First: Each had more than one divorce. Second: Both love green gemstones, such as emeralds.

Now, isn’t that a darn good reason to have one or two of the latter, not the former?

But before you make the rounds of your online jewelry stores, here’s a short crash course about “gems.”

What is a Gemstone?

It is certain that you’ve heard of the word “gemstone” several times in your life. But except for associating the word with colors, like red for rubies, you know not a whit about it.

A gemstone is a mineral (often mineral crystal). When cut and polished, they show exquisite luster and glitter fit for a jewelry piece or an adornment. Some gems are found in rocks like the lapis lazuli and opal. While others come from organic materials like amber, jet, and pearl.

They are often called gemstones, fine gems, semi-precious stones, or precious stones such as diamonds and emeralds. Gems or gemstones are found almost anywhere. They are on the shores of the Baltic Sea, Sicily, Romania, England, Colombia, Africa, and the wilds of Burma, Sri Lanka, and India, to name a few.  

They come in more colors than a rainbow. There are colorless, red, blue, purple gems. As well as pink, yellow, orange, violet, and many others. Not the least is the greens.

Which Gemstone is Green

There are about 14 kinds of gemstones in the market based on color. One of the colors is green or green gemstones, such as the one in this Vintage Vault Designs review.

It’s a no-brainer, isn’t it?

But it doesn’t stop there. For those who ask “what does green gemstone mean?” Green gemstones have a deeper meaning than what meets the eyes. Green gemstones mean the color of life; it is nature. They represent balance, harmony, and renewal. Some people believe that green gemstones strengthen the connection between the mind and the heart. They also represent growth.

Like many other precious stones, green gemstones have a long history with royalty because they exude love, compassion, mercy, and intelligence. And if there is an award for consistent presence in gala events, they will be hands-down winners. Celebrities love them.

Top 10 Green Gemstones

There are over 100 types of green gemstones, and they all have color-based names.  So you can imagine what a tedious read it would be to list down all green crystal names there are in this short post. The chart below will give you an idea of how varied they are—though this shows but a fraction of the entire spectrum of green gemstones.

To give you an idea of how confusing things can be, the name of a green semi-precious stone can be jade, Verdelite, green garnet, bloodstone, green diamond,  Chrysoprase, and many more.

How to determine one from the other—which stone is green or which stone is dark green— is impossible except by an expert gemologist. Even the dark green tourmaline, which is a deep dark green stone is difficult to identify by an untrained eye.

As mentioned above, there are over a hundred different types of this particular stone, but not all are suited to jewelry. That honor belongs to these top ten green gemstones:

Emerald

It is the birthstone of those born in May, and the main choice for couples celebrating their 20th or 35th Wedding Anniversary. The scientific name of the stone is Beryllium Silicate, a variety of the mineral Beryl. Though mined everywhere around the world, its chief sources are Colombia, Brazil, and Zambia.

Emeralds have been used as adornments and jewelry items for centuries. It is 20 times rarer than diamonds and the finest grades are as expensive as diamonds on a per-carat basis.

They are fairly durable but require constant maintenance.

Green Diamond

Green diamonds are natural diamonds that got its color through years of exposure to radiation around the carbon deposits where it is formed. They are, however, harmless since they only contain radioactive stains, not the radioactive property.

The (Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grades fancy-colored diamonds according to:

Hue

This refers to the primary colors of the stone, the tint appearing on the surface (blue, red, green, yellow)

Tone

This determines how dark or light the color is

Saturation

This refers to how heavy the color appears on the stone. Deeper colors are graded higher. Pure green diamonds are extremely rare. Those found in the market have traces of green—from faint to fancy deep green. .They are unique and highly durable. Because of this, they are very expensive.

Green Garnet

Also known as Tsavorite Garnet, it is a variety of Garnet (a blood-red stone) composed of aluminum and calcium with traces of chromium and vanadium. This stone is fabled to establish a connection with your heart space. It helps you open up to the world around you and better connect with your loved ones, resulting in happiness and joy.

First mined in Tanzania in 1967, it is the new kid on the block in the gem world.

Green garnet is a very popular stone. It is very tough, and a good substitute for emerald. But it is also very rare and quite expensive.

Jade

“Jade is like virtue and its brightness represents heaven,” – Confucius.

There are two minerals that can rightfully be called jade: jadeite and nephrite—both metamorphic rocks. Jade is very tough, In fact, it was first used by prehistoric people as weapons as well as adornments.

It has been used for centuries because according to Feng Shui, it creates a sense of serenity and harmony; of balance. For the superstitious kind, jade is used as protection against evil and is believed to be a harbinger of good luck.

Jade is durable and gives a sense of royalty to the wearer. And it is affordable

Green Sapphire

Green sapphires, similar to the one on this Bario Neal review, come in a range of colors, from light green to dark. Its most common color is olive.

A few years back, these gems were not so expensive, until demand outstripped the supply. This is also a gem. They are popular among jewelers because their toughness makes them easy to work on.

These stones are durable, but the best varieties are expensive.

