Is Emerald Durable For Daily Wear Jewelry?

We often get confused when we hear the name ‘Emerald’ because it is the name of a gemstone and a gemstone cut as well. Surprisingly both emeralds are popular because they’ve adorned many celebrities and influencers on many occasions. In this write-up, we will stick to the mesmerizing green gemstone- emerald. You might have heard much folklore about this gemstone, but we will get you some interesting scientific facts about this gemstone. By the time you reach the conclusion part, you will have an idea whether emerald jewelry, such as an emerald bracelet, emerald ring, or emerald earrings, are durable enough for daily wear purposes or not.
Let us start judging emeralds by understanding some facts about them, such as their occurrence, chemical properties, and physical properties. 

Occurrence And History

The first known emerald mines were in Egypt and the famous queen Cleopatra was known for having a collection of these mesmerizing green gemstones. There are many other green gemstones, such as tsavorite and peridot, but emerald is the most preferred one. Emerald deposits occur mainly in the Precambrian series in Eastern Brazil, South Africa, Eastern Africa, India, Madagascar and Australia. They also occur in younger volcano-sedimentary series in Canada, China, Pakistan, Russia, and Spain. As the gemstone forms after exposure to extreme temperature and pressure for a long time, it is tough and durable. So the occurrence of emeralds says that your emerald bracelet and other emerald jewelry will be durable.

Chemical Composition

The chemical composition of a gemstone is mainly responsible for its appearance and response to other environmental factors. Emerald gemstone is a variety of mineral beryl. It has a chemical formula of (Be3Al2(SiO3)6). It gets its green color from trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium. Because emeralds get their color naturally due to the presence of trace elements and not because of any external factor, they don’t get dull with time. The chemical composition of emeralds makes them almost neutral toward environmental factors, so from this perspective, they can also be considered durable gemstones.  

Physical Properties Of Emerald

The physical properties of any gemstone mainly include hardness and 4Cs. 4Cs are cut, clarity, carat weight, and color. Hardness of emerald is 7.5 -8 on the Mohs scale of hardness, making it resistant to chipping off from the common objects of daily use. We had already discussed the color of this gemstone, but the shades of green range between blueish green and vivid green. If we pick cut from the 4Cs, we will find that emeralds stay durable even in the most delicate gemstone cut - marquise,  because they have a fair hardness score. Next, we have carat weight. Emerald gemstones of even small sizes or lower carat weight are durable because of their good hardness score. Although the fourth C-clarity has nothing to do with the durability of emeralds, we shouldn’t make the fourth C feel left out. So, most emeralds are eye clean and do not have any surface inclusions. 

Overall we can say that physical properties also give a green flag to the durability of emeralds.

A jewel is not all about the gemstone. There are some other factors as well which make it fragile or durable. So without getting into the next technical jargon, let us understand these factors in simple words. 

• Type Of Jewelry 

You might have noticed that earrings are delicate and emerald bracelets are sturdy. Rings with a thick shank and bezel setting are durable. Be it an earring, bracelet, or ring, emeralds look perfectly well in every type of jewelry. Celebrities and influencers also accepted its supremacy by adorning themselves with emerald jewelry on many remarkable occasions. So you can go for any emerald jewel, focusing on its durability without bothering about its appearance. 

• Metal Of Jewelry 
  
  Not all metals are equally tough and durable. A jewel includes both a gemstone and the metal on which it is studded. In the case of traditional yellow gold, durability decreases with the increase in purity. 14k yellow gold is tougher than 24k gold. The purest gold is too soft to be transformed into a jewel. White metal platinum is tougher than yellow gold. On the other hand, 14K white gold is tougher than platinum. So choose a metal wisely to add life to your emerald bracelet. 

• Wearer’s Lifestyle 

Not everyone is lucky enough to get a bed of roses. Some of us have a really tough lifestyle. Emerald is a tough gemstone and if you have emerald jewelry made with a tough metal, it can survive scratches from objects of daily use. If your everyday routine demands you to deal with extremely tough objects or hard chemicals then you should put off your emerald bracelet or ring for the time being.   

We hope we have made it clear enough for you to understand whether your emerald jewelry is fit for your everyday accessorizing needs or not. So accessorize yourself with an emerald jewel if it goes well with your requirements and impresses your loved one with your unique styling sense.