On EmeraldsAlthough I don't dispute any of the earlier opinions favouring priority for the ruby projects, I'd like to relate the following:
Twenty years ago when my daughter was seven years old, we got her a fairly cheap emerald birthstone ring from Eatons. It was a light green stone, far inferior to the deep green stones found in expensive rings. In short, it was a child's ring priced accordingly.
She got it appraised this year and the jeweller said that it was "quite a nice emerald by today's standards." The valuation surprised us all. The fact is that emeralds are getting rarer, prices have gone up and lesser quality stones are commanding higher prices. As a birthstone, emeralds will always be in demand, even at the low end of the quality scale. If TNG wants to eventually offer a variety of gemstones, they should not exclude emeralds from their exploration and development programs.
Sure, give the ruby and sapphire properties a higher development budget, but bear in mind that emerald cabachons can be a profitable supplement should the company ever get producing a commercial product.
And what is considered low quality now may well be highly profitable in the years ahead.