Emerald Inclusions - The Inner World of Emeralds

加工...

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.

SHOP FOR EMERALDS

Emerald

有没有想过是什么让翡翠看起来像他们的样子？其中很大一部分归结为所谓的“包含”。这些基本上是材料在形成过程中被困在石头中的结果。内含物被认为是其他宝石（如钻石）中需要完全净度的缺陷，但它们在祖母绿业务中受到赞赏，并增加了宝石的魅力和自然美感。因此，这里列出了祖母绿中最常见的内含物。

裂缝

裂缝也称为羽毛，是祖母绿中非常常见的内含物。它们存在于世界各地的祖母绿中，因此除非数量众多，否则不会被视为不可取的。它们看起来像祖母绿中的小裂缝或裂缝——因此得名裂缝——并且天然存在于矿物中，有时会渗透到整个宝石中。然而，过多的裂缝会损害宝石的耐用性并导致碎裂，因此需要小心谨慎。

几乎所有从地下挖出的翡翠都会包含某种裂缝或微小的裂缝。这些内含物是天然的，是祖母绿的一部分，但始终希望减少这些裂缝的视觉影响。这就是为什么祖母绿经常使用隐藏裂缝的天然油进行处理。

单相包含

单相内含物比我们将要讨论的其他两种更罕见，因为它不是哥伦比亚祖母绿的共同特征。然而，在来自赞比亚同名祖母绿矿的 Musakashi 祖母绿中可以看到单相包裹体。这种内含物看起来像石头中的晶体集合，是矿物内含物的结果，而不是液体或气体。

两阶段包含

在哥伦比亚祖母绿和其他地区的祖母绿中都可以找到两相包裹体。在两相包裹体中，我们有一个气泡被困在液体中，它与单相包裹体的不同之处在于不含矿物元素。这些内含物的特征通常是其锯齿状外观。

三相包容

三相夹杂物就像单相夹杂物和两相夹杂物的组合；它们通常呈锯齿状，由液体、气体、气泡、岩盐（岩盐的另一个名称）和晶体的组合组成。这些内含物可以描述为一个两端尖的豌豆荚；豆荚是液体，里面形成了气泡，还有一个水晶元素。三相内含物在哥伦比亚祖母绿中尤为常见——由于哥伦比亚是世界上最重要的祖母绿出口国，这种类型的内含物可以在当今流通的许多宝石中看到。