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The Emerald
Author: Ian
Maher
The emerald has captivated people throughout ancient history, and
remains a treasured jewel today. Like many valuable gems, emeralds
have been surrounded by folklore and mysticism and believed to
possess supernatural powers throughout history. This vibrantly
colored gemstone has been historically thought to bestow good luck on
its owner, and instill virtues such as mental clarity, wisdom and
youth. Egyptians even buried emeralds with their dead under the
belief that they would grant perpetual youth. The emerald was a
subject of high regard, even worship, by ancient Incas and Aztecs.
The belief that emeralds aid in eyesight has been examined
consistently across numerous cultures over time, as has the notion
that emeralds can grant insight into the future.
The emerald is a variety of Beryl, a mineral occurring in a range of
colors from colorless to pink to green to red. The most widely known
forms of beryl are its blue variety, aquamarine, and its green
variety, the emerald. The term
“emerald†is thought to stem from
an Old French word that translates to “green
gemstone.†A deep, vibrant green is the
characteristic color of the most valued emeralds, a hue attributed to
traces of chromium present in the gems. Unlike many other gems,
inclusions in emeralds are tolerated as a natural feature, and
vibrant, intense green color attributes more to an
emerald’s value than the presence or absence of
flaws within it.
Colombia is the origin of some of the most beautiful and valuable
emeralds in the world. Colombian emeralds are renowned for their deep
green hue absent a devaluing blue tint. A majority of the
world’s emerald supply today comes from Colombia,
with much of it originating in the same areas mined by ancient
civilizations. Emeralds are also mined in other areas throughout the
world including Brazil, Zimbabwe, India, Pakistan, and Russia, to
name a few.
Emeralds are set in all styles of jewelry. A single emerald makes a
beautiful solitaire ring, or multiple smaller emeralds may be set
surrounding a larger stone, a popular design for diamond
rings. Because of the presence of inclusions in natural emerald,
cutting emeralds is challenging and requires utmost precision and
skill. The emerald cut, now also a popular cut for diamonds, was
created to alleviate some of the challenges associated with emerald
cutting and emphasize the beauty of the stone. It is common today for
emeralds used in jewelry to be treated with special oil, wax or resin
to enhance their appearance.
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