Emeralds

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Emerald Legends

Emeralds deep and rich green color has captured the imagination of men from the earliest civilizations. Pliny the Elder of ancient Greece remarked, 'nothing greens greener'. The emerald symbolizes youth and rebirth. Emeralds are also said to give its wearer greater intelligence and the ability to see into the future, in addition to bringing good luck.

Emeralds are also May Birthstone and the traditional gift for the twenty-fifth anniversary and thirty-fifth anniversary.

Emerald History

Emeralds were originally mined in ancient Egypt, and were said to be the favorite Gemstone of Cleopatra. The Spanish conquistadors plundered emeralds from Aztecs and Incas. The Spanish merchants traded the gemstones to Indian and to Asian nobility.

Emerald Information

Most modern emeralds are treated or enhanced. Resins are used to penetrate and seal surface fissures and imperfections. Emeralds are members of the beryl gemstone family, and have a hardness of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. The most sought after emeralds come from Columbia and Zambia. Emeralds are also mined in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Zimbabwe, and Brazil.

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