What Does An Emerald Mine Look Like

Even if they can be set without damage they aren t likely to last long in the setting.

What does an emerald mine look like.

This specimen is about 6 5 centimeters in height and has the blue green color and medium dark tone that is common in many emeralds mined in zambia. Cracks look like little hairs or threads on the plane of a facet. Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl be 3 al 2 sio 3 6 colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. We found a few specimens like this where you could see small green crystals in the rock with close inspection or magnification.

Most emeralds are highly included so their toughness resistance to breakage is classified as generally poor. A greater variety of minerals have been found in north carolina than in any other state more than 300 including some of the most valuable and unique gems in the world. North carolina designated the emerald as the official state precious stone in 1973. Raw emeralds like cut emeralds are all green but the shade of green varies from blue green to pale yellow green to a rich forest green.

Check the emerald with a loupe using reflected light to check for cracks and inclusions. In the photo this looks a lot like the aventurine green quartz that you can find at the mine but the crystals and color are more like emerald. Beryl has a hardness of 7 5 8 on the mohs scale. Emeralds with many flaws and cracks around the corners aren t good candidates for setting in jewelry.