Emerald Rings

Him or her: men's emerald rings and women's emerald rings

Decide whose hand first, because the two sides of the case barely meet. The men's rings run from about 10 grams to 27. Three of them set an oval emerald in .925 silver. Those silver ovals were most of what sold in the year, the Royal Garden alone 10 times. The women's rings are slim gold, half of them under 4 grams, and most carry small diamonds beside the green. Two rings are listed for men and women alike, an emerald and opal eternity band and a pear emerald in 10K gold.

The stone: emerald hardness, inclusions and oil

Give an emerald a gentler life than a diamond. It rates 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, hard enough for most days, yet it is brittle. Nearly every emerald carries tiny inclusions, which jewelers call its garden, and a sharp knock can open one into a crack. Most emeralds are also oiled to quiet those inclusions, so hot water, steam and ultrasonic cleaners can draw the oil out and leave the green looking dry. Wash it in lukewarm soapy water with a soft brush, and take it off for the gym.

The shape: emerald cut, oval, round and pear emeralds

The emerald cut is a shape as well as a stone, so check which one you mean. It is a long rectangle of stepped facets with the corners trimmed, first cut for this stone because square corners chip. Diamonds take the shape too, and those rings sit with the emerald-cut engagement rings. Every ring here holds the green stone. Six set it in its own emerald cut, nearly all of them for women. Five are round and one is a pear. The three ovals are the men's silver rings that sold most.

Gold or silver: 18K, 14K and .925 silver emerald rings

Pick the gold color by how you want the green to read. Yellow gold warms it, white gold cools and brightens it, and rose softens it. Nearly every gold ring here comes in all three. Eight rings are 18K, the richer yellow. Six are 14K, harder and quicker to shrug off wear. The three silver rings are the men's ovals, and silver darkens with time, so give it a polishing cloth now and then. Diamonds sit beside the emerald on 13 rings, and every listing that names their origin says natural.

Size and setting: emerald ring sizes and the bezel

Measure the finger before you order. Nearly every ring for her offers 5 through 7. Most men's rings run 8 to 12, all in half sizes. Three break the pattern. The 14K Godfather stops at 8. The 14K Anniversary ring runs only 2 to 6. One 18K custom ring shows no size at all, so ask the live chat. Prongs hold the emerald on most rings. A bezel, a rim of metal around the stone's edge, guards it best, and two men's rings have one. A resized ring cannot come back, so ask us first.