The word emerald delivered from a Persian word that
means “green gem.” During the history, it changed from Greek to Latin as
‘smaragdus’ to ‘esmaurde’ and ‘esmralde, and later, in 16th century to
‘esmeralde.’ Green is the color of Spring and has long symbolized love and
rebirth. As the gem of Venus, it was also considered to aid in fertility and
ease of childbirth. Emerald was once believed to cure diseases such as cholera
and malaria. Wearing an emerald was believed to reveal the truth or falseness
of a lover’s oath as well as make one an eloquent speaker. The legends endowed
the wearer with ability to foresee the future when emerald was placed under the
tongue.
Cleopatra, Egypt’s tempestuous female monarch was
as famous for wearing Emeralds in her time as Liz Taylor is for wearing
diamonds in our time. Emeralds have been associated long time with royalty and
status as centerpieces of Russian crown jewels, part of the collection of the
Iranian State Treasure and favorite of Indian Shahs. Shah Jahan of India is
famous for building the Taj Mahal building inscribed his collection with sacred
texts and used them as talismans. The color green is secret in Islam, which is
why an emerald made such as perfect surface on which to inscribe a religious
text.
Emeralds are ancient gemstones. According to the
oldest book of the world, the Papyrus
Prisse, “but good words are more
difficult to find than the emerald, for it is by slaves that it is discovered
among the rocks.” This book is 4,500 years old, but the passage was copied
from a writing 1,000 years prior. The book was probably referring to the
Egyptian mines. The Cleopatra Mines were lost for thousand years, only
rediscovered in 1818.
Ancient Egyptian mummies were often buried with an
Emerald carved with the symbol of verdure, flourishing greenness, on their
necks to symbolize eternal youth. In Rome, the Roman Emperor Niro would watch
gladiator games through the flat emerald crystals. The Roman scholar and
historian, Pliny recorded: “Indeed, no
stone has a color that is more delightful to the eye, for, whereas the sight
fixes itself with avidity upon the green grass and foliage of the trees, we
have all the more pleasure in looking upon the emerald, there being no gem in
existence more intense than this.” The wonderful green color of the gem was
believed to lift depression, reduce stress, promoted mental clarity, and
warding off evil spirits. Green was the color of the Roman goddess of love and
beauty, Venus. In astrology, Venus is the ruling force over the sun sign of
Taurus, April 21 to May 21, perhaps it is why the emerald is designed as the
birthstone of Spring, for May.
When discovered in Colombia, emeralds were prized
by Incas and Aztecs. The emeralds of Incas were described as being large as egg
of an ostrich. Sixteenth century violence became part of the history, when
Spanish looted thousands of emeralds in the mines in South America. The
explorer Pizarro, in his conquest of Mexico, found plentiful emeralds of
surpassing beauty. The contemporary writer d’Acosta states that many stones
were ruined by the Spanish soldiers who followed by the priest advise to test
stones on their genuineness, and smashed them with hammers. The Spanish, who
treasured gold and silver far more than gems, traded emeralds for precious
metals. Their trades opened the eyes of European and Asian royalty to emerald’s
majesty. Once discovered, South America is on the gemstone map to supply the
green beautiful emerald stones to adore bracelets, necklaces, rings, and
crowns.
The deeper and more vivid the color of green, the
more valuable the gemstone. The most valuable and beautiful Emeralds exhibit an
intense bluish hue in addition to their basic bold green color. Emeralds, among
the rarest of gems, are almost always found with birthmarks, known as
inclusions. Some inclusions are expected and do not detract from the value of
the stone as much as with other gemstones.
Recommended list for reading and discussion:
Ethan, Eric. (2011) Emeralds. – Gareth Stevens Publishers. – 24 pages. (Gems: Nature’s
Jewels)
Hardy, Joanna and Jonathan Self, Franca Sozzani,
Hettie Judah. (2014) Emerald: Twenty-One
Centuries of Jewelled Opulence and Power. – Thames and Hudson. – 272 pages.
Moore, Paul B. (2014) Emerald. In AccessScience. -
McGraw-Hill Education.
Ward, Fred and Charlotte Ward. (2010) Emeralds. – Gem Book Publishers. – 64
pages.
(Fred Ward
Gem Books)
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