Green as new grass, the birthstone for May is the emerald.
Associated since ancient times with love, fertility and re-birth, the emerald was dedicated to the goddess of love and beauty, Venus, by the Romans. Its lush, dramatic shade made it one of Cleopatra’s favourite gems – chosen not only for its colour of course, but for its power as the symbol of eternal youth – something that would have been of great important to a woman who ruled as much with her beauty as her strength.
As the birthstone for May, today, this fabulous rare green gemstone represents wisdom, growth and patience and is, by weight, the most valuable of all the precious gems.
A long history
The name emerald comes from the ancient Greek word ‘smaragdos’, literally meaning ‘green stone.’
Mined only in Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan and Zambia, emeralds are judged and valued on the 4 C’s – with Colour being given significant priority. Interestingly, the Clarity of the stone is often affected by inclusions (tiny fractures within the gemstone, also known as birthmarks) which are expected and do not detract from the value of the stone in the way similar flaws affect other gemstones. While found in several locations, they are still a very rare gemstone, with the best jewellery-quality stones being very limited – hence their monetary and emotional value.
Emerald is a variety of beryl, a crystalline mineral that grows with six sides and up to 30cm long. Sorry – we just need to take a moment here to imagine a foot long emerald… Formed by great pressure and heat more than two million years ago, the colour of an emerald, like all coloured gems, has a spectrum and can range from light green at one end (though there is some argument whether these very light beryls should really be classified as emeralds) to a deep, rich green. The colour of the emerald can actually be enhanced by its cut, so a really good gem cutter can really bring the best out of the stone.
The deeper or more green an emerald, the more valuable it is. The rarest emeralds will appear to be an intense green-blue.
Famous emerald lovers
Perhaps, after Cleopatra, the most famous worshipper of emeralds was Elizabeth Taylor, who amassed quite a collection of emerald jewellery (in additional to her well-documented diamonds) bought for her by the love of her life, Richard Burton, and made for her by Bulgari.
Taylor’s jewels were put up for sale in 2011, at Christie’s sale of the actress’s estate, and Bulgari re-acquired the entire collection of Bulgari-made pieces, including an emerald necklace set that sold for close to US$6 million – and a pendant which was sold as a separate lot for US$6.5 million.
From Cleopatra to Elizabeth Taylor, the emerald has been the stone of choice for history’s most beautiful and powerful women…shall you add yourself to that list?