Like most valuable gemstones, false claims, mispresentations, and fraudulent practices exist for the sale of emeralds. Always have your emerald checked by a qualified gemologist-appraiser before closing the sale. Any fine emerald purchased today should have a laboratory report with it. Here are some emerald scams that are out there:

1. Treating the emerald with green-colored oil to enhance the color. This treatment is not permanent. Note that treating emeralds with colorless oils is a generally accepted practice.

2. Treating fracture-filled emeralds with epoxy resins in order to hide fractures or inclusions in the emerald. This treatment is also not permanent and in fact may hide a stone that is defective structurally.

3. Using green foil on the back of a closed-back jewelry piece in order to intensify the color of a pale or poor-quality emerald. Somtimes near-colorless aquamarine stones for used in this practice. This is more commonly found in antique emerald jewelry.

4. Selling an emerald doublet, which is a composite stone comprised a real emerald top bonded to a colored glass bottom. This is more commonly found in antique jewelry.

5. Selling an emerald triplet, known as a Soude emerald, where a green-colored bonding agent is sandwiched between top and bottom coloreless spinel pieces.