The brilliant green color of emerald, which represents May's birthstone, bears a fascinating history. It is a refreshing deep green color acting as a catalyst for the spring season to blossom. This is especially important because spring is a season dedicated to new growth and rebirth. An emerald
shines like green lightening, filling us with incredulous awe, great wonder and an incredible feeling of inner peace that soothes the inner crevices of the soul.
Within the depths of this jewel, are tiny fractures, which the French called "jardin" or "garden" because of its close resemblance to foliage. The ancient Romans dedicated the gemstone to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, whereas the ancient Egyptians engraved emeralds with the symbol for
foliage, often associated with eternal youth and buried these precious stones with the dead. Two thousand years before Cleopatra's birth, the ancient Egyptians mined emeralds and during her reign as queen, they were her favorite gem and she claimed the emerald mines to be her own. She often wore
lavish emerald jewelry, bestowing large emerald pieces to visiting dignitaries before they would depart from Egypt.
In the 16th century, native peoples wore large, magnificent emeralds that left the Spanish Conquistadors in awe. Despite the natives attempt to hide the emerald mines, the Spaniards soon discovered them and took over. The most abundant mining tribe, however, was run by the Muzo Indians and it
took thirty years for them to be conquered once they were found. The Muzo mine was located in the area known currently as Columbia and it is an area where the most prized emerald pieces are found today. Emeralds can also be found in places like Pakistan, Madagascar, Afghanistan, Nigeria,
Zimbabwe, Russia and Brazil.
Once prescribed for eye diseases, the green color of emeralds was believed to be soothing to the eyes. Stone cutters in the early days kept emeralds on their tables to gaze upon as a way to give their eyes a break from the strain of their arduous work. And now, even in the 21st century, color
specialists all agree that the green shade of emeralds is soothing, relaxing and restful for the eyes.
Emeralds are from the beryl family of minerals and its green color occurs when pure, clear beryl contains either vanadium or chromium. Beryl may also mix with other colors. Its blue variation is known as aquamarine while pink shades of beryl are known as Morganite. Yellow colored beryl is known
simply as yellow or golden beryl while the red variation of beryl is known as bixbite. The hardness of an emerald ranges from a 7.5 to an 8 on the Mohs scale and although they are considered hard stones, the cracks within them affects their durability, making them susceptible to breaking.
This birthstone's properties symbolize serenity and peace of mind. It is also an anniversary gemstone symbolizing the 20th, 35th and 55th wedding anniversaries. Some believe that wearing emerald jewelry brings wisdom, growth and patience. And, as any couple in a long-lasting relationship would
agree, it is these essential attributes that make the gift of emerald perfect for the anniversary occasion because it is symbolic of love and fidelity.
Today's versatile emeralds are also "easy on the eyes" as they are used in making various pieces of jewelry like necklaces, bracelets and earrings. They are traditionally thought to enhance the clairvoyance of their wearers and are usually worn to promote healing and enhance feelings of love and
contentment.
Lara Ameen is a junior at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in English with a double minor in Creative Writing and Disability Studies. She enjoys writing about her favorite paranormal television shows and is fascinated by the relationship between psychology, spirituality and the
paranormal. Her biggest aspirations are to be a fiction novelist and television screenwriter.