Peridot

This gem represents compassion and is said to bring good health, restful sleep, and peaceful relationships by balancing emotions and the mind. On the mundane side, this gem-quality mineral is composed of olivine and silicate. It comes in various colors, but if the stone is magnesium-rich, it is plainly peridot.

It is a unique gem and is only found in volcanic deposits or areas that had violent volcanic activity. Peridots are fairly durable and can be cut into several ways, i.e, marquise (elliptical), square and oval. They are not so expensive. However, they crack easily if subjected to rough use.

Demantoid Garnet

Demantoid garnet is a variety of the mineral andradite that is rich in calcium and iron. Its refractive index and dispersion level are higher than a diamond’s, giving the stone excellent brilliance. In fact, it was the favorite gemstone of designer Carl Fabergé when he created the fancy pieces of jewelry for Russia’s Imperial family prior to the communist takeover.

First discovered in 1851 in Russia’s Ural Mountains, it is one of the favorite gemstones for January. Demantoid garnet is a very rare gemstone and the fine-quality types rarely come in sizes larger than 2 carats. Since they exhibit great brilliance, they are also very expensive despite always having inclusions.

Amazonite

Amazonite is a green tectosilicate mineral, a variety of the potassium feldspar called microcline.

It is dubbed as the soothing stone—it calms the brain and nervous system and helps in maintaining good health. Other than this, it carries a lot of superstitious mumbo-jumbo like being beneficial for osteoporosis and tooth decay.

Though named after the Amazon River, not one has been found there so far. Yes, it is mined somewhere in Brazil, among other places, but not in the Amazon. 

The gem is made more attractive by the white streaks on its surface that stand out against a light or dark green background. It is best in cabochon cut (convex, rounded unfaceted surface), or beads The unique and patterned texture of the Amazonite and affordability makes the gem a good buy. But it is prone to cracks.

Green Topaz

This gem is a silicate material found in hydrothermal veins or hydrothermally altered rocks that surround them. They are found worldwide, but not in abundance. This November birthstone owes its green color to the presence of chromium and vanadium.

Because of its hardness, green topaz can be cut in several ways to fit any kind of jewelry. But the best is the faceted cut to enhance its excellent brilliance. It is durable and affordable. Yet, it is not very popular.

Green Agate

Green agate goes back to 3,000 ago when the Egyptians used it for seals, rings, and decorating vessels. The Chinese Feng Shui has more metaphysical uses of the stone. Healers believe green agate increases compassion, generosity, and a keen sense of justice. It enhances mental and emotional flexibility and decision-making.

As a jewelry piece, it is a smooth stone with a vitreous luster. Its clarity ranges from translucent to opaque. The preferred cut for green agate is a cabochon or faceted to give more depth in its light reflection. The gem is very durable and suitable for any kind of jewelry piece. And it is affordable.

How to Choose a Green Gemstone

This list of the ten top green gemstones is by no means absolute. They are the professional opinions of some jewelers. Others may have other preferences in mind. What is certain is that choosing what to buy is a challenge. Even if you have the budget, what you get maybe something that won’t suit you.

To even the odds, here’s a bit of advice that can go a long way in making your decision worthwhile and fulfilling.

Whatever green gemstone you buy, make sure it is set in a metal that best fits your skin tone: 

• Cool skin tone – white metals like white gold, platinum, or silver.
• Warm skin tone – yellow and rose gold, copper, and brass
• Neutral skin tone – both white and yellow metals.

How Much Do Green Gemstones Cost?

Gems are commodities and like any other, their prices are subject to several factors—including green gemstones prices for that matter.

   Here are these factors:

• Beauty is a prerequisite of gems. Unless a material has beauty, it cannot be considered a gemstone. To illustrate what beauty means in the gem world:

• A transparent colored stone like ruby has beauty in the depth of its color, degree of transparency, and design

• An opaque stone has beauty in its colors and design.

• Durability does not mean it is indestructible. There is no such thing but as a personal ornament, it must resist ordinary wear and tear and retain its luster for a reasonable time. Another aspect of durability is the stone’s capacity to resist chemical and structural stresses—that they don’t corrode or disintegrate.
• Rarity obviously means the rarer the stone, the more expensive it is. Rarity is not determined by supply alone, but also by its popularity. The more popular it is, the rarer will be the commodity on your dealers’ shelves.
• Vogue also makes the price see-saw. The higher the demand, even if the supply is sufficient, the higher the price is. Even lesser gemstones will post a higher price tag if there is so much demand for them. The good news is that vogues are temporary. So you have to wait a little longer for the prices to go down.
• Tradition is defined as the sum total of all the effort throughout the centuries to educate and interest people about jewelry and ornamentation, symbolism, and as a medium of exchange; of showing royalty and various churches acknowledging the importance of gems.
• Portability is the ability of the owner to transport an item of great value in his person. This is true for small, fine gemstones with a high concentration of value. This factor influences royalty and other wealthy people to invest in gems.

So to answer that question about the cost of green gemstones: the safest bet is to inquire from your favorite jewelry store.

Now, if you want to know more about gemstones, check out our article, “What’s in a Gemstone? The Hidden Meaning Behind Your Favorite Gemstones.”