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Emerald

Introduction

	For more than 4,000 years, the deep “Green Fire” of Emeralds has been treasured as a symbol of eternal spring and immortality.
	Shrouded in myth and lore, the birthstone for May isn't just a beautiful gem, Emeralds are also ornaments of power and politics that have created legends and molded world history.
	Prized by Egyptians, Romans, Aztecs, Crowned Heads of Europe, and today, gem connoisseurs the world over, Emeralds, more than any other precious gemstone have sparked the eternal fires of our collective imagination.

Spring is a time of growth and rejuvenation. Nothing reflects this more than the intense green shades of Emeralds, May’s birthstone.
 

Emeralds are regarded by many cultures as a symbol of personal development. It was once thought that Emerald’s possessed the power to soothe the soul and sharpen wit.
 

Some people believe that wearing an Emerald brings wisdom, growth and patience. And as any couple would agree, all of these qualities are essential for lasting love. This may explain why a gift of Emerald is considered symbolic of love and devotion. Emeralds are even believed to change color upon infidelity!
 

Emeralds have long been thought to possess healing powers. While today we know that Emeralds are not a cure for all medical and psychological problems, many people still use emeralds to sooth their eyes and bring them good health. In fact, green has long been considered a soothing color and it is no coincidence that the “green room” in theaters and TV studios is supposed to relax a performer after the stress and eyestrain of studio and stage lights.
 

A truly ancient gemstone, there is archeological evidence that the Babylonians may have been marketing Emeralds as early as 4,000 B.C.
 

The history of Egyptian Emeralds dates back over 4,000 years. Located in Egypt’s Eastern desert region, ancient miners braved extreme heat, scorpions and snakes to search for the “Green Fire”. Interestingly, Greek miners once labored there for Alexander the Great.
 

The ancient mines of Egypt were rediscovered in 1818 by the French explorer Caillaud. Finding the mine with the help of the Egyptian government, he noted that Emeralds were probably worked there long after the Kings and Queens of Egypt ruled the land.
 

The Egyptians were known to engrave Emeralds with the symbol for foliage to represent eternal youth, burying these jewels with their dead.
 

Emeralds were said to be the favorite gem of Cleopatra. She often wore lavish Emerald Jewelry, and bestowed visiting dignitaries with large Emeralds carved with her likeness when they departed Egypt.
 

Egyptian Emeralds were first minded some 2,000 years before Cleopatra’s birth. During her reign, Cleopatra claimed these Emerald mines as her own, as well as the world’s oldest source of peridot, the fog-wrapped, desert isle of Zeberget (St. John’s Island). Zeberget peridot has a uniquely Emerald-like color, due to its high nickel content. This is probably why many of Cleopatra’s “Emeralds” were later found to be peridots.
 

The discovery of Gallo-Roman earrings featuring Swat Valley Emeralds highlights the history behind the Mingora mines, located in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.
 

The ancient Romans associated Emeralds with fertility and rebirth, dedicating it to Venus, their goddess of love and beauty. The Roman historian Pliny the Elder once said of Emerald’s “Nothing green is greener”, and recorded that the Roman Emperor Nero, while presiding over gladiatorial fights, wore spectacles made of Emeralds.
 

Gemologists of today surmise that this is highly unlikely as the ancient Emerald mines in Egypt produced crystals of insufficient size and clarity needed for such an instrument. Historians now believe that green beryl or aquamarine were more likely to have been the gem types used.
 

The legends and lore surrounding Emeralds would not be complete without recounting the infamous stories of the Conquistadors, Hernando Cortés, who started his campaign against the Aztecs in 1519, and Francisco Pizarro, who commenced his military operation against the Incas in 1526. When Hernando Cortés planted the Spanish flag on Aztec soil, he snatched from the berated Emperor Montezuma an enormous pyramid shaped Emerald, so big it could be seen from 100 yards away!
 

Interestingly, the Incas worshiped Emeralds as a deity, and one particular ostrich egg sized Emerald called the “Goddess Esmerelda” had the peculiarity of enjoying the sacrifice of smaller Emeralds. Amazed to find the native people wearing Emeralds larger and more magnificent than any they had ever seen, the Spanish demanded to be told their source, but so intense was their religious worship of Emeralds that many Inca’s died keeping the mine’s location secret.
 

