Education
Diamond Education
- Diamond Buying Guide
- Diamond Cut
- Diamond Cut Types
- Ideal Cut Diamonds
- Hearts and Arrows Diamonds
- What is Diamond Depth
- Diamond Table
- Lab Diamond Cut
- Antique Cut Diamonds
- Brilliant Cut Diamonds
- Rose Cut Diamonds
- What Is The Most Expensive Diamond Cut?
- What Are Step Cut Diamonds?
- Diamond Bow Ties
- How Are Diamonds Cut
- Diamond Brilliance
- Spread Diamonds
- Diamond Fire
- Crushed Ice Diamonds
- Diamond Carat
- Diamond Color
- Diamond Clarity
- IF Diamonds
- FL Diamonds
- Diamond Inclusions Guide
- Flawless vs Internally Flawless
- Which Diamond Clarity Is Best?
- VS2 vs VS1: Diamond Clarity Comparison
- VVS2 vs VVS1: Diamond Clarity Comparison
- SI2 vs SI1: Diamond Clarity Comparison
- SI1 vs VS2: Diamond Clarity Comparison
- VS1 vs VVS2: Diamond Clarity Comparison
- Accent Diamond Clarity
- Lab Diamond Clarity
- SI Diamonds
- VS Diamonds
- VVS Diamonds
- Diamond Shape
- Lab Diamond Shape
- Asscher
- Cushion
- Emerald
- Marquise
- Oval
- Pear
- Princess
- Radiant
- Round
- Which Diamond Cut Is Best?
- Round vs Princess Diamond Cut
- Round vs Cushion Diamond Cut
- Cushion vs Princess Diamonds
- Cushion vs Oval Cut Diamonds
- Emerald vs Asscher Cut Diamond
- Princess vs Marquis Diamonds
- Princess vs Radiant Cut Diamonds
- Cushion vs Asscher Cut Diamonds
- Emerald vs Radiant Cut Diamonds
- Oval vs Marquise Cut Diamonds
- Oval vs Pear Cut Diamonds
- Pear vs Marquise Cut Diamonds
- Emerald vs Cushion Cut Diamonds
- Elongated Cushion Cut Diamonds
- Diamond Certification
- Diamond Fluorescence
- Diamond Symmetry
- Diamond Polish
- Diamond Girdle
- Diamond Culet
- Diamond Pricing
- Diamond Sourcing
- Diamond Size Chart Carat & MM
- Natural vs Synthetic Diamonds
- History Of Lab Grown Diamonds
- How Diamonds Are Formed
- Diamond 4 C's
- Fancy Colored Diamonds
- Engraved Rings
- NY Diamond District
Engagement Ring Education
- How To Buy Engagement Rings
- Affordable Engagement Rings
- Cost of a One Carat Diamond
- How To Buy A Lab Diamond Ring
- How to Buy An Engagement Ring In a Time Crunch
- How to Choose An Engagement Ring
- How to Pick Your Engagement Ring Budget
- Engagement Rings For Second Marriage
- Best Time to Buy An Engagement Ring
- How to Buy An Engagement Ring As a Couple
- Everything You Need to Know About Dainty Engagement Rings
- Future Mother In Law's Guide to Engagement Ring Shopping
- Engagement Ring Financing
- Why You Need an Engagement Ring Appraisal
- Best Round Cut Engagement Rings
- Best Square Cut Engagement Ring
- Top Teardrop Engagement Rings
- Best Asscher Cut Engagement Rings
- Best Oval Cut Engagement Rings
- Best Radiant Cut Engagement Rings
- Best Marquise Cut Engagement Rings
- Twisting Rings
- Best Emerald Cut Engagement Rings
- Best Cushion Cut Engagement Rings
- Best Dainty Engagement Rings
- Best Unique Engagement Rings
- Best Traditional Diamond Engagement Rings
- Best Split Shank Diamond Engagement Rings
- Top 10 Square Halo Engagement Rings
- Top 10 Unusual Engagement Rings
- Black Diamond Engagement Rings
- Edwardian Engagement Rings
- Antique Style Engagement Rings
- Nature Inspired Engagement Ring
- Filigree Rings
- Art Deco Rings
- Wide Band Engagement Rings
- Infinity Engagement Rings
- Best Two Tone Diamond Engagement Rings
- Victorian Style Engagement Rings
- Minimalistic Engagement Rings
- Big Style Engagement Rings
- Cute Style Engagement Rings
- Modern Style Engagement Rings
- Past Present and Future Rings
- Most Expensive Celebrity Engagement Rings
- Noteworthy Celebrity Engagements (and Rings) of 2017
- Thin Engagement Rings
- Pretty Style Engagement Rings
- Double Band Engagement Rings
- 1 Carat Diamond Ring
- Top Princess Cut Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Cushion Cut Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Women's Rose Gold Engagement Rings
- Top Round Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Sapphire and Diamond Engagement Rings
- Top East West Engagement Rings
- Top Pave Engagement Rings
- Top Split Shank Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Unique Halo Engagement Rings
- Rose Gold Pear Shaped Engagement Rings
- Top Yellow Gold Pear Shaped Engagement Rings
- Top Oval Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Cushion Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Yellow Gold Engagement Rings
- Top Marquise Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Yellow Gold Cushion Cut Engagement Rings
- Top Emerald Cut Three Stone Engagement Rings
- Top Bypass Engagement Rings
- Top Rose Gold Cushion Cut Engagement Rings
- Top Rose Gold Oval Engagement Rings
- Top Emerald Cut Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Yellow Gold Oval Engagement Rings
- Top Rose Gold Emerald Cut Engagement Rings
- Top Oval Three Stone Engagement Rings
- Top Floating Diamond Engagement Rings
- Top Cushion Cut Three Stone Engagement Rings
- Top Princess Cut Three Stone Engagement Rings
- Top Simple Engagement Rings
- Vintage Style Engagement Rings
- Types of Accent Diamonds
- Everything You Need to Know Before Setting Diamonds
- Engagement Ring Prong Guide
- All About Ring Resizing
- Identifying Your Ring After A Repair
- Everything You Need to Know About Milgrain
- Everything You Need to Know About Wide Band Engagement Rings
- Eternity Rings vs Infinity Rings
- When To Propose
- What Are Baguette Diamond Engagement Rings
- What to Say When You Propose
- What Are the Groom's Parents Responsible For?
