Birthstones: Garnet, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Diamonds
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Find Spring's glow in May's emeralds by Bethany Waldrop Keiper
May is a beautiful springtime month for renewal -- with green grass, green leaves, and green gems. And just like a perfect spring day during the middle of winter, a perfect emerald can be just as rare, and desirable, and impossible to get. The color and size of emeralds are so treasured that even the gem's inclusions are considered special. The French call the inclusions or tiny fractures in the stone "jardin," French for garden, because of the imperfections' resemblance to greenery. In far-away, long-ago Egypt, people also thought of foliage when they looked at emeralds. But they took it a step further, carving emeralds with symbols of flora, associating greenery with eternal youth, and burying the carved gems with the dead. Because of the way the stones are formed, large emeralds are rare. The very finest emeralds are more valuable than diamonds. The gems are often fragile, because of their common fissures and fractures, and transparent gems are extremely rare. But deep color is more important than inclusions. All of these things have led to the development of a special cut that is familiar -- the emerald cut. This cut is a square or rectangle with bevelled corners. It is a clear design and helps to protect the emerald from strain while showcasing its beauty. Of course, emeralds can be found cut into many other shapes. Stones with a great many inclusions can be found cut into emerald beads, or cut and shaped into cabochons. One of the world's largest emeralds is the so-called 'Mogul Emerald'. It dates from 1695, weighs 217.80 carats, and is some 10cm tall. One side of it is inscribed with prayer texts, and engraved on the other there are magnificent floral ornaments. Emeralds were popular all over the old world. Besides the French and the Egyptians, the Greeks loved emeralds, which they called "smaragdos." In South America, where some of the best emeralds are found, The Incas and Aztecs thought the stones were holy. Mines as old as 3000 B.C. were discovered by Red Sea in Egypt in the early 19th century. These mines, referred to as "Cleopatra's Mines" had long ago been exhausted of gems. An aggressive tribe called the Muzo Indians guarded their emerald mine from intrusive outsiders for decades. The Muzo mine was in the area known today as Colombia, and it remains the source of the most prized Emerald specimens. Emeralds can also be found in Brazil, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Russia. Emeralds come in a wide range of ages, as well as sizes, shapes, colors, and prices. Emeralds from Zimbabwe were already growing 2600 million years ago. Other emeralds are practically newbies, such as those from Pakistan, which are only 9 million years old. Emeralds are quite high on the Mohs scale, at 7.5 to 8, and belong, like aquamarine, to the beryl family. Since pure beryl is colorless, stones in this family get their color from other added elements. For emeralds, usually chromium and vanadium are responsible for the glowing color. The odd thing about emeralds is that normally, these two elements are found in totally different parts of the Earth's crust than beryllium. So, from a logical standpoint, emeralds really shouldn't even exist. The tension involved in the geological conditions that had to happen to get these elements together is how the gem came to be found with so many fissures and flaws. But considering the fact that they possibly shouldn't exist from a logical standpoint, we are lucky to have them, flaws and all. Emeralds are lucky to be here, so no wonder they are considered powerful emblems luck, and of love, in differing ways. The Vedas, the holy scriptures of the Indians, written many centuries ago, celebrate the beautiful green stones and their healing properties, saying that emeralds promise good luck, and that emeralds enhance well-being. A firm belief in this was shown as Indian maharajas and maharanis made sure their treasure included emeralds. In a more earthy sense, ancient Romans dedicated the stone to Venus, goddess of love and beauty, associated it with fertility and rebirth. More modern seekers relate emeralds with the heart chakra. The heart chakra is less about romantic love and more about a universal love, emotional balance, and compassion. The emerald and all of its shades of green are a chance to wear the color of rebirth and youth, love and miracles. A gem so special that even its flaws are celebrated. Are the emeralds trying to teach us something? Resources:
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