Both Cortés and Pizarro were taunted by myths of Eldorado. Native Colombians were rumored to adorn their newfound King with sticky resin and then coat him with gold and Emeralds. The heir apparent would then be taken to a remote mountain lake called “Guatavita” and would be bathed by priests while offerings and adornments of gems and gold were tossed into the depths of the lake.
 

During their search for Eldorado and its untold wealth, Cortés and Pizarro began systematically stripping the Americas’ of Emeralds, sending them back by the boatload to Spain. Here they were distributed amongst their own families, royalty and noblemen throughout Europe and Asia, awaking much interest and adoration for the radiant green gem.
 

But the task of securing these highly prized gems certainly wasn't straightforward. Combing the dense mountainous undergrowth the Spanish Conquistadors came across the Muzo Indians. The Muzos fiercely resisted for over 20 years, but with the help of Juan Penago, the Spaniards pressed on unabated. In 1555 during a bloody battle Penago's horse kicked up a shower of large gleaming green crystals from the bed of a bubbling stream, and in doing so uncovered the source of the fabled Muzo Emeralds, which today are still considered the world's finest. From that day, terror and wrath belay the Conquistadors’ attempts to mine the “Green Fire”.
 

Even after King Felipe IV's declaration that the area was now to be a “Royal Mine”, the native Indians called on all their cunning and wile to foil, as much as possible, the Spanish excavations over the next 250 years.
 

Much later, irony would play its bittersweet hand as the liberation of South America from the Spanish, lead by the legendary Simon Bolivar, was partially funded by the very same Muzo Emeralds that drove the Spanish to conquer the New World!
 

The neon green color of Emeralds is unparalleled in the gem kingdom. Its beautiful green color, combined with its rarity, makes Emeralds one of the world’s most valuable gemstones. Interestingly, its name comes from the Greek word “Smaragdos”, meaning green gem.
 

Emeralds are a member of the beryl family of minerals. Minute traces of chromium, vanadium and iron give Emeralds their famous “Green Fire”. The green crystals grow slowly within metamorphic rocks and are restricted in size by the host rock, making large Emeralds rare and costly. But did you know that large Emeralds are much more common than large Sapphires or Rubies?
 

Unlike other beryls, Emeralds often contain inclusions and tiny fractures. These are commonly called “Jardin”, from the French word for “Garden”, because of their resemblance to foliage. For Emeralds, Jardin is not looked on as a negative aspect as it would be for some other gem varieties, but instead are considered part of Emerald’s character and can be used to assure the purchaser of a natural gemstone.
 

By the early 1800s, Ekaterinburg was already a major city on the great road from Russia through the Urals to Siberia. Named for Empress Catherine Ekaterina II, her scandalous affairs received almost as much publicity as the city’s gemstones. But the intrigue doesn’t end there! Wanting to keep the wife happy, Tzar Nicholas decreed that the Imperial Lapidary in Ekaterinburg send the best Emeralds to his palace in St. Petersburg. Unknown to him, the Imperial Lapidary Director sold a small collection of stunning Emeralds at a high price to a visiting German Prince. Later, the Prince’s wife visited St. Petersburg wearing her Emeralds. When the Empress admired her Emeralds, the Princess confided that they were from Russia, with love, from her Prince. Royally annoyed, the Empress sent an officer to search the Lapidary Director’s house. Needless to say, he found what he was looking for and the director soon met an untimely demise.
 

The Siberian Emerald deposits that rose to fame in the 19th Century are actually located in a small area roughly 25 km long and 2 km wide. The largest and best know Siberian Emerald mine is the Mariinsky (St. Mary’s) Deposit discovered in 1833 near the village of Malyshevo. From 1860 various private tenants tried their luck until the mining license was issued to the Anglo-French company “The New Emeralds Company” in 1899, the same company who worked the famous Muzzo mines in Columbia. The deposits were nationalized after World War I and Emerald mining soon ceased when Malyshevo became a military security zone. Siberian Emeralds almost entirely disappeared from world markets until the end of the Soviet Union.
 

Thankfully, Siberian Emerald is once again available. These deposits are in very rugged terrain and are mined under very primitive and dangerous conditions in open-pits and sometimes in underground shafts. The area is wet, rocky and very mountainous, and less than half a percent of the rough obtained is suitable for faceting.
 

Siberian Emeralds are mined directly from their host rock, mica schist, and have a fine green color with a beautiful clarity uncommon for Emeralds. Siberian Emerald crystals are also often larger than any obtained from South America and some even reach dimensions of 40 by 25 cm!