Rare Chatham Emerald Cluster - 39.80 carats!

Great specimen and a fine example of Carroll Chatham's legacy.

Free shipping via Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Package within the USA.

Dimensions (all measurements shown in photos is in millimeters):

Carat Weight: 39.80 cts.

Compare to natural emeralds

Chemically and structurally the same as natural emeralds Hardness:      7 1/2 - 8

Clarity:            most have the jardin (garden) found in natural emeralds.

                        Also, natural emeralds are almost always oiled to achieve more clarity.

                         Our emeralds are NEVER oiled . Please note this when you look at the photos.

                        This gem was also NOT photographed wet. What you see is how it appears in normal light.

Color:             generally a deep emerald green

Compare to other emerald clusters offered on eBay and other internet sites. Our prices are very competitive and are likely to be a mere fraction of any other seller, even wholesale. We don’t believe you will find a more affordable source for these beautiful gems. If you do, please let us know. And by all means, ask your local jeweler or gem shop.

A word about lab-created gems

All gems and minerals are a combination of atomic molecules that bond to form a specific chemical structure. Gems that are created in a lab should not be confused with materials that mimic or imitate natural stones, with shapes, colors, and structures that appear to be, but are not, the original material. Sometimes called synthetic, lab-created gems have the same chemical structure and composition as those found in nature, usually with some additional variation so that they can be distinguished from the natural. This variation allows the new gem to be identified as lab created, often to the specific lab it was grown in.

The first successful commercial process for creating gem material is known as the Verneuil or flame fusion process. Chemicals are introduced into a chamber, heated to an intense degree, and allowed to “melt” together to form what is known as boule. Today, this process is performed at many worldwide labs, the best-known in Switzerland, where the process was developed. This is the process used to grow silicon boule from which computer chips are made.

Another process is called hydrothermal. This process imitates the natural conditions of intense heat and pressure that form many of the gems that are found around the world. There have been many beautiful gems produced in this way.

A third process is called the flux method, by which chemicals are brought together in a sort of “soup” at extreme heat and allowed to form into crystalline structures over a long period of time. This is perhaps the most expensive and time-consuming process as these gems are grown in platinum crucibles and require constant monitoring and controlled heat. It is under these conditions that our emerald clusters and crystals came into being.

The original lab-created emeralds

Though many types of gemstones have been produced in laboratories to date, most notably sapphires and rubies, some of the finest were developed by a man named Carroll Chatham of San Francisco, California. In fact, up until the 1990s, his laboratory produced some of the most beautiful gems known to the industry. That San Francisco laboratory, now closed, is the source of our emerald clusters and crystals. The production of these emeralds has remained a family secret, and they are unlikely to ever again be produced. So when you buy from us, you are purchasing an investment that can only increase in value and rarity.

We combine shipping if you purchase more than one item at a time.

We also give a 10% discount on orders of five items or more.

Orders over $100 will be insured as allowed by postal regulations

at no additional charge to buyer.

And don’t forget that we also sell Chatham Padparadscha Sapphire Crystals, Chatham Ruby Crystals, Chatham Emerald (crystals, clusters, and rough), synthetic corundum half-boules for faceting (Ruby Pink #1, Ruby Light Rose #3, Ruby Med. Rose #4, Ruby Dark Rose #5, Padparadscha #55, and Sapphire Blue #34), and Benitoite (a rare blue fluorescent gem from San Benito County, California).

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*Product disclaimer:

Please note that this website, its owners, and these gems are not affiliated with Chatham® Created Gems which is managed by Tom Chatham, one of Carroll Chatham’s sons. Chatham® Created Gems is a registered trademark, and cannot be legally used to describe the emeralds we sell.

Please also note that we are not affiliated in any way with a product of the electronics industry, known as Emerald Cluster, that is produced by Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. of Sunnyvale, CA.