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Natural Emeralds vs Laboratory Emeralds
COLLECTION IN THE STORY
Emeralds are a universally loved stone and while it serves as the birthstone for May, it also has a variety of symbolic meanings across cultures and throughout history. Our emerald pieces are some of our most popular pieces so we wanted to address a frequently asked question: “What is the difference between natural emeralds and lab-created emeralds?”
Naturally Sourced Emeralds
Naturally sourced emeralds are exactly as they sound: naturally found in the earth. They are most commonly mined in Columbia, Afghanistan, Zambia, and Russia. Depending on where your emeralds are mined from will determine the color and the value. Because they are naturally found in the earth, they are rare and have unique inclusions to each cut, which increases their value compared to lab-created emeralds.
Laboratory Emeralds
Emeralds created in a laboratory are still highly valuable due to the hydrothermal process. This process involves creating a synthetic emerald with the same mineral content as a natural emerald. While chemistry creates the stone, it still requires time and resources to ensure everything goes correctly. However, because of the manmade process, they are more readily available and can be available in preferred coloring.
Choosing Your Emeralds
Each client chooses their emerald for personal reasons. Some people want a larger carat for a lower budget and, therefore, will lean toward the laboratory emeralds. Some people want less inclusions, which also can be a benefit of the lab-created emeralds. Then there are always going to be the clients who want the naturally sourced emerald for its inherent rareness.
No matter your preference on the source of your gemstone, you want to make sure you are dealing with a trusted gemologist to guarantee the quality of the stone. We use the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to certify each of our emeralds and any other stones we use at
Human Design Hawaii.
If you have more questions or are interested in creating a custom emerald design, feel free to reach out here. You can also browse our current emeralds on the website.
