Part two is particularly special to me because my family credits a bit of its success in the jewelry industry to the emerald. Emerald, like ruby and sapphire, is one of the most treated stones on the market. Most people (including dealers) do not know exactly what treatments these stones go through. Could it be that people simply love it for its amazing color?
The emerald is an extremely rare stone, especially in a high gem quality. That being said, there is a lot of material out there to produce smaller goods in the hundreds of thousands -if not millions- of pieces. Quantity is why one couldn’t possibly use chrome tourmaline to replace an emerald. For year’s people looked for an affordable replacement for emerald, bringing a new stone to the market is like bringing a new social networking site to the world. I say that because it is challenging to know if it will catch on or will it just totally collapse? Chrome diopside made a small appearance on the market, but with such a low hardness, luxury jewelers try and stay away from it. Chromium containing certain peridot can also look like emerald. This would have to be a peridot of a smaller size that is very light yellowish/green.
In 1967 Campbell Bridges founded tsavorite, a chromium or vanadium containing green garnet. (At the time grossular garnet had already existed, but it is a lighter yellowish/green tone than tsavorite.) As the years passed, more tsavorite was discovered in Kenya, and then in Madagascar. Although that being said, I must note that the material from Madagascar does not really appear often on the market. Tsavorite has an amazing color and a higher refractive index number than emerald…thus meaning the light travels through the stone faster, ultimately making the stone more shiny. Its hardness is not far off from emerald and the price in smaller goods is highly affordable.
I once read an article that stated tsavorite is six times more rare than emerald. While I cannot guarantee this is the truth, I can definitely understand the statement. Tsavorite comes from only three places in the world; whereas emerald comes from many more localities and has been mined for hundreds, if not thousands, of years prior to tsavorite.
Everyday we are reminded that the world is looking for a change. McDonalds has a healthy section to their menu, and Chase bank allows you to deposit checks with just a snap of the camera/a few clicks on your phone. The jewelry industry is no exception, and jewelry enthusiasts are looking for change too…particularly, the next great stone. Tsavorite is exciting and new. It is part of the gemstone revolution, a revolution of the promotion of new color. Tsavorite does not necessarily cost less than emerald, but it surely is a beautiful and rare stone to look at. It is exciting, and it’s definitely the next green stone for the jewelry world.
Carelle is widely known for the work it has done with emerald. While we highly support, love and adore emerald, we are glad to open our hearts and make some room for this incredible stone named tsavorite.
