Compressed Spring 2026 Issue - Flipbook - Page 70
How to Buy
EMERALD
CITY
It’s not easy being green. Color, treatment,
geography—they all matter when it comes to
the popular gemstone.
BY EMILI VESILIND
1
A
2
ncient Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder
believed that gazing at emeralds could
rest and restore the eyes. We’re inclined to
agree. But the prolific writer could hardly
have imagined that in 2026, choosing and
buying a quality emerald—or emerald
jewelry—would be so complicated. Borderline stressful, even with an emperor’s ransom
jangling in your pockets.
Why so complex? Unlike diamonds, whose quality is judged by a strict
grading system, emeralds—like rubies, opals, and most other colored gemstones—aren’t evaluated on a rigid rubric. To complicate matters further,
emeralds are often treated with oils or polymers to enhance their color and
clarity, adding yet another variable when assessing a stone’s true value.
We turned to gemologist, gem buyer, and colored stone dealer Dave
Bindra (@gemfluencer on Instagram), vice president of operations and
head of acquisitions for B&B Fine Gems in Los Angeles, for advice on how
to assess and buy emeralds and emerald jewelry.
3
Authority Figures
When buying an emerald or jewelry set with emerald,
make sure you’re acquiring it from a trusted, wellknown retailer, brand, or dealer. Convincing fakes
definitely exist in the market, so Bindra recommends
working with a seller associated with a gemologist,
which would include reputable jewelry retailers.
Color + Provenance
1. Oscar Heyman
necklace with 8.72
cts. t.w. pear-shape
emeralds and 17.06
cts. t.w. round
diamonds in gold
and platinum; price
upon request;
oscarheyman.com
2. 3.53 ct. Colombian
emerald from B&B
Fine Gems
2. HOWL 18k yellow
gold Avril ring
with 4.5 cts. t.w.
Colombian emeralds;
price upon request;
handleonlywith
love.com
66 SPRING 2026
The gemologist recommends first looking at the overall
quality of the stone itself: the size, color, and clarity
(how transparent it is). “Then, you have to look at
the nuances of color saturation, the actual hue of the
stone,” Bindra says. “Certain markets will value more
of a blue-green tone than a yellow-green tone.”
Country of origin “also plays a big role in the value
of an emerald,” he adds. Colombian emeralds are the
gold standard because “they tend to be very fine, and a
particular hue [more cool-tone green]. People expect
fine emeralds from Colombia.”
Well-Oiled
Gemstone “treatments,” which include heating, irradiation, and bleaching, almost always result in a lower
valuation for a gemstone, and responsible dealers
should disclose all treatments used. But emeralds are
GEMANDJEWEL.COM
