The green gemstones everybody should know - and wear!

The green gemstones everybody show know - and wear 

For a long time, we have seen interest soar amongst our customers for green gemstone jewellery. It’s not hard to understand why - green is one of the most captivating colours, traditionally thought to symbolize nature, healing, and growth. 

But many people, when looking for jewellery with green gemstones, stop at emeralds. 

Emeralds are, of course, amazingly beautiful, classic and diverse - but there’s a whole world of green gemstones out there waiting to be discovered, and they have each deserved their time in the limelight. Keep reading for our our breakdown of our favourite green gemstones for jewellery - and the pieces you should be looking at. 

Tsavorite

If the emerald is the classic, the tsavorite is the insider's choice. A variety of grossular garnet, tsavorite was only discovered in the 1960s near the Tsavo National Park on the border of Kenya and Tanzania -  and it has been quietly captivating gemstone collectors ever since.

The colour is extraordinary: a vivid, saturated green that in many cases rivals the finest emerald, but in a stone that is typically free of the treatments that emeralds almost always require. Tsavorite is also harder and more durable than emerald, making it genuinely practical for everyday wear.

Peridot

For anyone born late in summer, the peridot might not be a new discovery - as it is the birthstone of August. The stone exists only in one, very specific colour and shade: a distinctive yellow-green that is entirely its own. 

The stone is formed deep within the earth's mantle and brought to the surface through volcanic activity - which means that every peridot has made an extraordinary journey before it reaches a jeweller's bench. Some peridot has even arrived on earth from space, found inside meteorites. The Egyptians called it the gem of the sun and mined it on the volcanic island of Zabargad in the Red Sea for thousands of years. 

Peridot rates 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, which makes it suitable for most jewellery but worth treating with a little care in rings that take daily wear. It should be kept away from harsh chemicals and ultrasonic cleaners. With reasonable care, it holds its colour and clarity well — peridot does not typically require treatment, which makes it one of the more straightforward coloured gemstones to buy with confidence.

 

 

Green Tourmaline 

Tourmaline is one of the most colour-diverse gemstones in the world, and its green varieties are among the most beautiful. Green tourmaline offers a huge range of tones - from olive and forest green through to the brightest mint - at price points that make it one of the most accessible entry points into fine coloured gemstones. It is a stone that rewards exploration, and an excellent choice for jewellery. 

With high durability, green tourmaline requires very little treatment - and some green tourmalines can genuinly be difficult to differenciate from emeralds, that require significantely more crae and treatment. 

Malachite 

Malachite is not a traditional gemstone in the way that emerald or tourmaline is. It is a copper carbonate mineral, formed through the weathering of copper deposits, and it is opaque rather than transparent. Its defining characteristic is its banding - concentric rings and swirling patterns in varying shades of green, from pale mint to deep forest, that make every piece entirely unique. 

The colour is extraordinary. That rich, saturated green with its organic patterning has made malachite one of the most visually distinctive materials in jewellery and decorative arts for centuries. In jewellery, it works particularly well as a statement stone in bold, sculptural settings where its pattern can be fully appreciated.

Malachite is more sensitive than other green stones - it's softer, and sensitive to chemicals, and therefore not recommended for rings and bracelets. In a pendant, on a necklace or in earrings, however, it is a beautiful choice. 

Mon Ceour - SHIR Fine Jewellery 

The Malachite Heart Necklace showcases a hand-carved malachite gemstone shaped into a perfect heart. Framed in  18K gold and topped with a brilliant diamond surround. 

Emerald 

It may be an expected choice, but we couldn't possibly not mention the emerald - it's the most classic, most popular green gemstone there is. As one of the four precious gemstones alongside diamond, ruby, and sapphire, the emerald has been prized since antiquity - Cleopatra was famously obsessed with them, and the Mughal emperors of India engraved their finest stones with prayers and gave them as talismans.

What makes a fine emerald so extraordinary is its colour — a pure, vivid green with a blue undertone that no other stone quite replicates. The finest examples come from Colombia, particularly from the Muzo and Chivor mines, and they carry what the trade calls a jardin: internal inclusions, visible to the naked eye, that are not considered flaws but fingerprints. Every fine emerald is unique because of its imperfections, not in spite of them.

One thing worth knowing before you buy: almost all emeralds on the market have been treated with cedar oil or resin to fill surface-reaching fractures. This is entirely standard and accepted practice.

Eboris Gold Bracelet - Mazarin