Emerald Inclusions - The Inner World of Emeralds

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Ever wondered what make Emeralds look the way they do? A large part of it is down to something called “inclusions”. These are basically the result of a material being trapped in the stone during its formation. Inclusions are considered to be flaws in other stones like diamonds which require complete clarity, but they are appreciated in the Emerald business and add to the stone’s charm and natural beauty. So here is a list of the most common inclusions found in emeralds.

Fissures

Also known as feathers, fissures are a very common inclusion in emeralds. They are found in emeralds all over the world and so are not seen as undesirable unless they are large in quantity. They look like small cracks or fractures in the emerald – hence the name fissure – and occur naturally in the mineral, sometimes permeating throughout the gemstone. An overabundance of fissures, however, can compromise the durability of the stone and lead to chipping, so this is something to be cautious about.

Almost every Emerald that has ever been pulled from the ground will contain some sort of Fissure or tiny fractures. These inclusions are natural and are part of the Emerald but it is always desirable to reduce the visual impact of these fissures. That is why Emeralds are routinely treated using natural oil which hides the fissures.

Single-Phase Inclusion

Single-phase inclusion are rarer than the other two that we will talk about simply because it is not a common feature of Colombian emeralds. Single-phase inclusion can, however, be seen in Musakashi emeralds, which come from an emerald mine of the same name in Zambia. This inclusion looks like a collection of crystals in the stone and is the result of a mineral inclusion, as opposed to a liquid or a gas.

Two-Phase Inclusion

Two-phase inclusion can be found in Colombian emeralds as well as those from other regions. In a two-phase inclusion, we have a gas bubble trapped in liquid, which differs from the single-phase inclusion by not containing a mineral element. These inclusions are often characterised by their jagged appearance.

Three-Phase Inclusion

Three-phase inclusions are like a combination of single- and two-phase inclusions; they are often jagged-edged, and consist of a combination of liquid, gas, bubbles, halite salt (another name for rock salt) and crystals. These inclusions can be described as a pea-pod which is pointed at both ends; the pod is the liquid, gas bubble have formed inside and there is a crystal element also. Three-phase inclusions are especially common in Colombian emeralds – and as Colombia is the foremost emerald exporter in the world, this type of inclusion can be seen in many stones in circulation today.

Other Features

Along with the inclusions being discussed below, the following are examples of what one can expect to see in an emerald:

Veils – these are small bubble-like inclusions which form a layer which can vary in width and length. In emeralds, these are often formed from liquid and can have a jagged appearance.
Growth tubes – this inclusion features a series of tubes running parallel to each other.
Negative crystals - these are distinctive crystal shapes but are actually a cavity in the rock, therefore it is an outline and not a solid substance within the rock.
Tremolite – this inclusion is very much like that of the growth tubes, except the tubes do not run parallel but rather branch off in different directions.

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Jeste li se ikada zapitali zbog čega smaragdi izgledaju onako kako izgledaju? Veliki dio toga svodi se na nešto što se zove "inkluzije". Oni su u osnovi rezultat toga što je materijal zarobljen u kamenu tijekom njegovog formiranja. Uključci se smatraju nedostacima u drugom kamenju poput dijamanata koji zahtijevaju potpunu jasnoću, ali su cijenjeni u poslu Smaragda i doprinose šarmu i prirodnoj ljepoti kamena. Dakle, ovdje je popis najčešćih inkluzija pronađenih u smaragdima .

Pukotine

Također poznate kao perje, pukotine su vrlo česta inkluzija u smaragdima. Nalaze se u smaragdima diljem svijeta i stoga se ne smatraju nepoželjnim osim ako su velike količine. Izgledaju kao male pukotine ili lomovi u smaragdu – otuda i naziv pukotina – i javljaju se prirodno u mineralu, ponekad prožimajući cijeli dragi kamen. Preobilje pukotina, međutim, može ugroziti trajnost kamena i dovesti do lomljenja, pa je to nešto na što treba biti oprezan.

Gotovo svaki smaragd koji je ikada izvučen iz zemlje sadržavat će neku vrstu pukotine ili sitne lomove. Ove inkluzije su prirodne i dio su smaragda, ali je uvijek poželjno smanjiti vizualni utjecaj tih pukotina. Zato se smaragdi rutinski tretiraju prirodnim uljem koje skriva pukotine.

Jednofazno uključivanje

Jednofazne inkluzije su rjeđe od druge dvije o kojima ćemo govoriti jednostavno zato što to nije uobičajeno obilježje kolumbijskih smaragda. Međutim, jednofazna inkluzija se može vidjeti u Musakashi smaragdima, koji potječu iz istoimenog rudnika smaragda u Zambiji. Ova inkluzija izgleda kao skup kristala u kamenu i rezultat je mineralne inkluzije, za razliku od tekućine ili plina.

Dvofazno uključivanje

Dvofazna inkluzija može se naći u kolumbijskim smaragdima, kao iu onima iz drugih regija. U dvofaznoj inkluziji imamo mjehur plina zarobljen u tekućini, koji se razlikuje od jednofaznog uključivanja po tome što ne sadrži mineralni element. Ove inkluzije često karakterizira njihov nazubljeni izgled.

Trofazno uključivanje

Trofazne inkluzije su poput kombinacije jednofaznih i dvofaznih inkluzija; često su nazubljenih rubova i sastoje se od kombinacije tekućine, plina, mjehurića, halitne soli (drugi naziv za kamenu sol) i kristala. Ove inkluzije se mogu opisati kao mahuna graška koja je zašiljena na oba kraja; mahuna je tekućina, unutra su se formirali mjehurići plina, a tu je i kristalni element. Trofazne inkluzije posebno su česte u kolumbijskim smaragdima – a kako je Kolumbija najveći izvoznik smaragda na svijetu, ova vrsta inkluzije može se vidjeti u mnogim kamenjima u opticaju danas.

Druge značajke

Uz inkluzije o kojima se raspravlja u nastavku, slijede primjeri onoga što se može očekivati u smaragdu:

Velovi – to su male mjehuraste inkluzije koje tvore sloj koji može varirati po širini i duljini. U smaragdima se često formiraju iz tekućine i mogu imati nazubljeni izgled.
Cijevi za rast – ovaj dodatak sadrži niz cijevi koje idu paralelno jedna s drugom.
Negativni kristali - to su prepoznatljivi kristalni oblici, ali su zapravo šupljina u stijeni, stoga je to obris, a ne čvrsta tvar unutar stijene.
Tremolit – ova inkluzija je vrlo slična onoj u cijevima za rast, osim što cijevi ne idu paralelno, već se granaju u različitim smjerovima.