The Teadora was met with speculation and doubt to it’s authenticity. Read about what happened as well as what to look out for when buying natural emeralds.
Real or Fake? It's Still Up For Debate
Natural emeralds are still one of the most prized and valuable jewels in the world. If you are familiar with the history of this gemstone, you’ll know that the first sale recorded was around 4000 BC in a Babylonian market.
In modern times, there are mainly three countries that are coined as main producers of natural emeralds. These countries include Brazil, Zambia and Columbia. Interestingly, Brazil produces the bulk of stones every year. However, the ones that are mined from Columbia are considered the finest in the world, setting the standard for color as well as size.
The World’s Largest Cut Emerald Weighs 11 Kilos and Has 57,000 Carats, But is It?
If you really love emeralds, then you’re going to be blown away at what happen at the end of January. Of all the wonderful natural emeralds in existence, a Canadian businessmen put what’s considered the world’s biggest cut emerald on auction.
It’s called the Teodora, which is the “gift of god” in Portuguese. It’s over 57,000 carats and weighing more than 11 kilos. It was originally mined in Brazil, but Reagan Reaney who is the current owner, bought it from an Indian buyer.
There have been a lot of doubts as to the natural emeralds authenticity. Some of the doubt arose because emeralds of this size seldom ever occur naturally. Also, during the examination process, there was a some evidence that this particular stone had been dyed.
You’re probably aware that this is done quite often to deceive purchasers and buyers, so that the stone’s original color can’t be determined. In the world of natural emeralds, its color determines the value.
Natural emeralds are actually a very rare type of mineral beryl. This is very important because if its green, it’s valuable. On the other hand, the white beryl variety is pretty much worthless.
The Gem is Appraised at $1.15 million with the opening Bid Starting at $500,000
This stone has been the rage in the media and it created a huge interest, excitement and anticipation for the auction up until the current owner Reagan Reaney was arrested on fraud charges right before the auction. There was no information however to indicate if the arrest was related to the stone.
The gem had been appraised at 1.15 million dollars and the opening bid for this huge stone was going to start at $500,000. However, because of speculation over the authenticity of the stone and the surprise arrest, it didn’t sell.
After examining the Teadora, experts couldn’t confirm that it was the biggest emerald, mainly because it might not be 100% natural. The dye used to enhance the stone makes it very difficult to determine it’s composition. It could possibly be only white beryl with parts of natural emerald spread throughout the stone.
Also, because of the surface cracks and inclusion veins, the main selling point of the stone was mainly because of it’s size. And some experts have labeled it as merely a novelty stone.
How To Determine the Value and Quality of Natural Emeralds
There is often some confusion with the quality of natural emeralds and enhancements. Here are some facts that can help clear up the misinformation about the value of your emeralds, so you can understand their value and know what they look like.
Natural Emeralds are One of the Most Prized Gemstones in the World
- They’re green – The color is very important. If it’s too light of a green, then you might be looking at green beryl as opposed to natural emeralds.
- Natural emeralds are never treated by heat unlike other gemstones such as sapphire, tanzanite and rubies.
- Emeralds are much harder than tourmaline, quartz and tanzanite, but they’re not as hard as diamonds, sapphires or rubies.
- Enhancements used on natural emeralds are not used to hold or glue the Emerald together – Resin, polymers and oils are often used to reduce the appearance of inclusions. You might find in the marketplace composite emeralds that are in fact glued together. Fortunately, their very easy to spot and avoid.
- The proper enhancements never altar the emeralds color unless of course green colored oil has been utilized. You should always clean natural emeralds with lukewarm soapy water. This is so you don’t mistakenly remove any treatments that a been applied to the stone.
- The only time untreated natural emeralds are of more value, is when they looks the same as the treated Emerald. If you go ahead and remove any clarity enhancements from the stone, that doesn’t mean it becomes more valuable. There are reasons why these enhancements are made, because it makes the Emerald look much better.
- Natural emeralds don’t dry out and they don’t need to keep being oiled on a consistent basis. The stones are not treated to be stabilized like you would see with opals or turquoise. With this said, it’s smart to avoid extreme temperatures, because this can affect the longevity and stability of the enhancements.
With all gemstones, including natural emeralds, it’s still a good idea to look for the best quality stone that you can afford that fits in your budget. It’s not always the size that matters, because the quality will win out every time. The higher quality gemstones will always retain their value even during the many market fluctuations.
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