The Emerald Ring - The Perfect Anniversary Gift

Shopping for the perfect anniversary gift for your wife can be extremely difficult, not to mention exhausting.  Whatever you buy her, you can hear in the background “Why did you buy me that thing, it’s really not romantic.”  No matter what you bring home, she won’t be satisfied – unless, of course, you buy her some jewelry.  Diamonds are too expensive, gold earrings are too common, but an emerald ring might just be the perfect gift.  It’s unusual enough and absolutely stunning if it’s in the right setting. 

A little bit about emeralds and emerald rings
Like the name implies, the emerald ring contains the beautiful green emerald natural gemstone.  The emerald stone comes from the beryl family of gems. The amazing deep rich color of green is produced when the clear beryl stone contains traces of either chromium or vanadium.  Beryl gems come in a multitude of other colors as well – aquamarine, pink, yellow, and gold.  It even comes in an extremely rare gemstone color of red. 

Emeralds are rather durable, with a 7.5 rating of hardness on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.  However, the stone’s natural occurring inclusions and cracks can affect the overall durability of the emerald ring.  To make the inclusions and cracks less visible to the naked eye, emeralds are treated with oils or resins to fill in any surface cracks.  The oils are either clear or a green color, which can make the emerald stone appear even more brilliant.  When you buy an emerald ring, you probably won’t notice any fissures at all. 

The emerald stone that’s placed in a ring, necklace, or an earring can either be a natural gemstone that’s been mined from one of the mines around the world or from a synthetic variety.  If you’re not familiar with gems, you probably won’t notice the difference.  That’s because synthetic gems also contain fissures or inclusions, making them appear more authentic.  If you want to make sure that the emerald ring you’re buying is a natural gemstone, ask the jeweler.  If the jeweler or store clerk isn’t sure, ask if you can take it to a testing lab, especially if you’re planning to buy an expensive emerald ring.