Emerald Auctions
You can buy emeralds at emerald auctions. It is quite easy to locate auctions using google.com by typing in emerald auctions in the search field. Probably eBay and www.bidz,com would be the most popular. Also look out for local auctions in your town or city. Scouring the newspapers can sometimes net you an auction at which emeralds are up for sale.
Jewelery and gem auctions are usually the best.
Some important points to remember when buying emeralds at auctions.
If you are buying from an auction where you can attend, you will likely need to register if you intend bidding. See if you can inspect the emeralds that will be auctioned. There should be a certificate to accompany the emerald or emeralds or at least some information about them. Quite often these are antique emeralds so may not have any paperwork associated with them but they can still be a good buy if the price is right. You only need to establish that they are true emerald and not some other lesser quality stone or not even a gem at all.
Firstly you should have some understanding of the value and worth of emeralds and also what your bid is going to be. This will depend on your budget and how much you want the emeralds of course.
When bidding it is better not to bid at all until the very last minute when all the bidding appears to be done. Provided the price is still within your budget you can then jump in with a bid and not start a bidding war (which only benefits the seller and the auction house).
Online auctions are different. You cannot see the emeralds but only a picture of them. It is difficult to asses the quality of an emerald in this case and you would be more interest in seeing a certificate of authenticity which you could compare the emerald with if you did bid and win the bid.
Ensure the auction house has provision for misrepresentation of product and a protection system for the buyer. You don’t want to bid and win an expensive emerald to find when it arrives that you have just got at best a poor quality emerald and at worse a worthless piece of glass.
Buying emeralds at emerald auctions can be fun but there is no substitute for doing your due diligence.