The stone of prophecy
Love, Enjoy Life to the Fullest, Prosperity
Traditionally associated with the attributes of fertility, love and rebirth, the Emerald was dedicated by the Ancient Romans to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. The striking magnificent lush shade was one of Cleopatra’s favorite gems. Today, emerald meaning represents wisdom, growth and patience. By weight, the emerald is the most valuable gemstone today.
The History of Emerald
The word Emerald is derived from the Greek word “Smaragdos” meaning “green stone”- an apt description for this beautiful gemstone. The rich green color, a variety of beryl gem stones is valued as a precious gem. It was used popularly during the Victorian period for jewelry for royals. Unlike the diamond, the emerald revealed itself early and abundantly to humankind almost 6,000 years ago and has been a part of our story ever since. Almost every high quality emerald is smuggled at some time in its history so if you have an emerald, just imagine the story behind it! Although the emerald was recognized early on, it made its grand entrance around 4,000 years ago with the discovery of the Cleopatra mines, 440 miles southeast of Cairo.
Today, most of the world’s emeralds come from Columbia, Brazil and Zambia and they are still one of the most coveted gemstones. In fact, celebrities have treasured emeralds since the golden age of Hollywood.
The crown was created around 1590 by settlers of the ancient city of Inca. 453 emerald gems set deeply in the frame with a combined weight totals at least 1,500 carats
Commissioned by German Prince Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck, he gave this tiara as a gift to his second wife Katherine in the year 1900. It contains a row of 11 polished pear shaped emeralds at about 500 carats total
The jewels originally owned by Empress Josephine of France. Passed into the Norwegian Royal Family via Queen Josephine of Sweden, the Empress' granddaughter
Stone, color, cut
The proper name for the emerald is beryl, but there are different colors of beryl. Most emeralds have inclusions (bubbles) in them. If the stone has too much blue in it, it is then an aquamarine. Pink beryl is Morganite, yellow beryl is golden beryl, yellow-green beryl is heliodor. There is also a rare red beryl. An emerald of the right shade of green can be more valuable than a diamond.
Emerald is a color that is a shade of green. It is light and bright, with a faint bluish cast. The name comes from the color of the gemstone emerald.
As may be evident by the name, the "emerald cut" was originally developed for cutting emeralds, not diamonds. While the emerald gemstone is a relatively hard stone (7.5 - 8.0 on the Mohs scale), it is known for numerous inclusions (naturally occurring internal flaws). The inclusions make the stone vulnerable to breakage, making them difficult to cut. The stepped, normally rectangular cut with cropped corners was developed to address these issues.
Emeralds come in a wide range of natural shades of green with tones that can vary from having tints of blue and yellow
Emerald jewelery
A diamond may be forever, but an emerald is divine. Emerald gemstone jewelery have gained acclaim throughout history because of their incomparably rich and deep green color—not to mention the fact that they are very hard to find.
Emerald gems are present in almost all the recorded jewellery collections of royal families, Queen Elizabeth II reportedly holds a vast collection of these precious stones. The palaces of ultra-rich Middle Eastern sultans have also been found to have emeralds not only on the walls, but also on cutlery. Indeed, emerald gems are a symbol of power and status. Among Hollywood personalities, the glamorous Elizabeth Taylor’s name instantly comes to mind when we think of emerald jewellery, as she held a place in her heart for these stunning stones. Given their appeal across generations, emerald gems are timeless. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a mogul to covet one of these precious stones, or be a millionaire to own an emerald and feel like royalty.
The May Birthstone
The May birthstone, the Emerald is a truly feminine spirit full of nurturing qualities. It is unsurprising that those born under the month of May usually have behavioral characteristics of loyalty, faithfulness and are more predisposed for friendship. Wearers of Emerald can benefit from the metaphysical properties of improved memory and enhanced mental capabilities. May born are truly wise.
Various facts
The Bahia Emerald is one of the largest emeralds and contains the largest single shard ever found. The stone, weighing approximately 840lbs (381kg) (containing more than 180,000 carats) originated from Bahia, Brazil and is emerald crystals embedded in host rock. It narrowly escaped flooding during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 during a period of storage in a warehouse in New Orleans.. It was subsequently reported stolen in September 2008. The stone has been valued at some $400 million, but the true value is unclear. At one point, the emerald was listed for sale on eBay for a "Buy It Now" price of $75 million
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Celebrities wearing emerald engagement ring: Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana, Halle Berry
Jeweled, monogrammed ring of Catherine II of Russia, St. Petersburg
Empress Farah Pahlavi wearing her emerald and diamond jewels