May Birthstone - Emerald
>> Thursday, May 8, 2008
The modern and trditional birthstone of May and also the Zodiac stone for Cancer and Taurus is Emerald. Emerald is the only stone after Topaz, which is listed in the ancient birthstone tables. This gemstone is suggested as an anniversary gift for the 20th and 35th anniversaries and as an alternate stone for the 55th wedding anniversary. Emerald symbolizes fidelity and goodness. This beautiful green birth stone looks beautiful in any type of jewelry especially in a Ring. Emerald is considered as the green version of the mineral Beryl. It also vary in color from light to deep green. The name Emerald is derived from the French "esmeraude” and the Greek root "smaragdos” which means 'green gemstone'. Its wonderful green color is obtained unparallely in the gem kingdom and this precious color is obtained by small amounts of chromium and enhanced by traces of iron. High quality emerald are a deep grass green with a slightly bluish cast, but many low quality stone are lighter shades of green and can have a more yellowish tone. Their quality too ranges from poor to sensational with a side warning about fakes. This stone is brittle in nature and proper care should be taken while wearing or cleaning them. They should never be immersed in an ultrasonic or subjected to steam cleaning.
They were used as amulets to ward off epilepsy in children and thought to cure diseases of the eye. It also help in improving memory,intelligence, and enhance clairvoyance thus helping to predict future events.Emeralds are found in many countries, but Colombia and Brazil are the major producers and Colombia is recognized as the source for the finest stones. They are also found in Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, India,Russia, Norway, and United States.
2 comments:
I just found your blog and I'd like to comment that most people spell Colombia wrong. There is no 'U' in Colombia. I even wrote a blog on that once myself.
I'd also like to contest the idea that emeralds are brittle. they're not as hard as diamonds, but nothing else is either. I've seen experienced gem setters literally pound away on emerald jewelry to set stones with a force that was very surprising. I've also had inexperienced jewelers break small emeralds, but this same jeweler broke my small diamonds as well. It's all in the jeweler's experience. Emeralds are hard stones that will scratch glass and even steel.
Regarding fakes, the same can be said about any major gemstone. Luckily there are ways to avoid getting scammed including the use of a gemologist, chelsea filter, synthetic emerald filter, and buying from a reputable source. I don't include jewelers in that list because many are not very good in matters of gemology. They're purpose is to sell jewelry, which they're generally very good at.
That horse looks awesome with that huge emerald, the biggest emeralds I have seen were from my mother in her emerald earrings
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