Birthstones - Emerald

The King of Green

Emerald, with its rich green reflecting the colors of spring, has been treasured for thousands of years as an emblem of rebirth and enduring love. The favorite of Pharaohs, prized by the Mogul rulers of India, and coveted by the royal houses of Europe, no other green gemstone can rival the emerald’s luxuriant green hue, entrancing beauty and eternal popularity.

The Incas and Aztecs of South America, where the best emeralds are still found today, regarded the emerald as a holy gemstone.

Smaragdos

The name emerald comes from the Greek 'smaragdos' via the Old French 'esmeralde', and really just means 'green gemstone'. Innumerable fantastic stories have grown up around this magnificent gem.

On the Breastplate of Aaron the Emerald represented the tribe of Levi.

The oldest known finds were once made near the Red Sea in Egypt. These gemstone mines, already exploited by Egyptian pharaohs between 3000 and 1500 B.C. and later referred to as 'Cleopatra's Mines', had already been exhausted by the time they were rediscovered in the early 19th century.