Closeup of the famous "Jolie" 115 carat Emerald earrings
Green Makes a Dazzling Return
By VICTORIA GOMELSKY
Published: May 20, 2010
Special Report: Jewelry
LONDON — Unlike mere minerals, gemstones possess an alchemic mix of beauty, durability and rarity. Emerald, however, goes one better. Prized by the Romans, the Incas, the Moguls and the czars, it lays claim to one of the gem trade’s longest and most illustrious histories. And therein lies the rub.
During the designer renaissance of the past 20 years, emerald became a victim of its own highfalutin image. Considered too classic, too expensive and too fussy by the talented young jewelers who revolutionized the trade’s understanding of fashion, May’s birthstone was forsaken by all but the most conventional stylists.
“It was a terrible time for the industry,” said Gary Roskin, founder of the Roskin Gem News Report. “But emerald never lost its reputation. There isn’t another stone that can equal that color.” Now, emerald is, by all accounts, in the midst of a dazzling comeback. It began at the Oscars in 2009, when Angelina Jolie paired a simple black gown with 115-carat pear-shaped emerald earrings by Lorraine Schwartz, favored jeweler of the red carpet crowd. Unadorned by diamonds, the $2.5 million dangles glowed a pure, Platonic green. The market treated them as a revelation.
“It’s unbelievable what those earrings did for emeralds,” Ms. Schwartz recalled. “I have seven calls for them now. It was about the color and simplicity.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/arts/21iht-acajemer.html