This beautiful green stone, my favorite of the expensive foursome: diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, has been an object of desire for many centuries. Like most gemstones, its history is filled with a lot of stories, which might influence the motives for all of you wanting a piece of jewelry with an emerald. Here are 25 interesting and fun facts about this fantastic gemstone!
Where does the word emerald come from:
When I did some research, most sources said it came from the ancient Greek word for green: smaragdus. But some speak about the origins in the Semitic languages (origins in Afro-asiatic language family, today the biggest Semitic languages are Arabic, Amharic, Tigrinya, Hebrew and Maltese)
Let’s start first with some facts before going to myths and stories!
- Emerald is found and mined in many places around the globe. Most famous, perhaps, are the mines in Colombia. Other countries are f.e. Zambia, Afghanistan and Brazil.
- Emerald is always green. The deeper the color, the more valuable the stone.
Piaget Emerald and diamond ring, Moksh Zambian emerald and diamond earrings, stunning necklace by Narayan Jewellers
- Emerald has always some inclusions. If it’s without any inclusion, it’s more likely to be a synthetic version.
- Emerald is treated, estimated by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), in 90% of the cases. This practice has been done throughout the ages as emerald has often some scratches and damage on its surface. This is normal and natural. Most used are oils and resins
Oh how I love this one! Ring by Narayan jewellers, with the huge emerald on its back. The ring is made for a special occassion; Elephants for elephants
- Emerald is a gemstone from the Beryl family. Light green stones are called green beryl and should not be called emerald.
- The jewelry organization in the U.S. decided in the ‘60’s that not just chrome containing emeralds (chrome gives the green color) are officially emeralds, but also those stones that contain vanadium (as the material giving its green color to emerald). This is allowed only in the U.S. Stones containing vanadium are often called: Colombian emeralds and are not recognized as emeralds in the U.K. and Europe f.e.
- Jaipur is one of the largest emerald cutting centers of the world today.
Old stories:
- In ancient Egypt, the emerald was already mined and appreciated by Pharaoh's. In 1817, mines were discovered by Frédéric Cailliaud. We know that Cleopatra, centuries after the oldest mines were excavated, was also a true lover of the green gemstone.
- The Romans connected emerald and other green stones to Venus, Godess of Love. It was associated with growth and spring. Something we will find also in other cultures.
deGrisogono diamond and emeralds....
- In Pompei en Herculaneum, beautiful emerald jewelry was found.
- In 800-250 B.C. Hermes, the messenger of the Gods, was connected to emeralds as it was said that this was the stone of truth. And eloquent speaking ( something I like to always try and fail to do ;-)
Crivelli from Valenza. A company well known for its high quality jewelry.
- Nero, the Roman emperor, was said to watch Gladiator matches through a Beryl ( emerald is part of the Beryl stone family) Perhaps he thus invented the first sunglasses? Or was it to alter the color of blood?
- Aztecs (1200-1500 A.C.) called the emerald; Stone of the Earth. It was associated with, again; fertility and one can find statues that were meant to celebrate fertility, full of jade and emeralds.
- In Medieval times, Christians connected the beautiful emerald to Lucifer, the devil. It was a stone, so they said, from his crown. Although it was now perhaps a devil stone, people did connect it in a more positive way. It was believed that it helped you to stay honest and well-behaved. Again, although brought in a different setting, the stone was connected to being true, speaking the truth.
- The Mystic Johannes van Ruusbroec (1293-1381 A.C.) said that the stone was indeed, the holy spirit of Jesus. Faith, Hope and Love.
- Emerald was an inspiration for the Medieval alchemists. The Tabula Smaragdina. This emerald tablet contained a writing, done most probably by Hermes Trismegistus and it’s a connected to the origin of the Philosopher’s stone, but it's also about the creation of the world, the energy of the creation between microcosm and macrocosm. Engraved into the emerald stone, once again, for it is known to speak the truth.
Modern stories
If you like more modern reasons to buy emerald, but still love a good story, here is some of the reasons why you might want to choose for an emerald. I think that stories like this and the ones mentioned above, give more meaning to the stone. So when you want to buy something for yourself, you might find something that connects you and your life ( or of the one you are buying it for) and so it becomes even more meaningful. Of course, you may or may not believe the stories, I am a huge sceptic, but we love symbolism. We all do. And if you look at it that way, here are some of the symbolic values of the stone.
SYMBOLISM
Emerald gives:
- Insight and seeing yourself as who you truly (here we go again!) are.
- Opening of the heart chakra, enabling you to experience unconditional love for all that surrounds you.
- Tranquility and inner wisdom
- Attracts love, harmony and abundance.
- Stone of truth
- It’s connected to being resilient.
- Also: enhance your wellbeing and love for esthetics
- Growth, nature, your connection to nature, regeneration
Reason nr.25:
It's simply just an amazingly beautiful gemstone!
A little tip:
Emeralds are not as hard as a diamond. Because they are often treated, one should never ever use chemicals or ultrasound machines to clean it. Neither should you clean it using heat in any way. Pay attention to all chemicals when wearing it. Clean it, preferably, with some warm water and just rinse it. Let it dry and then rub it with a very soft cloth.
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Hi Dear,
"Thank you for this fantastic post on emeralds and the many reasons why they are such a beloved gemstone! I appreciated the wealth of information provided in this post, from the history and symbolism of emeralds to their physical and spiritual properties. The section on the different types and colors of emeralds was also very interesting, and it's amazing to think about the variety that exists within this gemstone. The photos included in this post were stunning and really showcased the beauty of emeralds. Overall, this post is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about emeralds and their significance. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise on this topic and for providing so many reasons to love this green gemstone!"
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