Tension setting engagement rings have been popular for many years, for a variety of reasons. You can get them in a number of shapes such as round, oval, trillion and square, it is also a tradition for people who were born in the month of May to have an emerald as a birthstone. Rings that have emeralds as part of the design are often used at weddings and engagements, and it is also tradition to give emerald jewelry to a married couple when they celebrate their 55th anniversary. Emeralds come from an element called Beryl, and it gets its green colour from small amounts of chromium and vanadium that are within the rock. Most of the mining for emeralds that are then used to make emerald rings come from Columbia, but it is also mined for in Pakistan, Australia, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Russia, Switzerland and Austria. They are a difficult gemstone to cut, due to the inclusions and fissures that occur in the rock.

Very few emeralds in mens tension set rings are naturally without any imperfection, so they need to be treated by soaking them in synthetic oil or cedar oil. The refractive index of the oil matches that of the stone, and therefore fills the fissures improving the look of the emerald. This treatment has been long in operation, however when this treatment is used, the U.S Federal Trade Commission requires that it must be disclosed whenever an emerald is put on general sale. Furthermore, similar to other gemstones, an emerald is graded by Colour, Clarity, Cut and Crystal, and is done without any magnification unlike diamonds, where a 10x magnification is needed.

Emeralds are a fragile gemstone, and there are a few environments that can diminish the rock’s appearance. It is good practice to keep your emerald tension ring settings away from direct sunlight or high temperature environments, as it can cause the oils to dry up inside the emerald. Also, avoid using detergents and cleaning chemicals when cleaning emerald rings, as this can have the same effect of drying up the oils. Ultrasonic cleaners are usually used to clean jewelry, however they need to be avoided when cleaning emerald jewelry, as the fissures inside the rock make it prone to cracking or chipping. Metals that are used to make emerald rings are typically platinum and gold, due to those colours of metal suiting the green of the emerald perfectly. Titanium is also being more widely used, due to its durability, strength and its resistance to tarnishing and scratching.