The Story Behind the Stone: Why Emeralds Are Almost Never Perfect

Emeralds have a reputation for being one of the most beautiful gemstones in the world.

Their rich green colour is instantly recognisable — but emeralds have another rather unusual characteristic. 

Almost every natural emerald contains inclusions.

These tiny internal features can look like little threads, crystals or blades of grass trapped inside the gemstone. In fact, the French have a lovely word for an emerald's collection of inclusions: Le jardin, meaning “the garden”.

Rather than automatically making an emerald less desirable, these inclusions can be part of what makes a natural emerald so fascinating.

They can also help gemmologists identify a natural emerald and distinguish it from a synthetic stone.

The colour is another important part of an emerald's appeal. The most prized emeralds tend to have a strong, vivid green colour with good rich saturation, although emeralds naturally occur in a range of green shades.

Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl — the same mineral family that gives us aquamarine. Its green colour comes mainly from tiny amounts of chromium, vanadium, or sometimes both.

Emeralds have a hardness of around 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, but their natural inclusions can make them more vulnerable to knocks and fractures. Many emeralds are also treated with oils or other substances to improve their appearance, so harsh cleaning methods and sudden changes in temperature aren't a good idea. You need to take care of them. 

This is one gemstone where perfection isn't necessarily the goal.

An emerald doesn't have to be completely clear to be beautiful.

In fact, those tiny internal details are often part of its story — a reminder that you're looking at something amazing that formed naturally rather than something made to look clear and perfect.