The intense brilliant green of May’s birthstone, the emerald, is the perfect symbol of spring, a time of new growth and rebirth. The wonderful green color of emerald is without compare in the gem kingdom. Emerald’s precious green color comes from small amounts of chromium and is enhanced by traces of iron. The deeper the color, the more valuable the stone.
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| Example of an emerald-cut emerald |
The emerald is a member of the beryl family. The green crystals grow slowly within metamorphic rocks and are restricted in size by the rock, making large emeralds rare and costly. Although emeralds are relatively hard and durable, they must be protected from blows because the inclusions found within make them susceptible to breaking.
Emeralds usually contain inclusions and other flaws, but they are the only gemstone for which these inclusions are not considered a flaw that reduces their value. The French call the tiny fractures or inclusions often found within emeralds “jardin,” or garden, because of their resemblance to foliage. Indeed, flaws are considered part of the character of an emerald, an assurance to the purchaser of a natural stone.
Emeralds were first mined in Ancient Egypt in the extremely hot, snake- and scorpion-infested eastern desert region of the country, 2,000 years before the birth of Cleopatra. During her reign, that famous queen claimed the emerald mines as her own, as this was her favorite stone. She often wore lavish emerald jewelry, and was said to bestow visiting dignitaries with large emeralds carved with her likeness when they left Egypt.
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| Emeralds in their natural state: specimen from the Malyshevo Mine, Sverdlovskaya Oblast', Russia. |
Ancient Egyptians would also engrave Emeralds with the symbol for foliage, to represent eternal youth, and bury these jewels with their dead. In ancient Rome, the emerald was associated with fertility and rebirth, and dedicated to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty.
In the sixteenth century, the Spanish Conquistadors in the New World were amazed to find the natives wearing emeralds larger and more magnificent than any they had ever seen. Although the natives attempted to hide their emerald mines, the Spaniards soon discovered and conquered most of them. But it was not until twenty years later that they found the abundant mining operation held by the Muzo Indians, in the area known today as Colombia, and another thirty years to overtake this aggressive tribe. The Muzo mine remains the source of the most prized emerald specimens to this day.
Colombian emeralds have a deep green color without any blue tint. Typically the deepest green gems are the most coveted. And on occasion a rare Trapiche emerald, with six rays radiating from the center, is found. The rays are actually inclusions that have formed a hexagonal shape. Emeralds are also found in Brazil, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Russia.
Today, the most common way to cut emeralds is an “Emerald Cut,” a long rectangular shape with large flat surfaces. Emeralds are also cut into cabochons and used as beads. Some people believe that wearing an emerald brings wisdom, growth, and patience. This explains why a gift of emerald for an anniversary is considered symbolic of love and fidelity.
