Birthstone for May

Mohs hardness 8
Mineral Class - Beryl
Symbol – Love, Success

It is also the recognized gift for the 20th and 35th wedding anniversary.

Alternate Birthstones: Green Tourmaline and Tsavorite Garnet

Emerald’s rich green to many, represented rebirth and the abundance of the life force. This green hue brings to mind the regeneration of life in spring and hope of new possibilities. The most desirable emeralds are a dark and rich green, but might show subtle flashes of a bluish hue.

Ancients believed that acquiring an emerald would strengthen memory and make one an eloquent speaker, increase creativity, sharpen perception, bring wealth, foretell the future, tell whether a lover was lying and cure all types of evil and illness. This vibrant green gemstone has been favored by kings and queens in Europe, and adored by the Pharaohs. Upheld as a symbol of devotion, contentment and undying love, emerald also has been thought to protect and renew relationships.

While the emerald is a translucent to transparent green gemstone, if you take a closer look you may see faint internal characteristics, known as gardens. Almost all emeralds have unique birthmarks, many reaching the surface, and these fissures help distinguish them as truly natural gemstones. Many early gem merchants "enhanced" their emeralds by immersing them in clear oils or paraffin. They found that clear oils and waxes rendered surface fissures less visible to the eye. Today, we have many sophisticated technologies with which to enhance the clarity of emeralds. In addition to the oils and waxes of ancient methods, we now use clear resins to penetrate the open fissures surfacing in the stones. These measures are not permanent, so emeralds must be cleaned with care. Although emerald itself is quite durable, the garden of inclusions and surface fissures may make individual gems vulnerable to damage if handled roughly.

Emerald come in many shades of green in which can vary from light to dark, sometimes revealing a cool blue-green or warm yellowish-green. Typically, the more vivid the green is the more valuable the emerald.

Emerald is a sister to aquamarine, also a member of the beryl family.

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