Emeralds and diamonds are some of the most beautiful semi-precious natural stones in the world. Comparing the two varieties could seem like comparing oranges and apples. Regardless of those differences, people usually value these precious stones for similar reasons. Semi-precious stones are mainly compared based on their colour, clarity, brilliance, cut, price, and sparkle.
This article will discuss the characteristics of both of these gemstones as well as compare and contrast them using these criteria. The results from the comparisons will help you decide whether diamonds or emeralds are more precious. To buy diamonds or emeralds, you should visit this link.
Diamonds vs Emeralds
Generally, if diamonds and emeralds were of the same quality, then the emerald will be costlier. However, this is not a strict rule in any way because there are instances when diamonds tend to be quite expensive as compared to emeralds. What separates them are the following factors:
1. Colour
The comparison of diamonds and emeralds starts with colour and colour is the most significant metric value for any gemstone. Many people tend to look at different gemstones with a different idea of the perfect colouration. Diamonds are expected to be clear whereas emeralds are expected to have a deep green colour. Despite possessing different colours, diamonds and emeralds still share the same trait. Many people consider one colour as the preferred state of the semi-precious stone. However, it is important to understand how these stones compare with each other in terms of their colour appearance.
In emeralds, the deeper the green hue, the greater the carat value of the stone. The best emerald would cost tens of thousands of dollars for each carat because of its rarity. On the other hand, a clear diamond is quite valuable but is not as scarce. As a result, the price of a perfect diamond could be half that of similarly perfect emeralds. This means that when it comes to colour, emeralds are more precious.
2. Sparkle
The sparkle of a gemstone is usually the result of several properties working collaboratively. Thus, sparkle is a unique identifier for the majority of gemstones. The form of sparkle is limited to a specific range of stones. More so, the surface of diamonds usually increases the scintillation of the sparkle. This immediately offers diamonds an upper hand since it has a more than average sparkle level.
In contrast, emeralds should not sparkle although there may be a fire effect when the stones are exposed to light. But generally, when emeralds possess somewhat of the sparkle that diamonds have, then it is an indication of poor overall quality.
The difference in terms of the sparkle will eventually come down to personal taste and preference. But when it comes to determining how precious the stones are, extra scarce factors enhance the overall value. That said, diamonds are more precious in terms of sparkle because of the complex nature of the stone.
3. Clarity
The clarity in gemstones is the level of imperfections, inclusions, that a gemstone has. Every naturally-formed precious stone has to have a certain level of inclusion. However, the comparison between diamonds and emeralds is completely different from each other.
Typically, diamonds possess quite high levels of clarity. Therefore, inclusions can be seen if you use some type of visual magnification. On the contrary, it is very rare to obtain emeralds that have no visible inclusions and enhance the gemstone's value instantly.
That said, people need to consider visible clarity in emeralds to be a more precious characteristic. This means that emeralds are the winners when it comes to clarity.
4. Cut
Most people usually assume that the popular representation of the shape of gemstones is natural. However, a gemstone's shape is designed by talented craftsmen. The cut of a precious stone produces stunning effects in the general presentation of the stone. However, the cut is limited by expectation. This means that emeralds and diamonds possess standard cuts that people can anticipate when browsing through a collection.
The major difference between both cuts is the surface area. Cuts of emeralds will typically offer a larger surface area as compared to the cuts of diamonds. The result is that the normal diamond cut will possess more intrinsic value as compared to a normal emerald cut. This gives diamonds an advantage because diamond cuts are rarely used with emeralds.
5. Brilliance
Brilliance is the simplest to measure in the comparison of diamonds and emeralds. The brilliance of a gem is the measure of the general levels of refractive index (RI). As its name suggests, the value of RI is determined by how great a stone refracts light. The greater the value of RI, the more the gemstone will sparkle.
Diamonds boast of a relatively higher RI whose average ranges at about 2.4. On the other hand, emeralds have an average RI of about 1.57. Obviously, a diamond possesses a greater average RI value. However, there are some considerations you need to keep in mind here. If you value brilliance, then it will be easier to obtain in diamonds. However, it is quite rare to obtain emeralds that are on the upper side of their average range.
When determining how precious a gemstone is, you should look at the overall rarity of its trait. Thus, emeralds that have a higher sparkle than average would be rarer as compared to diamonds that sit in the same percentile.
6. Hardness
The hardness of a gemstone is a quite simple category in the comparison of emeralds versus diamonds. Diamonds are usually very hard that they are considered as a defining characteristic. These stones are usually tested on the Mohs scale of hardness. In that ranking, diamonds sit very high on it having a Mohs rating of 10 as compared to emeralds that have a rating of 8.
The variability of the score of emeralds might change from rarity in favour of harder varieties. The hardness of a gemstone is directly relevant to longevity. The important thing when selecting a gemstone is that the longevity of investment is more significant than the sheer possibility of obtaining it from nature. Therefore, when you compare the preciousness of emeralds and diamonds based on hardness, diamonds will emerge top. Diamonds are relatively practical to wear or display as compared to emeralds.
7. Price
The final cost of either diamonds or emeralds will rely on how they combine all the other characteristics. But generally, you can summarize the discussion by narrowing it down to averages. When you frame the discussion of emeralds and diamonds around averages, the carat values will be made the primary metric.
The average carat value of emeralds is about $500 and that of diamonds is about $3250. Of course, there are extremes on both ends. If you opt for an exquisite combination of characteristics, the overall value of emeralds could rise to a maximum of about $27,000 per carat. However, it is always a great idea to check averages when comparing the general costs of both stones. In this category, it means that since diamonds are costlier, they are more precious as compared to emeralds.
Wrapping it Up
The main thing to take from this article is that you should consider each rating when looking to buy precious gemstones. If say, you're intending to purchase a more unique and modern engagement ring for your partner, emeralds will come out top when it comes to colour. It is normal to find considerable variations for emeralds in the generally acceptable colour scheme. Interestingly, imperfections in the stones might enhance the value of emeralds by influencing the colour.
Nevertheless, diamonds still emerge significantly ahead in the majority of the ratings. The pricing of diamonds makes them more precious although exceptions can be allowed for high-end emeralds. But generally, people tend to assume that diamonds are more precious as compared to emeralds.
Keep in mind that when looking for emeralds, you should thoroughly check the colour. The more vivid and deeper the colour is, the grater is its value. Also, the diamonds that possess the greatest value are colourless and are very rare to find. Additionally, although many diamonds tend to appear colourless, they do possess slight tones of brown or yellow. Naturally-coloured diamonds come in many types of shades as well as colours of the rainbow. However, white, red, green, and blue diamonds are quite rare.