Green is the venerable color of life, nature, growth, and renewal. What better color symbol can there be to wear as jewelry? Here are some top, green stone choices for extraordinary, vibrant, green gemstone jewelry pieces.
Emerald: King of Green Jewels
For more than a thousand years, the King of Green gems has been beautiful, resplendent, emerald. The most valued member of the mineral species beryl, emerald jewelry heralds the green hue to which all other green jewels compare. Finest emerald will actually “glow” with rich, saturated, pure, grass-green color.
On the Mohs hardness scale, emerald is rated as fairly hard with a score of 7.5-8 out of 10. However, overall toughness for emerald is generally rated as poor to good because it is relatively brittle. Also, emerald often occurs with natural inclusions, or flaws, that make it more vulnerable to breakage. Therefore, emeralds in jewelry, especially emerald rings, are best if handled and worn with care. Stones that are set skillfully with protection in mind will endure.
It is common and acceptable for emerald to be treated with oil, wax or epoxy-like fillers. Treatments should be disclosed. Emeralds may be retreated if necessary. Emerald's refractive index is not the highest of gemstones.
Tourmaline: Sensational, Intense Green Color
Other gems capable of displaying sensational, saturated, intense green color are the green varieties of tourmaline. A jewel with a long history, ancient mystics believed that tourmaline encouraged artistic intuition. Also, until the 18th century, green tourmaline was misidentified as emerald.
Today, green tourmaline is plentiful and may be found in a variety of shades, from pleasingly light to deep and dark. Often, saturated, top-color, intense, medium-green tourmaline is colored by chromium. This very verdurous variety is referred to as chrome tourmaline. Best specimens are not overly dark.
Also, vanadium and paraiba tourmaline varieties come in bright, hot, stunning and often electric blue-green and sea-green hues.
An interesting characteristic of tourmaline is its ability to become electrically charged when heated or compressed at one end. Also, the doubly refractive gem’s crystals are pleochroic, meaning they appear darker when viewed from one direction of the stone. This characteristic means that dark and very light stones are faceted differently in order to bring out the best colors of each.
Tourmailne is rated 7-7.5 in the Mohs hardness scale and is only slightly brittle. The stones are most durable and suitable to wear as jewelry. Some may be heat-treated, however, some treated stones may be more brittle than untreated gems.
For more colored gemstone information, read about red gems and yellow gems.
Demantoid Garnet: Fiery Newbie Green Gem
Rarest and most valuable of the green garnets is andradite, usually known as demantoid. First discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia during the mid-1800s, this lovely, crystalline, green stone has high luster and dispersion, much like a diamond. In fact, a demantoid’s dispersion, or ability to separate light into colors, is actually significantly greater than that of a diamond.
Unique to demantoid, interior inclusions of asbestos-fibers that resemble horsetails are considered positive features, as well as indicators that a gem was mined from the coveted source in the Urals. Also, demantoid garnets are mined in Namibia and other locations. This rare, precious jewel is highly valued and collected. Large stones are scarce. Again, the best color is a medium, emerald-color green. With hardness of 6.5, jewelry care is advised.
Tsavorite Garnet: Rich Green Newcomer
Tsavorite garnet is another highly prized and rare, bright green garnet. It is the most valued of the grossular garnet group. Discovered in Tanzania in the 1960’s and later found in Kenya. It is named after the Tsavo National Park.
Although available in all shades of green, most favored is the purest medium green, and the finest of these gemstones can look remarkably like emerald. Stones of exquisite emerald-green color, coupled with transparency and clarity, are quite pricey. Large sizes are hard to come by. Hardness at no less than 6.5 indicates care should be taken when worn, especially for ring jewelry.
Peridot: Ancient Verdant Green Beauty
Thousands of years ago, Egyptians wore transparent green gems that came from a small Red Sea Island. Many of Cleopatra’s “emeralds” were most likely peridot. During its early history, the pretty green gem was known as topaz, later, it became known as peridot. Legend says that the wearer of peridot is protected from evil spirits. Also, it is said to be an aid to friendship and cure for certain diseases.
Attractive, yet affordable, clear stones with the most pure, dark green color, without yellow modifiers, are best. Larger stones are becoming more rare.
Peridot has good brilliance. Moderate hardness of 6.5, and just fair to good toughness indicate that without care, this gem may be prone to scratching and chipping over time.
Chrysoberyl: Stunning and Scarce Chartreuse
Chrysoberyl — most familiar in its cat's eye cabochon form, and its coveted color-changing alexandrite form — is a very rare, highly regarded, extremely collectible gem that features top luster, brilliance and toughness. Usually golden-yellow, greenish-yellow, or green-yellow, this is an excellent, durable jewelry stone that is often overlooked because it is not readily available to the public.
The name chrysoberyl comes from the Greek word for gold, and the gem has been collected since ancient times. Nearly as hard as sapphire, the Mohs hardness rating is 8.5. Chrysoberyl is doubly refractive with pleochroism.
More Colored Gemstones for Jewelry
For true lovers of all that is green, some yellow gems actually appear yellowish green or greenish yellow and are worth looking into as "green" jewelry candidates. For contrast, red gemstones (which are opposite from green on the color wheel) are an excellent choice and are suitable for daily wear jewelry.
Claire Eddins - Writer/editor, award-winning photographer Claire Eddins collects gems, horses, and obsesses over home, art, and design.
