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Loose Emeralds

An emerald is the green variety of the mineral beryl, coloured by traces of chromium, vanadium or both. Fine emeralds are judged first on colour, then on how little clarity enhancement they carry, and almost every emerald sold has some, so the laboratory's wording on the degree of oil or resin matters as much as the origin. Byrex Gems offers loose emeralds to the jewellery trade from Toronto, each filmed unedited as it will arrive, with prices shown to approved buyers and viewings by appointment.

Where to buy emeralds in Toronto

Byrex Gems lists 219 emeralds online today. 149 of them come with a report from laboratories including GRS, GIA, CDC and Gübelin. Origins include Colombia, Zambia and Brazil. Viewings are at our Toronto office, 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, steps from Queen subway station, by appointment. We have supplied coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds to jewellers and designers since 1988, and welcome private clients by appointment. Prices are shown to approved trade accounts; private clients can ask us on WhatsApp, where we reply within 12 hours, or by email within 24 hours. Every stone ships insured, worldwide.

Among the loose emeralds listed today: 3.38 ct Emerald Cut Emerald Pair (1.87 + 1.51 ct), Zambia, 2.85 ct Emerald Cut Emerald, CDC, Zambia Minor oil, 2.40 ct Square Emerald Cut Emerald Pair (1.29 + 1.11 ct), GIA, Brazil, 1.77 ct Emerald Cut Emerald, GRS, Colombia, 1.48 ct Pear Emerald, GRS, Colombia Minor oil, 52.96 ct Shield Emerald Carving, GIA, Zambia, 45.26 ct Fancy Emerald, GRS, Zambia Minor oil, 45.06 ct Fancy Emerald, GRS, Zambia Minor oil, 37.97 ct Cushion Emerald, GIA, Colombia, 25.07 ct Oval Emerald, GIA, Colombia, 23.72 ct Oval Emerald, GIA, Colombia, 16.68 ct Emerald Cut Emerald, GIA, Colombia and 207 more.

What is an emerald and where is it mined?

Emerald is beryl, a beryllium aluminium silicate, that owes its green to chromium, vanadium or a mix of the two. Iron, when present, pulls the colour toward blue. The finest colour is a vivid, slightly bluish green of medium tone, neither so dark that the stone goes dull nor so light that it reads as green beryl.

Colombia remains the reference origin. Its stones form in black shale rather than in schist, carry little iron and show a warm, pure green with a soft glow. Zambia, led by the Kagem mine, produces a cooler bluish green that is often cleaner and takes less enhancement. Brazil supplies a wide range of qualities, much of it lighter and more included, with some fine material from Minas Gerais. Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley yields small, intensely saturated crystals, and Ethiopia has become a meaningful source since the mid-2010s, with some stones that look remarkably Colombian.

The inclusions that fill most emeralds are called jardin, French for garden. A moderate jardin is accepted in emerald in a way it never would be in sapphire; what buyers want is colour first and a stone that is clean enough to be bright when viewed from the top.

How laboratories grade emerald clarity enhancement

Nearly all emeralds have surface-reaching fissures, and nearly all have those fissures filled with a colourless oil or resin to make them less visible. The filling must be disclosed, and the major laboratories grade how much of it they find. The scales are not interchangeable, so a report should always be read in the words of the laboratory that wrote it.

GIA describes the degree of clarity enhancement as none, minor, moderate or significant. SSEF and Gübelin use a similar ladder that also includes the word insignificant for a trace too small to matter. AGL grades the enhancement on its own scale running from faint to prominent. Several laboratories also state whether the filler is a traditional oil or a modern resin, since resin is harder to remove.

Origin is stated as an opinion based on inclusions, spectra and trace-element chemistry. Reports from GIA, Gübelin, SSEF, AGL and CDC may give Colombia, Zambia, Brazil, Afghanistan or Ethiopia, and occasionally record the origin as inconclusive. The trade term "no oil" means a report graded none; "minor" is the level most fine emeralds carry; "gota de aceite", drop of oil, is not a treatment at all but a prized roiled, honey-like texture seen inside some Colombian stones.

What to check before buying a loose emerald

Judge colour viewed from the top under daylight-equivalent light, then under a warmer lamp, because the same stone can turn slightly yellowish or bluish as the light changes. Look for an even colour across the whole face; colour zoning concentrated at one end lowers the value even when the best patch is superb.

The emerald cut, a rectangular step cut with clipped corners, was developed for this material. It removes the vulnerable points, lets the cutter follow the long crystal, and shows colour in broad flashes rather than sparkle. Ovals, cushions and pears are common too. Check that the pavilion is not so shallow that the stone shows a window, and that the girdle is not knife-thin, since emerald chips easily at the edge.

For earrings or a three-stone ring, pairs need to agree in hue, tone, saturation and degree of enhancement, not only in size. Byrex marks two stones as a pair only when the parcel paper or report says so; otherwise they are offered as a close match. Ask the setter to use a bezel or a protective prong design, to avoid ultrasonic and steam cleaning, and to keep heat away from the stone, since oil can sweat out and resin can cloud.

What drives the value of an emerald

Colour comes first. The market pays most for a saturated, slightly bluish green of medium tone with a soft inner glow, and pays progressively less as the colour moves toward yellow, toward grey, or toward a dark tone that loses light. A Colombian origin opinion on a report adds a premium when the colour is fine; it adds little to a mediocre stone.

The degree of clarity enhancement is the second lever. Two emeralds of equal colour can sit far apart in value if one is graded none or insignificant and the other moderate or significant. Oil is preferred to resin.

Size matters more steeply in emerald than in most coloured stones, because clean, well-coloured crystals large enough to cut a three-carat stone are scarce. Transparency, the absence of a window, a pleasing outline and a report from a recognised laboratory round out the picture. Treated or synthetic look-alikes, including hydrothermal and flux-grown synthetic emerald, are identified by laboratories and have a separate, much lower market.

Famous emeralds and the supply picture

Emeralds were mined in Egypt in antiquity, but the stones that shaped the modern trade came from Colombia after the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century. Mughal emperors in India had Colombian crystals engraved with prayers and flowers, and European royal houses set them beside diamonds. The Duke of Devonshire Emerald, a large uncut Muzo crystal, is held by the Natural History Museum in London, and the Chalk Emerald and Hooker Emerald are displayed at the Smithsonian in Washington.

The Rockefeller Emerald, a Colombian stone that had belonged to the Rockefeller family, was sold at Christie's in New York in 2017 and remains a reference for what a fine Colombian emerald with minimal enhancement can command at auction.

Supply has broadened. Zambian production through Gemfields' auctions brought predictable volumes of clean, bluish green stones to cutters in India and Israel, and Ethiopian discoveries added a new look to the market. Colombian output continues from Muzo, Chivor and Coscuez under more formal mining companies than in earlier decades, but fine large Colombian stones remain rare, and demand from Asia and the Middle East has kept them scarce at every level of the trade.

Buying emeralds from Byrex Gems

Byrex Gems has been in Toronto since 1988, and more than seven thousand trade customers in Canada and abroad have bought from us. Many of our emeralds come with reports from GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, GIA and other leading laboratories; all of them are filmed in our office, unedited and unfiltered.

Approved trade buyers see prices online. Others may write at any hour: WhatsApp +1 (437) 450-3786 is answered within hours and email to info@byrex.com the same day, seven days a week. What is listed is a part of what we hold: more emeralds are kept in the vault, and what we do not hold ourselves we can source through our offices worldwide. Private viewings are arranged by appointment in Toronto, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai.

Loose Emeralds: questions buyers ask

Where can I buy emeralds in Toronto?

Are all emeralds treated with oil or resin?

Almost all. Emeralds nearly always have surface-reaching fissures, and filling them with oil or resin is standard practice. The filling must be disclosed, and a laboratory report states its degree in that laboratory's own words. Emeralds graded none are rare and command a premium.

What does "minor" mean on a GIA emerald report?

GIA grades the degree of clarity enhancement as none, minor, moderate or significant. Minor means a small amount of filler was detected. SSEF and Gübelin use a similar ladder that includes the word insignificant, and AGL uses its own scale from faint to prominent.

Which laboratory reports does Byrex supply with emeralds?

Emeralds at Byrex carry reports from GIA, Gübelin, SSEF, AGL, GRS or CDC depending on the stone. The report number and its wording on origin and enhancement are shown on each stone page, and the original document travels with the stone.

Is a Colombian emerald always better than a Zambian one?

No. Colombian origin carries a premium for its warm, glowing green, but a fine Zambian emerald with a clean, bluish green and little enhancement can outrank a weak Colombian stone. Judge the colour and the report first, then let origin adjust the price.

How should an emerald be set and cleaned?

Use a bezel or a protective prong design and ask the setter to avoid pressure on the corners. Never clean an emerald in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner; warm water, mild soap and a soft brush are enough. Keep the stone away from heat, which can affect the filler.

What is the difference between an emerald cut and an emerald?

The emerald cut is a rectangular step cut with clipped corners, developed for emerald to protect its fragile corners and show colour in broad flashes. The cut is now used for diamonds and other stones, and emeralds themselves are also cut as ovals, cushions and pears.

Does Byrex sell emeralds to private clients?

Byrex sells to the jewellery trade and receives private clients by appointment at its Toronto office. Prices are shown only to approved trade buyers who sign in. A private client can view stones in person and have a piece made through their own jeweller or through Byrex.

Can I view loose emeralds in Toronto before buying?

Yes. Viewings are by appointment at 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Every emerald is filmed unedited so what you see online is what you will see on the tray, and the laboratory report is available to examine alongside the stone.

Byrex Gems, 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds for the trade since 1988, and for private clients by appointment.

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