Green Gemstones List – My top 10

Green has been a very popular gemstone color for thousands of years. Emerald and jadeite, which are green gemstones, are two of the most treasured gemstones in ancient civilizations. As of today, there are probably over 100 different types of green gemstones. Green is a unique color which ads elegance and at the same time symbolize nature and freshness. Green is also recognized as the most soothing color in the spectrum (For those who usually get stressed with work, doctors advise to take breaks and stare at something natural and green for a while). In this article, I will introduce a green gemstones list which will make it easier for you to select one for your next jewelry.

The color ranges, comparative prices, advantages and disadvantages of each gemstones will be presented. But, the list is not created in any specific order and hence, please do not consider it as ranked from 1 to 10. Depending on your specific requirement, any of these gemstones will suit you.

Green Gemstones List

Following is the green gemstones list which will be introduced in this article.

• Emerald
• Green Sapphire
• Green Diamond
• Jade
• Tsavorite
• Peridot
• Green Tourmaline
• Green Zircon
• Amazonite
• Aventurine

Let’s go through the list, one by one.

1. Emerald

Emerald was the most popular green gemstone throughout the history and it continues to be so. It was also the favorite gemstone of the ancient Egyptian queen, Cleopatra.

Emerald belongs to the beryl family of minerals and therefore it has a hardness of 7.5 – 8. Although the hardness is good, inclusions are very common in emeralds. These inclusions can cause the stone to chip and crack. Therefore, special care is recommended for emeralds and emerald jewelry. Treatments and fracture filling is common in emerald to improve the color as well as its strength.

When buying an emerald, the color is the most important factor. Slight changes in color can result in significant price differences.

A detailed article of factors affecting the price of emeralds can be found here.

2. Green Sapphire

Sapphire is an excellent stone for jewelry due to its high durability and beauty. Green sapphire has increased in popularity recently although it is not commonly found. Uniformly saturated green sapphires can be very rare and those are considered as collectors’ stones.

Color of green sapphire range from light to dark green with or without hints of blue or yellow.

3. Green Diamond

Diamond is one of the most expensive types of gemstones. Since green diamonds are very rare, prices are even more expensive.  One unique aspect of green diamond is how it get its color. While trace elements are responsible for the color of many gemstones, green diamond gets it color from natural irradiation (but these are not radioactive and hence they are safe to wear).

Diamond is the hardest material on earth with a hardness of 10 in the Moh’s scale and therefore it is the ultimate scratch resistant material. But it is not as tough as sapphire and it can chip or crack if faced with a hard knock.

There are different tones of green diamonds available and as per GIA classification, the highest ratings goes for the “fancy vivid” color diamonds.

Synthetic green diamonds are also available in the market and hence, buying from a highly trusted source such as Leibish is recommended.

You can check their green diamond prices here.

4. Jade

Jade occurs in a range of colors and green jade is the most famous. It is another gemstone which has a recorded history of thousands of years. Jade has been used in China for more than 7000 years and it still remains the main market for this gemstone.

There are two variations of jade: Nephrite and Jadeite. Nephrite is abundant and inexpensive while jadeite is rarer, harder and expensive.

The stone has a hardness of 6-7 in the Moh’s scale but it is a tough gemstone due to its compact composition. Jade is either translucent or opaque. It is usually cut as cabochons or as various shapes such as human figures, animals, ornaments, etc.

(Check for Jade prices here)

5. Tsavorite Garnet

Tsavorite is a variation of green grossular garnet. It is a gemstone which was discovered only few decades ago from the African region.  Tsavorite is found in small pieces and hence, inclusions free stones over 1 carat are expensive.

Hardness of Tsavorite is 7 – 7.5 but it is less brittle than emerald. Although the color of tsavorite is different to emerald, it also possess a unique green hue. Tsavorite is much less expensive than emerald and it is rarely treated.

6. Peridot

Pridot is an ideal fit to this list as it is found only in one color (idiochromatic), which is green.  It comes in a light green, sometimes mixed with yellow. Like diamonds, peridot is also formed within the mantel of earth and surface due to volcanic activities. This is the reason why peridot is also called the “volcanic gemstone”.

It is a stone found in abundance and prices are very affordable.  Its hardness is 6.5 -7. Hence, peridot is not considered as a durable gemstone. If you are using it for a day to day jewelry, make sure to use it in a protective setting. Due to its abundance, finding eye-clean pieces are very easy.

7. Green Tourmaline

Tourmaline is a very popular gemstone including green tourmaline which is also known as verdalite.

With a hardness of 7 – 7.5, it has a good durability. It is also an affordable gemstone and comes in a range of different green tones. Heat treatments are common for tourmalines and buying treated stones should not be that much of a concern. If the seller is claiming that the stone is free of treatments, it is better to ask for a gemstone certificate to prove that claim.

8. Green Zircon

Zircon is a gemstone with a great brilliance since it has a very high refractive index. It is also used as an alternative for diamonds due its high luster. Green zircon comes in a range of green hues.

Zircon has a hardness of 7.5 which is considered as a fairly decent hardness for jewelry.  However, it is a relatively brittle gemstone and can chip or crack.

9. Amazonite

The stone was initially called “Amazon stone” due to its green surface with white lines which resembles a surface of a river. The name gradually evolved into “Amazonite”. The stone comes in a range of colors from greenish blue to bluish green.  Its unique texture and color makes it a good choice for certain types of jewelry.

The stones are found in abundance and not treated. Prices of amazonite are also very affordable. Since hardness is 6 – 6.5, it is not a very durable gemstone.

10. Aventurine

Aventurine belongs to the quartz family of minerals. The most common color of aventurine is green and comes in a range of green from light to dark. Aventurine is known for its shimmering effect known as “aventurescence”. This property ads a unique beauty to this gemstone.

It has a hardness of 6.5 – 7 but its compact structure makes it prone to cracking and chipping. It occurs in translucent to opaque nature.

Final Thoughts

This article was written with the objective of introducing a green gemstones list which can be used for different types of jewelry.  As mentioned earlier, the list was not created on any specific order and hence you can select any gemstone you like by paying attention to advantages and disadvantages of each different stone.