1.27 ctw Marquise Emerald & Diamond Earrings – 18k White Gold

18k white gold. 4 marquise-cut emeralds, 0.83 ctw. 5 marquise-cut diamonds, 0.44 ctw.

Marquise-cut emerald is an unusual choice, and I want to be honest about why.

Emerald is beryl colored by chromium or vanadium, and it forms under violent geological conditions — which is why nearly every natural emerald contains a jardin, the internal garden of fissures and inclusions that the trade accepts as proof of origin rather than as a defect. Those inclusions make emerald brittle. It reads 7.5 to 8 on Mohs, respectably hard, but toughness and hardness are different properties, and emerald’s toughness is only fair.

That is exactly why the emerald cut exists: rectangular with the corners cut off, specifically to eliminate the vulnerable points. A marquise does the opposite. It has two sharp points, and it takes a cutter willing to commit to a riskier shape to get a more elegant one.

The result is worth it. Marquise emeralds paired with marquise diamonds give you one repeated shape in two materials — green and white alternating in the same silhouette. It is a disciplined design, and much rarer than the cluster of round stones this could easily have been.

Care

Treat these as the exception in your box. Nearly all emeralds are oil- or resin-treated to fill surface-reaching fissures, which is standard and disclosed — but it means no ultrasonic cleaner, no steam, no hot water, no harsh solvents. Warm soapy water and a soft brush. Store them separately.

My Guidance. Your Legacy.