Emerald

Emeralds, the birthstone of May and the part of The Big Threes, are twenty times rarer than diamonds and it dominates the luxury jewellery market almost moving towards centre stage in the gemstones investment sector.  The younger buyers driving the demand in jewellery sector seek ethical investments in fine jewellery, where the ornaments made from precious materials accounted for 87 per cent of sales in 2018 and the fastest growth in demand was seen in the Asia Pacific regions with 10 per cent rate.  The young buyers seek untreated authentic coloured gemstones besides diamonds as the demand continues to increase and the resources are exhausting. 

All gems cannot be treated alike, in terms of, investment, as all coloured gems do not prove to be a great property but emeralds have been bought by collectors at the record-breaking price. The celebrity endorsements like the Elizabeth Taylor's Bulgari Emerald Suite was auctioned by Christie in 2011 for worth $24,799,000, and the auction by Christie in June 2017 of the Rockefeller Emerald in New York fetched $5,511,500, where per carat price was estimated to be at $305,516.  

The young buyers are investing more in coloured gemstones for a variety of ethical and expressive reasons. There is a huge demand for such stones in the fashion industry, while the output of the largest resource of emeralds has been declining. The reserves in Colombia hold the globally extracted emeralds having the peculiar green glow formed by the combination of vanadium, chromium in the structure. Color, clarity and saturation provide the key criterion for the sellers. Buyers seek the species green beryl, which has high saturation and is medium to dark in colour. Emeralds are rarely clean and the inclusions termed as Jardin or Garden, results in mossy wilderness green appearance. The popularity of the engagement rings in emeralds and diamonds is growing due to the unexpected timeless richness of these stones, known for striking colours, antiquity and connectivity with Ancient Roman noblemen. 

Historically, it was mined in Egypt, Austria and India, but now two famous mines of Colombia provide 60 per cent of the global production and the other suppliers include Zambia, Zimbabwe and Brazil.