The striking green emerald is a symbol of rebirth, making it the perfect birthstone for the month of May, with blooming flowers and green leaves in abundance.

The word “emerald” comes from the Greek word for “green,” smaragdus. The hue of an emerald can fall anywhere between light green and a deep, rich green. Many emeralds are heat treated to deepen the color, as darker emeralds are more valuable. Emeralds are the rarest gemstones, and the rarest of the rare are a deep green-blue color.

Emeralds have been prized throughout human history, and some estimate the oldest emerald gemstones are almost 3 billion years old. Ancient Egyptians began mining emeralds during the reign of Ramses II, around 1300 B.C., and used the gems both in jewelry and burial rituals, placing emeralds in the tombs of monarchs as protective symbols. Cleopatra treasured emeralds and even claimed to own all emerald mines in Egypt during her reign. In Colombia, the Muzo Native Americans had well-hidden emerald mines that Spanish conquistadors sought for almost twenty years before finding them. Today, emeralds are mined in Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan and Zambia. The largest and most famous emerald is the Bahia Emerald, which was found in Brazil in the early 2000s and weighs about 840 lbs., approximately 1,900,000 carats.

This ring is made in 18k gold and platinum. It features a 2.08 carat emerald plus .74 carats total weight of diamonds in the halo and gallery.

 

14 karat white gold emerald and diamond earrings. Round emeralds are set in cushion-shaped halos with split prongs for a vintage look.

This necklace is made in 14k gold and features a round .34 carat emerald plus .18 carats total weight of diamonds.

 

This sweet ring features a bright .40 carat oval emerald and .32 carats of round brilliant diamonds in a delicate halo style.

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