Russia may not be the leading and quite distinguished gemstone provider in the world, however, Russia is renowned for producing unparalleled quality emeralds and Russian emeralds are shining examples of this statement.
Russian emeralds are highly revered and one of the most exquisite creations of nature best known for their tempting light to medium green color, shimmer, and to the T crystal clarity. Often people confuse Russian emeralds with Alexandrite because of their similar size and color but there are gargantuan differences between both gemstones. Let’s dive deep into the history and meaning of this dazzling gemstone.
Russian emeralds were discovered during the early phase of the 19th century and the production of this gemstone is fettered to very specific regions in Russia, especially in the Ural mountain range. Not many people know the startling fact that emerald mines were once used to extract Beryllium during the first world war and emeralds and Alexandrite were the byproducts of mining. After the end of the world war and the demolition of the Soviet Union, Russian emeralds production was halted for a long time and brought back to life again by the ridiculous amount of foreign investment.
It is believed that Malysheva mines in the Ural mountain range of Russia enclose 80% of the reserve of Russian emeralds. Apart from the Malysheva mines, Colombina and Gambian mines also produce one of the finest quality emeralds but faceted Russian emeralds are primarily found in the Ural region. Russia, slowly and steadily, is acclimatizing with the avant-garde mining techniques to amplify mining production and satiate the demand for Russian emeralds worldwide.
The cream layer of Russian emeralds can make a massive dent in your pocket as they are rare to find and barely deflects from their exorbitant price. On average, the price of Russian emeralds starts with 1500 INR per carat ($18 USD) and goes as higher as 150000 INR per carat ($1823 USD). Moreover, as already discussed, Russian emeralds' price per carat can vary greatly with the increase or decrease in quality which majorly depends on clarity, cut, color carat weight, and origin. If you are planning to buy the best quality Russian emeralds, you must stick to trusted and certified gemstone dealers like Navratan where you can grab the most coveted gemstone at the right price.
Russian emeralds always ride high in demand because of their alluring color range, whimsical size, and implications extending to spiritual, astrological, physical, and emotional realms. The quality of Russian emeralds depends on a multitude of factors such as clarity, cut, color, origin, and carat weight.
The best of Russian emeralds exude brilliance in oodles, boast shimmer and green color hues, are symmetrical in shape, and display an unprecedented level of clarity. Let’s discuss each factor that influences the quality of Russian emeralds to a great extent one at a time.
Color: | The most sought-after Russian emeralds are often mid-green in color and don’t contain even a smidgen of a bluish color. The quality of emeralds dwindles by leaps and bounds if they include yellow or blue color traces. In addition to that, Colombian and Zambian emeralds also exude intense green hues and are of sublime quality. |
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Clarity: | This factor probably plays the biggest role in determining the quality of a Russian emerald. Often top-notch quality Russian emeralds display a great level of clarity and don’t have inclusions. However, a major chunk of Russian emeralds encloses clustered inclusions and randomly distributed crystals that hamper their quality massively. Here Colombian emeralds excel as they have minimal inclusions and green color distributed uniformly across the gemstones. |
Carat Weight: | The carat weight of Russian emeralds is one of the quintessential factors in judging the quality of these enticing gemstones. Generally, the stones with higher carat weight are way more exorbitant and up to the mark in quality compared to the stones with a low carat weight and dull color. Moreover, the best quality Russian emeralds radiate glitter. The hefty-size emeralds with sheer luster are always coveted and used for different astrological and spiritual purposes. |
Origin: | The unmatched quality Russian emeralds primarily come from Malysheva mines in the Ural mountain range of Russia and the Chivor emerald of Colombia closely resembles with them in terms of quality, size, and color. |
Cut: | The exalted quality emeralds are well-faceted and boast deep green color whereas the low strata of Russian Emeralds are unsymmetrical, lack glitter, and are pale in color. In a nutshell, Russian emeralds with eye-pleasing color and symmetry are supreme in quality and always in demand among gemstone lovers. |
Ans. A Russian emerald is one of the most in-demand and rare types of emerald found principally in Russia and is well known for emanating sheer magnificence and glitter, symmetry, and lush green color.
Ans. Unquestionably, Russian emeralds are rare to find in the market as they are mined in very specific regions as well as in limited quantity. Emeralds from Colombia and Zambia can also give you the feel of Russian Emeralds.
Ans. Yes, Emeralds are mined in Russia, and that too in the Ural mountain range. However, Russia is only responsible for producing %1-2 of the overall world’s emerald production.
Ans. Colombia is single-handedly responsible for the world’s 60%-80% emeralds production. Moreover, Colombia is also renowned for producing astounding quality emeralds apart from Russia.