Emeralds have been mined in the mountains of the Urals since the 19th century.The fame of magnificent stones has long spread far beyond Russia. Ural emeralds are valued all over the world, and the cost of some nuggets sometimes exceeds even the cost of diamonds.
Unique field
In many ways, the quality of jewelry stonesdue to geological features of the place in which they were mined. The Mariinsky field in the mountains of the Urals is considered unique. Its depths are rich not only in emeralds, but also in other minerals. They produce alexandrite, phenacite, beryl. The amazing qualities of the Ural gems cause a high content of iron and chromium impurities. Thanks to these elements, the Ural emeralds are considered among the best in the world.
Chemical features
In fact, emerald is a varietythe mineral beryl, even the chemical formula of these stones is the same: Al2 [Be3 (Si6O18)]. Only emerald has a much deeper green color. It is caused by impurities of chromium. Emeralds are much more expensive than beryl, which is explained by their lower distribution. Of course, beryl is mined at times more. Emerald nuggets are especially rare with good transparency, high weight, valuable color. The most expensive are transparent Ural emeralds with rich green color. In addition, the price depends on the number of cracks and other mineral impurities.
Color classification
- Color number 1 - dark green and even bluish-green.
- Color number 2 - rich green.
- Color number 3 - medium green.
- Color number 4 - light green.
- Color number 5 - slightly green, almost colorless.
Purity classification
This Ural emerald is a stone thatalways has blotches. Stones without impregnations with a high color characteristic, especially of a large size, are in most cases counterfeits. Jewelers distinguish the following categories of purity:
- G1 - with rare, almost invisible patches.
- G2 - with clots in separate zones, which can be viewed 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
Ural is famous not only for precious stonesbut also skillful craftsmen. Cutting is as important as the color and purity of the stone. Ural emeralds are used to create jewelry, as well as used as a source of investment. This is not surprising - over the years, the cost of a good stone in a high-quality cut only increases.
На Урале работает несколько ювелирных заводов, widely used in the work of the noble emerald. In addition, the factories offer customers both cut stones without rims, as well as polished cabochons. Some ingots of emeralds with low transparency and low indicators of chromaticity are also valued in jewelry, sometimes even higher than ornamental stones.
Работают с этим драгоценным камнем не только large plants and not only in the Urals. This stone was also loved by private masters. 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 one’s business allow one to create surprisingly beautiful jewelry from simpler nuggets. In the photo below - the work of a master from Slovakia, the Ural emeralds in silver.
The legendary Zykina 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 collection of jewelry is world famous.
Among other exhibits, it also has jewelry with Ural emeralds. In the photo - a yellow gold ring decorated with diamonds:
On the example of the beloved jewelry of the great Russianof the singer, we can make sure that not only gold and platinum cuts are suitable for this magnificent gem. Silver also perfectly complements the Ural emeralds. The photo below is a set of Lyudmila Zykina from a ring and earrings.
Of course, stones are more suitable for silverlow degree of transparency, in which blotches are visible. They are also beautiful in their own way; one wants to consider their unique structure again and again. The headset described above is a wonderful testimony of how subtly the master felt the value and natural beauty of emerald. Grinding gave the stones a shape that resembles the natural shape of a nugget. And the crystals decorated with crystals, hugs and pins emphasized the belonging of gems to the first group of precious stones.
Another thing is transparent bright green emeralds.They have a place in a gold frame. A scattering of small diamonds emphasizes a deep noble color. A great example is a ring from the same world famous collection.
Interesting facts about the 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. This is a translucent ingot of bright green color.
Some emeralds, especially large nuggets, have an explosive character. This is not a joke at all - because of the voltage inside the crystal, an emerald can explode!
And there are those that are not used to create beautiful jewelry, but for solid-state lasers.
In 1963, a postage stamp was issued in the USSR,dedicated to the Ural emerald deposits. Since its circulation is limited, today it is of great value to philatelists. And the postal denomination of the stamp was 10 kopecks, which is quite a lot by Soviet standards.
The Ural emeralds also fell into the royal collections. It is these stones that adorn the crown of the Romanov dynasty.
Certification
Certified Ural emeralds can be sold not only to jewelry factories that have the relevant documents, but also to private individuals.
Certification is needed for quality control and protection.Buyer from fakes. Still, buying a faceted nugget is a serious matter. Typically, such acquisitions are made for the purpose of investing money, or an emerald is bought as a gift. In any case, this is not just a purchase, it is an investment of capital, sometimes even more reliable than in currency, real estate or securities.
The certificate describes the weight of the stone, shape,which the jeweler gave him, carat weight. And besides, two numbers must be indicated through a fraction. For example, 23. They indicate that it is a stone of color No. 2 with transparency G3. That is, in simple terms, bright green with abundant splashes.
Unfortunately, no certificate can describe the bewitching beauty of a stone, its unique color, depth, intricate dance of inclusions. All this is worth seeing with your own eyes.
