Emerald: The May Birthstone

Emerald Facts

Colour: Emerald is found in a small variety of deep velvety shades of green - the colour "emerald green" being named after the gemstone. The most valuable colour of emerald is the deeper shade of green which can be hard to come across in a size worth cutting. The colour of emeralds is not normally affected by light and does not alter over time as some other gemstones can.

Appearance: Emerald is often found with inclusions caused by gas bubbles, liquid, healing cracks and foreign crystals. It is rare to find flawless emeralds however its flaws can be invaluable in distinguishing the real stone from synthetic imitations.

Rarity: Emeralds are not considered a rare stone however finding the clearest stones can be a challenge.

Moh's Scale Hardness: Emerald is part of the beryl family, it measures 7.5 - 8 on the Moh's hardness scale, making it one of the tougher gemstones.

Sourced: Emeralds are sourced in Columbia, Austria, India, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Egypt, USA, Norway, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. The finest Emeralds are currently found in Columbia where they occur in veins within dark shales and limestones.

Formation & History Of Emeralds

Emerald is formed by rising magma and metamorphism. Mining is nearly exclusively from host rock where the emerald has grown into small veins or on walls of cavities.

The oldest known emeralds were found near the red sea in Egypt. However, gemstone mines that had already been exploited by Egyptian pharaohs between 3000 and 1500 BC - known as 'Cleopatra's Mines', had already been exhausted by the time they were rediscovered in the early 19th century.

The Vedas which are the holy scriptures of the Indians, talk of a precious green gem and its healing properties. They believed emeralds promised good luck and enhanced well-being. The treasure chests of Indian maharajas and maharanis have been found containing wonderful emeralds.

The name emerald comes from the Greek 'smaragdos' via the Old French 'esmeralde' which means 'green gemstone'.

There are many well-known large emeralds as famous as diamonds and rubies. Many beautiful pieces of serval carats are kept by the British Museum of Natural History in London and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Emeralds have been a spiritual stone throughout history. Semi Devine Egyptian magician Hermes Trismegistos created the legendary Emerald Tablet in which he engraved all of the secrets of magic and alchemy!

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Emerald Leaf Chandelier Earrings

These delicate emerald chandelier style earrings are a beautiful way to showcase the gemstone beads and to practice your wire wrapping technique.

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18 Handmade Emerald Jewellery Designs

We've chosen some of our favourite customer designs to inspire your designs! Share your creations with us on social media for a chance to feature and use #Kernowcraft. Find us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.

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