Collection: Emerald Rings

Colour, more than anything. The finest emeralds are a pure, vivid green with a slight blue undertone — strong enough to be unmistakable without going so dark it loses life. Colour carries far more of an emerald's value than size does.

Clarity is judged completely differently from a diamond. Almost every natural emerald contains inclusions, and the trade calls them the jardin — French for garden, because they look like foliage inside the stone. A flawless emerald is so unusual it invites suspicion. What matters is whether the inclusions affect the colour and the life of the stone, not whether they are there at all.

An emerald with visible jardin and superb colour is worth more than a cleaner stone with weak colour. It is the reverse of how people are taught to think about diamonds.

Yes, with more care than sapphire or ruby, and it is worth being straight about why.

Emerald is softer than both — 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale against 9 for corundum — so it can be scratched by harder stones and by everyday grit. It is also less tough. Those natural inclusions mean an emerald is more vulnerable to a knock than a diamond or a sapphire, and a hard blow on the right spot can chip it.

That is a setting question as much as a stone question. A bezel or half-bezel protects the edges, a halo shields the girdle, and claws set over the corners rather than the sides make a real difference. Set thoughtfully, emeralds have been worn daily for centuries.

Practically: take it off for gardening, the gym and heavy cleaning, avoid ultrasonic cleaners, and use warm soapy water and a soft brush instead. If you are hard on your hands, a pendant or earrings may suit an emerald better than a ring.

Warm water, a drop of detergent, a soft brush. Nothing else is needed.

What to avoid: ultrasonic and steam cleaners, which can damage an emerald in a way they will not a sapphire; harsh chemicals, bleach and solvents; and storing it loose against harder stones, since a diamond will scratch an emerald without difficulty.

Bring it in once a year or so and we will check the setting and clean it properly. On emerald that annual check matters more than on most stones — it is the claws you want to catch before anything else.

Yes, and it is worth asking rather than deciding on the first stone you think of.

People often arrive set on a sapphire or an emerald and leave with something they would never have considered — usually because they had not seen it. A few worth knowing about:

Spinel — red, pink, grey and lavender, harder-wearing than most people realise and far less expensive than ruby for a similar look. Historically confused with ruby for centuries.

Tourmaline — an enormous colour range, including strong greens, pinks and the blue-green Paraiba tones.

Aquamarine — clean pale blue, good size for the money, and hard enough for regular wear.

Tanzanite — a violet-blue nothing else quite matches, though softer than sapphire so better in a pendant or a ring that is not worn daily.

Garnet — not the dull red people expect. Tsavorite is a vivid green, spessartite a bright orange, and both are genuinely beautiful.

Fancy colour diamonds if you want colour with diamond durability.

Durability is the thing to think through if the piece is worn every day. Sapphire and ruby handle it best; emerald, tanzanite and opal want more care or a protective setting. We will be straight with you about which is which.

Tell us the colour you are drawn to and roughly what you would like to spend, and we will show you the options — including the ones you had not thought of.

Yes — most of what we make is designed with the client rather than picked off a shelf. Bring a sketch, a photo, a screenshot, or just a description of what you have in mind.

With emerald the setting matters more than with most stones, because it needs to protect the edges as well as show the colour. We will talk that through with you rather than leaving it to chance. All made to order in our own workshop in Sydney.

Yes, and it is a large part of what we do. Tell us the colour, rough size and what you would like to spend, and we will go and look.

Emeralds vary enormously — two stones described identically on paper can be quite different in the hand — so we would rather find several and show you the difference than send you one and hope. If nothing right turns up at your budget, we will tell you and talk through the options.

There is no obligation in asking.

Yes, and it is some of the most rewarding work we do. An inherited sapphire ring that is not worn, a stone in a setting that is tired or dated, a piece that no longer suits — all of it can become something you would actually wear.

We can reset the existing stones into a new design, combine stones from more than one piece, change the metal, or rebuild a worn setting entirely. The stones are usually the valuable part and they come out unharmed.

Bring the piece in and we will talk about what is possible before anything is decided.

Yes, and it is how most of our work starts.

We are in Sydney's CBD and we see clients by appointment rather than running a shop floor, which means you get the table, the stones and the time — not five minutes between other customers. On emerald that matters, because colour and the character of the jardin are both things you need to see rather than read about.

At an appointment you can compare stones side by side under proper light, see how a colour changes against different metals, try settings on to judge scale on your own hand, and talk through the design properly. If you are remodelling something, bring it with you. If you have got images of rings you like, bring those too.

You will be dealing directly with Daniel, and there is no obligation and nothing to pay to come in and look.

Call (02) 9251 4444 or send an enquiry and we will find a time.

Yes. We have many loyal customers all over Australia, and we're able to consult by phone and share photos and videos whenever possible.

Distance is not the obstacle people expect. We'll guide you through the options and select the finest quality diamonds and gemstones for you, so you can make an informed decision from wherever you are. The same applies to custom made engagement rings and jewellery — we'll talk you through it and keep you across it as it's made.

We deliver fully insured anywhere in Australia — every capital city, and regional and rural addresses just the same.

If you are able to come in, we'd always rather show you the stones in person — and if you're travelling to Sydney, appointments can be arranged on weekends.