluorite and other stones of a similar shade. How not to confuse them?

You can distinguish emerald from other green gems using a refractometer. This special device measures the refraction of light that occurs in a particular stone. The emerald indicator is approximately 1.58 units.

Modern technologies

Most often, gem-quality emeralds are relatively small in size, but modern production often uses artificially grown or synthetic minerals. The main growing methods are flux and hydrothermal. To do this, the crystals are placed in an environment whose temperature is about 600 degrees Celsius, and the atmospheric pressure can reach up to 1400 atm.

Jewelers also use the ancient technology of making doublet stones, connecting two small emeralds or an emerald and some other mineral.

Emerald is one of the few stones after which a certain method of cutting minerals, widely used in jewelry production, was named.

This is a type of step cut, in which the stone is given a rectangular shape with beveled corners. The emerald cut protects even the most fragile minerals from damage and chips, and also advantageously represents the color of the stone and its purity.

Southern stone

When valuing expensive stones, their location often plays an important role. So, for example, Kashmiri ones are considered the best, Burmese ones are considered the highest quality rubies, but Colombian ones are recognized as the standard emeralds. It is in Colombia that the famous Muso mines are located, where amazing bright green minerals are mined.

The famous Etbay deposits of Jebel Zubara and Jebel Sikait are located in a mountain range on the Red Sea coast at an altitude of 550 m.

In addition, precious minerals are mined in Eastern and Southern Africa, Egypt, India and Pakistan. In Russia, the Urals are famous for their emerald deposits.

Experts can recognize the “nationality” of each stone by special inclusions characteristic of minerals of a certain country.

In addition to Colombian ones, gems from Zimbabwe are also especially valued, which are still cheaper than standard stones.

Star image

Having never lost its value, this precious mineral is still very relevant today. In the right frame, even classic ones sound new and modern.

Most often the stone has a gold frame. Supplemented with diamonds, jewelry with emeralds looks sophisticated and elegant. Such products will be a wonderful accent to your evening look.

Emerald jewelry may well become a family heirloom. Luxurious gems are preferred by style icons such as Sherlize Theron. Sharon Stone, Beyonce, Cameron Diaz, Dita Von Teese and others.

What is an emerald? First, it is a natural mineral, a transparent variety of beryl. Secondly, this is a stone of the first order, standing on a par with the most famous and expensive gems in the world. The origin of the name refers to the words "esmeralde" (French), "emerald" (English) "smaragdos" (Greek), it means " green stone" The Turkic language contains the word “zumrut”, which came from the Persian language - it is a derivative of “zumurrud”. By its composition and definition, emerald is a mineral consisting of a group of dark green beryls, which are colored with chromium. But there are also minerals that are colored differently chemical- vanadium.

Emerald is on a par with such expensive stones as diamond, sapphire and ruby, but due to its shortcomings it closes this list. Let's take a closer look at this amazing gem and find out what an emerald stone is.

First let's look at the composition and physical properties emerald. The composition of the mineral is beryl, colored with an admixture of chromium (0.14%), sometimes iron (0.12%) and vanadium (0.05%). Thus, the formula of emerald is Be3Al2Si6O18, aluminum beryllium silicate. Formulas with impurities Fe2O3, V2O3, Cr2O3. Typically has a hexagonal crystalline structure and a glassy luster. Minerals are unevenly colored and may have longitudinal changes in color intensity.

Often the free end of the crystal is darker than the base. If the mineral is colored brighter than usual, it has dichroism, that is, when rotated, the emerald is able to change color from one shade to another: for example, from bluish-green to yellow-green. Only the highest quality specimens are transparent. Much more often you can find minerals interspersed with bubbles of gas or liquid, cracks, interspersed with other minerals that the emerald captured during its growth. Stones with a smooth surface are very rare.