In a recent parcel of stones, I had a chance to order some honkin’ big emeralds and rubies. They’re 11mm round, 5.40 carats each. I’m fairly confident they’re genuine, from a US jewelry supplier (Halstead). But here’s the trick, and the reason I could afford them- they’re “commercial grade,” and so have so many inclusions that they’re nearly opaque.

Better grades of emerald in this size are a long trip to crazy town, with stops at four, ten, and twenty five thousand dollars… I stopped searching after I hit those numbers.

So even though the next lower grade of these is sandpaper, I still like them. They have a nice color, and larger stones are easier for me to handle. They are good for practicing fabricating prong settings, a technique in which I’m entirely self-taught (and need practice). And they are the real deal- I have some other stones that I’ve bought that are large, but I’m fairly certain they’re fakes. I’d rather not work with fakes or simulants, I greatly prefer to use the real thing- as much as I can, of course. I’m sure I’ve got several stones in my collection that are probably questionable. I have a group of stones that I call my “pirate collection,” that I’m fairly sure are cut glass or some other fraud. I keep them to remind myself to stay vigilant when buying!

Anyway, back to my emerald. Here’s the first one of these set in a necklace.

There are some fine details about this piece that I don’t like, so I may pull the stone and start over- haven’t quite decided yet. A further refinement would six prongs instead of four… the stone is held securely, but as the prongs are made of fine silver, this isn’t the most robust of settings. Stay tuned!

#commercialemerald, #briangilbertfineart, #forgedsilverjewelry