Four 'C's play a significant role in deciding the value of the emerald, like every other gemstone. Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat Weight are these four "C"s.
COLOR
The hue, tone, and saturation of an emerald decide its value when all the other factors are equal. That value can be greatly influenced by very slight colour differences.
As compared to any other shades of color, the human eye can see more shades of green which makes color one of the most important characteristic of an emerald. The most desirable emerald colors are bluish green to green, with strong to vivid saturation and medium to medium-dark tone.
An expert can find out the place of origin by looking at colour alone.
Chromium, vanadium, and iron are the trace elements that influence emerald’s color.
CLARITY
Nearly all emeralds have inclusions which are visible to the unaided eye and are commonly accepted by trade and customers. This does not, however, decrease their value in emerald assessment. Eye-clean emeralds, since they are so rare, are extremely valuable.
Inherently, Emeralds, a type of beryl, are a fractured material. An emerald takes millions of years to develop and the characteristics of its natural fractures and inclusions are part of its beauty.
Trade members are extremely conscious of the effects that inclusions can have on emerald appearance and value.
A broad range of clarity attributes, including fractures, liquid and multiphase inclusions, mineral crystals, needles, and growth tubes, can be included in Emerald.
CARAT WEIGHT
Emeralds come in a number of sizes. Emerald prices are based primarily on colour, cut and clarity. However, large emeralds are difficult to find, and therefore demand a higher price.
Experts believe that it is more important to have a smaller emerald with brilliant colour quality than a larger one with poor colour quality.
A strong demand has grown for calibrated emerald cuts, ovals, and pears in the 5x3 mm to 7x5 mm range with sources like Zambia consistently supplying content with good colour in smaller sizes.
CUT
Cutting quality is a particularly important factor in the value of a polished emerald, so a great deal of care is needed for the procedure. Master cutters and distributors with decades of experience say it takes a cutter at least 10 years to learn the basic abilities and 20 years to become a master cutter.
The cut is the shape, width, depth and facets of an emerald as a whole. Inside each unique piece, the cutters aim to maximise the colour and brilliance of the emerald. Although the final result depends on the particular emerald found in the mine, the cutter 's skill and vision also rely on it. The shape of the rough, the presence of the perfect colour, and the placement of inclusions all lead to what the finished emerald would be in its final shape.
In the emerald gemstone, there are different kinds of cuts. There are faceted, beads, drops, cabochons, carvings, etc. There are various shapes in both cut and cabochons such as Oval, Octagon, Square, Pear, Heart, Marquise and Round.
For an emerald, there is a special cut called as emerald cut. This cut improves the emerald's elegance.
