The word emerald is derived from Latin: esmaralda/esmaraldus which originated in Greek "green gem." Emeralds, like all colored gemstones, are graded using four basic parameters-the four Cs: color, cut, clarity, and carat weight. Before the 20th century, jewelers would use the term water, as in "a gem of the finest water," to express the combination of the color and clarity of the stone. For emeralds color (hue, saturation, and tone) is the most important criteria, but clarity is considered a close second. A fine emerald is pure verdant green hue but also has a degree of transparency and is then considered a top gem.
Emerald is the traditional birthstone for May and also the 55th wedding anniversary gift. It is considered a gem of royalty, romance and intrigue; one of the most well known and highly prized of all green gemstones.
Duke of Devonshire Emerald
Some fun facts about emeralds:
- The oldest emeralds are about 2.97 billion years old.
- The first known emeralds were mines in Egypt around 1500 BC.
- Emerald was one of Cleopatra's favorite stones.
- According to ancient folklore, putting an emerald under your tongue would help one see into the future.
- The Duke of Devonshire Emerald is one of the largest uncut emeralds weighing 1,383.93 carats
- Colombia yields the largest amount of emeralds, contributing to more than 50% of all emerald production worldwide.
- In North America emerald were first discovered in the Yukon Territory in 1997.
- Emeralds were discovered in South America in the 16th century by the Spanish although they were used by the Incas well before this discovery.
- The iconic green coloring of an emerald is closely linked to spring and rebirth.
- Emerald is one of the four recognized previous gemstones, along with ruby, sapphire, and diamond.
- Top quality emeralds can be worth more than diamonds because emeralds without imperfections are very rare.
Facts about emeralds can be found: AboutStyle (http://jewelry.about.com/od/birthstonefactsandfolklore/fl/Interesting-Emerald-Facts.htm)