Gemstone Education
Jewelry Education
Metal Education


Natural Emerald Grading
Emeralds are most commonly graded on four factors: color, clarity, cut, and carat weight. Emerald color is by far the biggest factor that establishes the value and quality of natural emeralds.
Emerald Color and Emerald Color Chart
In natural emeralds, color is evaluated by three categories: hue, tonal grade, and saturation. Tonal grade establishes the degree of darkness or lightness of green that is found in the gem. Natural emeralds have a wide variety of green tones, including Very Light, Light, Medium Light, Medium and Medium. You can see the difference in actual natural stones below in our emerald color chart.
Generally speaking, a high-quality emerald will have a tone in the Medium to Very Dark range. But emeralds can fall into any of those categories. The tonal grade alone doesn't determine the true quality of an emerald. Hue and saturation also have to be considered.
Hue refers to the type of green color an emerald has. For example, a natural emerald could be referred to as “bluish-green” or “yellowish-green.” Most emeralds on the market today are Colombian, and Colombian emeralds present a “bluish-green” color.
Saturation is what gives the color of an emerald its intensity and strength. Emerald saturation can range from very dull green to pure and vivid. For example, “Medium Dark” stones are generally considered high quality. However, if the stone has a dull saturation, the overall quality of it is lowered. On the other hand, if a “Medium Light” stone sparkles with vivid saturation, it will be more appealing. That’s why emeralds are graded by all three categories.
Emerald Grading Scale
Emeralds are gemstones. Therefore, they can be graded by the preferred grading system for all gemstones: Natural AAA, AA, or A.
- Natural AAA: This is the highest quality. It represents are the top 10% of gemstones. Natural AAA emeralds are rich green, moderately to slightly included, and they exhibit very high brilliance.
- Natural AA: This is the second-best category for gemstones. Natural AA gemstones account for 20-30% of all gemstones. Emeralds in this category are medium green and may include moderate inclusions.
- Natural A: This category accounts for 50 to 75% of all gemstones. Natural A emeralds are dark green, heavily included, and opaque. They are still good, but they are considered to be of a lower quality compared to the two categories above.
Apart from Natural AAA, AA, and A, there’s also a category called Heirloom/Rare Emerald. This is the highest quality, even better than AAA. They are extremely rare and expensive.
Emerald Clarity
Emerald clarity refers to what the gemstone looks like on the inside. The clarity of emeralds makes them different from any other gemstone. Most emeralds have inclusions which include small bits of gasses, other minerals and crystals, and liquids that the emeralds take on during the crystallization process. It’s normal for emeralds to have inclusions — in fact, around 99% of all natural emeralds will include them. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) created three categories of clarity types for colored gemstones. They include Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 gemstones. Emeralds naturally fall into the Type 3 gemstone category.
- Type 1 gemstones: These are typically inclusion free, or almost inclusion free.
- Type 2 gemstones: These gemstones are usually included.
- Type 3 gemstones: These are almost always included.
Inclusions in Emeralds
Inclusions are normal in emeralds, but if there are too many, the gemstone will start to look less like a crystal. Too many inclusions can also compromise how durable a stone is, and they can lower the value if they’re too close to the surface. Low-clarity emeralds will have too many inclusions, especially ones close to the surface. However, it’s important to understand that inclusions are a natural part of emeralds, and you should always expect to find them. Inclusions in emeralds are special, and if an emerald doesn't have any inclusions it could be synthetic, or an imitation.
Emerald Treatments
Since emeralds are naturally included, it has become standard practice to treat the stones with oils or resins to enhance their clarity. Cedar oil is most commonly used to improve emeralds' clarity, therefore improving its overall quality and grade.
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