Exceptionally Nice Antique Genuine Natural Siberian One-Third Carat Faceted Oval Emerald.

CLASSIFICATION: Faceted Emerald Oval.

ORIGIN: The Ural Mountains, Russia. 19th Century.

SIZE: Length: 6mm. Width: 4mm. All measurements approximate

WEIGHT: 0.35 carats.

NOTES: Upon request we can set your gemstones as a ring, pendant, or as earrings.

DETAIL: The Roman emperor Nero reportedly watched chariot races and gladiator contests through lenses made of emeralds, the emeralds from Egypt where they had been mined since 2,000 B.C. A simply superb, exceptionally good quality natural emerald precious gemstone from the Southern Urals, hand faceted in the 19th century. Emeralds are nearly 100 times rarer than diamonds, and there are few opportunities to acquire such good quality natural emeralds at reasonable prices. The best specimens can bring over $40,000 a carat. This gorgeous precious gemstone possesses the crystal clear pale mint green color possessed by only the best quality emeralds. It is a very nice quality specimen no worse than eye clean. You can see in these photo enlargements that there are very few discernible imperfections. In fact this particular gemstones is so clean, so clear that it was exceedingly difficult to image.

Most commonly emeralds are included with various bits and pieces known as "jardin", French for "garden". Most emeralds literally have a garden of inclusions, and most emeralds consequentially are not transparent as is this one, rather they are merely translucent. Unfortunately most transparent "emeralds" sold even by the largest and most reputable retailers in the United States are synthetic (read the fine print; and the same is true of rubies and sapphires), they are not natural gemstones. Why would you buy synthetic emeralds at the mall when you can have the real thing? The trained eye will easily discern from the photo that the gemstone has been hand-faceted. The coarseness of the 19th century faceting is considered appealing to most gemstone collectors, and is not considered a detriment. Unlike today's computer controlled machine processes, the cut and finish of gemstones such as this is the legacy of an artisan who lived two centuries ago. Such antique hand-faceted gemstones possess much greater character and appeal than today's mass-produced machine-faceted gemstones.

HISTORY: Emeralds have been since ancient times one of the most highly valued of all gemstones. Even today gem-quality emeralds are so rare they are considered more valuable than diamonds. The name "emerald" comes indirectly from the Greek "smaragdos", a name that was given to a number of gemstones having little in common except a green color. Emerald has been cherished since about 4,000 B.C., when they were traded at the earliest known gem market in Babylon. The ancient world's source for these precious gemstones was Egyptian emerald mines near the Red Sea, which were worked as early as 2000 B.C. There is documentation pertaining to emeralds in ancient Egypt during the life of Pharaoh Sesostris III in the 19th century B.C. To the ancient Egyptians, emerald's green color stood for fertility and rebirth, and emeralds were used to treat eye diseases.

The Greeks worked these mines in the time of Alexander the Great and throughout the Ptolemaic Dynasty. The Greeks regarded the emerald as the sacred stone of the goddess Venus and of the Earth Goddess. These same mines later provided the last Ptolemaic monarch, Cleopatra VII, Queen of Egypt, wonderful emeralds she was often depicted and described as wearing. Though lost for many centuries, extensive remains of "Cleopatra's Mines" were discovered about 1817; and are located near the Red Sea coast, east of Aswan. The Roman emperor Nero reportedly watched chariot races and gladiator contests through lenses made of emeralds. To the early Christians, the emerald was a symbol for immortality and faith, and also was generally regarded as a symbol of kindness. These beliefs, though held by both Greek and Roman culture, probably originated with Egyptian and Sumerian culture.

"Cleopatra's Mines" in Upper Egypt provided Europe with emeralds all the way through the 16th century A.D. Though by today's standards the ancient Egyptian mines produced relatively small and poor quality gemstones, in the days of the Russian Czars, emeralds were the most prized of the Russian Crown Jewels. In the 18th century, Columbian emeralds started arriving as a result of the Spanish plunder of South American Indians. Emeralds are a variety of the mineral beryl. The blue variety of beryl is aquamarine. Although beautiful in color, emeralds tend to be very "dirty" in that it typically contains a lot of inclusions known as "jardin," French for "garden". Seen under magnification, an Emerald reveals inclusions that resemble the foliage in a garden, or moss. The Emerald was among the dearest treasures of the gem markets of Babylon, and today - nearly six thousand years later - this lovely stone remains one of the most valuable objects in the world. Flawless specimens of good color and size are exceedingly rare and command higher prices than diamonds of equal weight. Most of the world's emeralds are produced in Colombia, India, and in the Siberian Region of Russia.

SHIPPING OPTIONS: All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price. Most of these antique gemstones were originally part of two collections, one originating in India principally composed of gemstones originally mined in India, Burma, Ceylon, and Siam, and then hand faceted in India. The addition of a second accumulation of antique gemstones originally mined in the Urals in the mid to late 19th century (including alexandrite) completed the collection. These gemstones as well were hand finished. The Urals have been one of the world's major sources of precious and semi-precious gemstones for many centuries. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers in Eastern Europe and Asia. These antique gemstones are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery.

We ship inventory from the USA order fulfillment center near Seattle, Washington. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipping within 48 hours of payment. A certificate of authenticity is available upon request. We prefer your personal check or money order over any other form of payment - and we will ship immediately upon receipt of your check (no "holds"). We will accept PayPal payments. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE".