Diamonds or emeralds, why choose the green Spell?
Often, when ordering a jewel or looking for the perfect design for a jewelry piece, you usually hesitate among the gems to choose to create the dream jewel. Among the many concerns, the one of choosing a diamond or a Colombian emerald as a central stone always prevails.
In our extensive experience with jewelry and emeralds, this doubt arises as they are two of the best valued stones and the most used in the country, so here we will give you the main characteristics of each stone and we will tell you because it is the best option to choose Colombian natural emeralds.
Diamonds and their tradition in jewelry
The word diamond comes from the Latin Adamas, which means etymologically unalterable, which is not surprising given its very high hardness.
Its physical properties are among the highest of all stones used in jewelry, since it is composed of pure crystallized carbon and is very hard.
This gem takes between 1 and 3.3 billion years in high-pressure conditions and temperatures for its crystallization. The most important diamond deposits in the world are found in South Africa, Botswana, Russia, Canada and the Congo.
Of the 4 most recognized precious stones (Diamante, Esmeralda, Rubí and Zafiro), they have been the most abundant and traded gems in history, especially those colorless. Thus they have an internationally recognized quality classification scheme based on their color, clarity, cutting and size.
Emeralds, Colombia's green harp
To start talking about Colombian emeralds, it must be said that these are recognized for being the most beautiful, green and only gems in the world.
Its origin, according to legend, is due to the punishment of the God Ares to Fura and Tena, a couple who lacked a promise and as penance were turned into two huge rocks protected by storms and snakes, in whose bowels, the tears of Fura become emeralds.
Later, when the Spaniards arrive in America, it would be discovered that the pre-Columbian indigenous tribes extracted emeralds of a much higher quality and it was from that moment that Colombian emeralds became synonymous with beauty and quality.
The emerald areas of the country are Boyacá and Cundinamarca. Located in the northwest part of the department of Boyacá, Muzo, is where the largest deposits of this precious stone are concentrated, however, the mines of Borbur, Coscuez, Chivor, Peñas Blancas, La Pita and Quípama are also highlighted.
Likewise, Gachetá and Gachalá, two municipalities in the northeast of Cundinamarca, complete the most important area of emerald exploitation in the country.
Diamond Vs Emeralds
Undoubtedly, both gems are beautiful in their purest form, however, it is necessary to highlight the perfection and magnificence of jewelry when carrying Colombian emeralds. Despite this, we'll let you choose the right stone for your jewel, here are some of their most common differences:
| Diamonds | Emeralds |
| It's one of the world's toughest gems. | The emeralds are more delicate as they do not have the hardness level of a diamond, so they become treasures |
| Diamonds found in Colombia usually come from other countries, few high-quality diamonds coming to the country | In Colombia there are the highest quality stones in the world, so jewelry has this quality. |
| It has an immense number of deposits, can be found in countries such as Botswana, Russia, Canada and Congo. | Emeralds have few deposits in the world. This makes the best quality emeralds found only in Colombia so they are more valuable |
| It has a standardized quality sorting system due to its color, hardness, weight, carat and size. | Its value is more subjective, They do not have a standardized quality classification system, so its value follows 5 guidelines: color intensity, level of transparency, size, cutting quality and level of crack treatment. |
| At its highest quality, it remains more accessible | A high-quality emerald is more expensive than a high-quality diamond. |
Paula A. Bonilla
Social communicator and journalist from Sergio Arboleda University in Colombia. She is also a jeweler and is passionate about constantly learning about precious gems and national high jewelry.
Currently, she is working for one of Bogotá's most important jewelry stores, Emerald by Love. This jewelry store has over 40 years of experience and has 2 physical branches in the capital city of Colombia, located in the city center.
