May Birthstone: Emerald
Whether you love the fading, cold days of winter, joyously welcome the beauty of spring flowers, or simply laugh at the humor of a 90’s throwback song intro (“it’s gonna be May”), we’re excited to share more about the unique gemstone that is associated with birthdays in the month of May. More specifically, we’re sharing all about emeralds this week on the blog! Can you believe that emeralds have been celebrated dating back as far as 1500 BC?! Emeralds are pretty remarkable, and we hope you’re convinced of as much by the end of this post.
Color & Clarity
Let’s start with a chat about the color and clarity of emeralds. Emeralds are probably the most well-known gem in the Beryl family due to its rich green hue. This factor is often a main attractor for this timeless, highly sought-after gemstone. An emerald’s color can range from bright true green to a blue-tinted green. We’ve included a photo below that demonstrates such variation in color. Emeralds are often highly included, giving them a cloudy looking interior and making them a bit more fragile than their very durable blue counterpart, aquamarine (the birthstone of March). Therefore, a “clean” emerald is all the more precious!
Cut
Did you know that the term “emerald cut” originated from the way in which emerald gemstones need to be cut in order to minimize fractures? The “emerald cut” was designed because of the fragile nature of emerald gemstones. This unique way of cutting gemstones is now used for diamonds and many other stones as well. The emerald cut is simpler cut with 48 facets as opposed to a more popular round brilliant cut that has 57-58 facets. This method reduces pressure on the stone which helps to prevent chips.
History & Mining
Did you know … Cleopatra herself was said to be fanatical of Emeralds and had a large collection! Cleopatra’s affection for emerald gemstones was so grand that the most prominent emerald mine was even named after her!
In history, it was even believed that a person could see into the future if they placed an emerald under their tongue. While we don’t recommend testing this theory, it’s certainly a fun one to learn about. Another suspicion is that emeralds were thought to have a calming affect and to restore lost eyesight! To be sure, such claims have some merit, as it HAS been proven that the color green provides both of those affects. We’ll let you be the judge of these claims.
Maybe you have someone in your life who was born in May and would appreciate a piece of jewelry with their birthstone, or maybe you've fallen in love with the vivid green gemstone yourself. In either case, we've included a few of our beautiful, hand selected, emerald pieces from the store that are currently waiting for homes. If something interests you, please send us a message on social media or call/text our store at (765) 742-1259.
