The Birth of Green Emeralds

The word ‘Emerald’ is derived from the Persian language meaning green gem. The name upon reaching the Latin speaking people morphed into ‘smaragdus’ and eventually became ‘esmeralde’ in the 16th century. Emeralds have been used as precious gems from ancient times and many kings and nobles are depicted wearing emeralds.

The Early Records

There is written proof of emerald’s existence around 4500 years ago. The phrase which proves the existence of emeralds is believed to be copied from a book which is another 1000 years old. This phrase refers to the Egyptian Cleopatra Mines which was lost in time to be found again in 1818.

A scholar named Pliny suggested that emerald most probably is a derivative of beryl. It is surprising to find out that this was suggested at the time of Nero since this fact was proven only in the 19th century.

Aztecs and Incas considered emeralds to be an important part of their prized jewel collection. This was also the case with many rich civilizations of mainland America. The Colombian mines had a large number of gemstones in the sixteenth century. Throughout the history emeralds have been the crown jewels of the Iranian State Treasury and the Russians. There is no need to talk about India as Indian culture loved jewellery and there is no stone on earth which was not there in the treasury of Indian kings. Shah Jahan who is known as the maker of Taj Mahal had written that the gems in his collection can be used as talismans.

The Emerald Culture

King Solomon also received an emerald from god which proves that this is a very special stone. In the ancient times it was believed that the person wearing an emerald will be able to see his future and get protection from evil. It was also believed that this stone can cure diseases like malaria and cholera. People also believed that wearing emerald makes the wearer a good speaker.

Emerald in Modern Times

In today’s world emerald is known as a birthstone for the people being born in the month of May. The green colour is known to bring maturity, growth and liveliness to the wearer. People often wear jewellery studded with this stone on their 20th and 35^th wedding anniversaries.

Even if we reject the legends and spirituality part emerald is a quite gorgeous natural stone. It is now often used in many types of jewellery and is worn by all ages of people. Indians use this stone extensively for many different purposes. Have you used an emerald in your jewellery? Let us know in our comments section.