Rago Auctions

From Cleopatra to Incan emperors, emeralds have captured our imagination for millennia. Their lush green color and glowing appearance has garnered some of the highest per carat prices of any colored gemstone: in 2011, Elizabeth Taylor’s emerald necklace sold for a staggering 6.5 million dollars. 

Emeralds are a variety of the gem beryl, which also includes aquamarine and morganite. Chromium lends emerald its green hue, and stones from Colombia tend to have a higher concentration of this element, resulting in their purity of color. What is it about Colombian emeralds, in particular, that inspires such adoration? It is their spectacular color and clarity. Colombia has been the mining center of the finest emeralds for hundreds of years. The three primary mining sites are Muzo, Chivor and Coscuez, known to the world for producing emeralds that have a pure green hue with little to no modifying color such as blue or yellow.

The Colombian emerald pendant on offer here exhibits all the best qualities of stones from this region. The color is highly saturated and even throughout, and it has very good transparency with minor clarity enhancement, which is rare for this gem. What makes this stone even more alluring is its unusual pear shape. Emerald’s bright green hue stands for fertility, birth, growth and prosperity. As everything is coming to life in the spring, it is very apropos that emerald is the birthstone for the month of May.