How to Evaluate the Quality and Price of an Emerald Engagement Ring

Today, we thought we’d break down how to understand the quality of an emerald and explain the price differences between three stones—so you can be better prepared when buying your emerald engagement ring.

Below are the three emeralds we’ll be focusing on. All are approximately 2.3 carats, yet they differ dramatically in price.

What Determines Emerald Value? The Two Key Factors: Color and Clarity

Expertly examining emeralds comes down to two main factors: color and clarity—**with color further broken down into three components: saturation, hue, and tone.

The most important aspect to consider when evaluating an emerald is its color. Just like with sapphires, even slight variations in saturation, hue, or tone can drastically affect the stone’s value.

A top-quality emerald will always display a deep, saturated green. In fact, the word “emerald” itself refers specifically to that rich green color.

Comparing Saturation: Why Emerald A Stands Out

So, let’s begin our evaluation of the stones discussing color, but with focus on saturation.

A has the strongest saturation—when you look at it, it almost seems to glow.

In contrast, even though B might appear to have a paler saturation than C, it’s still higher in value. Why? Because of tone and clarity (which we’ll touch on shortly). 

Understanding Tone in Emeralds and Its Impact on Value

Tone refers to how light or dark the stone appears. When an emerald becomes too dark, its value drops—it can also impact the stone’s brilliance. The darker it is, the less light passes through, causing the emerald to look dull.

On the other hand, if the tone is too light or pale, you lose the rich green color that emeralds are prized for. In fact, if it becomes too pale, the stone may be classified as green beryl rather than emerald, which significantly decreases its value.

So in the case of the C stone, although the color might seem more saturated, the tone is dull, which is why it is priced lower than B. 

Emerald Hue: Why Blue-Green Is Most Desirable

Next, let's look at the hue. Yes, they’re all green—but when it comes to emeralds, the most desired shade is one that leans blue rather than yellow.

Once again, A shows that rich green with a subtle blue undertone.
B, out of all of them, leans the most yellow.

Emerald Clarity: What Inclusions Tell You About Quality

Emeralds are stones that always contain inclusions—so much so that these inclusions have earned the nickname “jardin” (French for “garden”), referring to the garden-like appearance inside the stone.

This is why clients should anticipate that even in the highest-quality emeralds, some inclusions are likely to be visible. When it comes to identifying fakes, this actually works to your advantage—natural emeralds typically display these defining inclusions, whereas synthetic emeralds often appear too clean and glass-like. (The same applies to sapphires, too.)

Note: When checking for inclusions, I always recommend flipping the stone over and viewing it from underneath, as inclusions are often easier to spot without the interference of the facets.

Clarity Breakdown: Comparing A, B, and C

A has a few minor inclusions, visible in the top left corner. It also shows some milkiness, which can reduce brilliance by affecting how light passes through the stone.

B contains one larger inclusion—a fissure that runs through the stone. However, compared to C, B’s inclusion is more isolated.

C has inclusion marks throughout the emerald, making it appear more opaque and diminishing its brilliance. This is why, even though C may appear to have a slightly richer color than B, B is ultimately more valuable due to its superior clarity.

Additional Factors That Influence Emerald Pricing

There are other factors that can influence the price of an emerald, such as treatments and origin. Most emeralds are treated with oil to enhance their clarity. This is usually disclosed as “oiled,” “minor oil,” or “no oil” (which is extremely rare).

 

Final Thoughts: What to Look for When Buying an Emerald

Hopefully this helps in understanding what I believe to be the most important things when evaluating an emerald!

Looking to buy natural emeralds? All the emeralds featured in this blog post are available for purchase through Fine+Flux’s natural gemstone collection.

 If you have any other emerald questions or are looking to source an emerald please contact us at info@fineandflux.com