Alluring Emeralds – Birthstone of the Month
Alluring Emeralds - Birthstone of the Month
It’s no secret that emeralds are our favorite gemstones after diamonds at PHERES. And this month it’s all about celebrating EMERALDS as it’s the birthstone of the month!
Emerald is a gorgeous gem that represents the month of May and is visibly synonymous with the color green. It’s the most precious gem of all with its rich and vibrant hue. It symbolizes encouragement of growth, reflection, peace and balance.
The word emerald is derived from the Green word “smaragdos” that means green-gem. They are known to be ancient gemstones that can be traced back to 3500 B.C. Emeralds have always been associated with royalty and prestige. They were adored by Russians for their elaborate crown jewels, Cleopatra and Ancient Egyptians for their lavish jewelry and a prize possession of the Mughal empire.
Egypt was one of the earliest known locations were Emerald mining began. The mine was owned by Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen after claiming it from the Greeks – the mine is still in existence near the Red Sea, however no emeralds are found there at present. Emeralds were Cleopatra’s favorite gemstones and she owned one of the most lavish collection of emerald jewels. The gemstone was not only regarded as precious jewelry, but also for its positive impact on people. The queen and Ancient Egyptians believed that emeralds could cure eye diseases and represented fertility and rebirth because of they were green in color. They would often bury people who died with emeralds to symbolize eternal youth and rebirth.
Soon after this majestic gemstone spread to Greece, Rome and other parts of the world. In Ancient Rome, emerald was the gemstone of Venus, goddess of love. Emeralds were viewed as a symbol of fertility. Similarly, Ancient Greeks wore emeralds in honor of the Greek goddess of fertility and love, Aphrodite.
This ‘green beauty’ was first introduced in India in the 15the century by the Spanish and Portuguese. It was immensely admired by the Mughal ruler, Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal. The Mughals were muslims who ruled India during the 16th and 17th century. As the color green was sacred for Muslims, emeralds were a symbol of pride and status in Mughal jewelry. Most of the emeralds during this time were imported. A British trader in Agra reported that Shah Jahangir ‘had more than half a million carrots of unmounted emeralds in his treasury.’ The vast Mughal collection of emeralds during their reign, have now been taken away from India, but can be viewed at National Museums.
Emeralds were prominently seen in royal Russian crown jewelry. The Russian Imperial State comprised of the most important and sought after jewelry collections in the world. Peter the Great was a pioneer in brining magnificent jewels in Russia that shaped the Romanov lifestyle. Catherine the Great’s reign was known as the Diamond Age as she was the possessor of opulent jewels. It was during her sovereignty that the Asiatic side of the Ural Mountains near Ekaterinburg were fully explored and became an important source for emeralds in Romanov bejewels. The vibrant hues appealed to the splendor of Russian taste. Grand Duchess Vladimirovna was a gem connoisseur and collector, with a pendant for emeralds. During the Revolution, most of the legendary jewels part of the royal Romanov dynasty were smuggled out of the country.
The world’s most expensive and largest emerald ever found is the Bahia Emerald and is estimated to be worth $400 million, found inside the Carnaiba Mine in Brazil. It’s comprised of 180,000 carats of emerald beryls in total.
Muzo emeralds are an exclusive type of emerald sourced from the Muzo emerald mine of Columbia. Muzo mine is known for the finest quality and valuable emeralds it produces.
The birthstone had several meanings and beliefs. Every culture has its own meanings and fascination over this precious stone.
