Emeralds - The May Birthstone

Emeralds are one of my favourite gemstones and I love them! I am a May birthday, so I seem naturally drawn to them. Prized for Millennia, Emeralds were coveted by the Ancient Egyptians and were mined there to satisfy the need of them by the most noble. Emeralds can be found all over the world, but the most notable and highly prized come from South America (Columbia) and more recently from Zambia. Emerald is the precious green variety of Beryl. Other colours include: Blue (aquamarine) yellow (Heliodor) Pink Morganite and colourless (goshenite)The colours are produced by inclusions of minerals within the the crystal structure during formation. Green is produced by trace amounts of the metal, Chromium. Emeralds have a hexagonal columnar structure and can be found in large sizes, though gem quality stones of any large size and colour is rare indeed. Emeralds are graded a little like fine diamonds, by their cut, clarity, carat and colour. The best have a eye clean clarity with few surface fissures, a good saturation of colour and tone. The cut is most often a cabochon, but the better stones are cut as faceted gems. It is normal for the stones to have inclusions of carbon, known as the garden and for the stones to be oiled to improve their clarity. Emeralds can now be grown under laboratory conditions and have uses in industry too. I have selected a number of Emerald goodies form the selection on Folksy - I hope you will enjoy them. Please click on the pictures to link back to the item in the sellers shop. Thanks so much everyone! Jacqueline x To start, one or two of my own for you.... This Emerald, Onyx and Aventurine Necklace or perhaps this pendant? Both the necklace and pendant have been designed and created using natural gemstones and sterling silver. These stunning Earrings, by Faith Bowman are just beautuful. The simple design of this ring, by asterlingidea, is so appealing to me How about this stunning Emerald Heart specimen from Geocraft Gems and Minerals? There are many more items to find on Folksy featuring emeralds - just put 'emerald' or 'emeralds' into the search box and see what you can find! Jacqueline x