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The Enduring Allure of Emerald Jewellery

16 Jul 2025

This past year, Strauss & Co handled a fair share of emerald jewellery. Each piece we consigned revealed the stone’s captivating beauty and depth of colour.

Consider an emerald ring in your hand, one you must appraise and find a new home for. Before beginning that process, pause to contemplate the remarkable journey this stone has already completed. From the workers who first extracted it from beneath the earth’s surface to the craftsmen who revealed its brilliance and set it to each owner who treasured it, this gem carries within it layers of human history. Each emerald tells a story that spans geological time and human civilisation, a narrative that continues with each new hand that holds it.

18k two-tone emerald and diamond ring

18k two-tone emerald and sapphire fan earrings

18k white gold emerald and diamond ring

These ancient stones, formed in the earth’s depths over millions of years, possess mythical significance and undeniable magnificence. Emeralds have fascinated civilisations for centuries, so much so that glass simulants were produced as early as ancient Egyptian and Roman times. For over two thousand years, this gemstone has symbolised status and power. In A.D. 529, the Byzantine emperor issued a law permitting any citizen to wear a gold ring but reserved the right to wear sapphires, pearls, and emeralds exclusively for himself.

The formation of an emerald is an extraordinary geological phenomenon. Beryl, the mineral family that includes emerald, aquamarine, morganite, and heliodor, naturally produces colourless gems. Emerald’s vivid green colour comes from traces of chromium. Since beryl and chromium rarely occur together in nature, only exceptional geological movements can unite these elements to create the green gemstone.

Valuing emeralds of exceptional colour and proportion is one of the most rewarding aspects of working as a jewellery specialist. This year, we had the privilege of consigning several incredible pieces for auction. Among the highlights was a 5.90 carat deep green emerald and diamond ring of immense beauty. We also featured vivid green emerald earrings, one containing an impressive 70 emeralds, and an Art Deco ring showcasing an alluring 3.40 carat emerald-cut stone. Additionally, we sold a forest green emerald ring with perfectly calibrated round, baguette, and emerald-cut stones with approximately 6.14 carats, and a fluorescent green emerald pendant enhanced by rubies and tsavorites.

The value of gemstones extends far beyond the traditional measures of clarity, cut, and carat weight. With emeralds, especially, history, provenance, and cultural significance play crucial roles. The depth of colour, the character-filled inclusions that tell their own stories, and the legacy of these stones create an enduring fascination that could make anyone desire to collect only emerald. We encourage appreciation for emerald’s sister stones, including the sea-blue aquamarine and frosted peach morganite, both of which will feature in our sales.

Looking ahead, we are excited at the prospect of discovering more wonderful pieces, perhaps something as magnificent as Elizabeth Taylor’s emerald and diamond brooch, which achieved $6.5 million at auction in 2011 and remains the most expensive emerald ever sold. 

References:
Precious, H Molesworth, 2024
S.P. Scott, The Civil Law, vol. XV. Cincinnati, OH: The Central Trust Company, 1932, Book XI, Title 11:I 

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