Emerald – a popular gemstone since ancient times
“A wise tongue is harder to find than an emerald” – this Egyptian saying dates back to 2500 BC. It is the earliest known mention of the emerald, which, according to current research, has been used as a gemstone longer than any other stone.
The green gemstone was popular with Cleopatra and Caesar. In ancient Rome, it was believed that the emerald would make men good speakers. This was not the only reason why the Roman emperor is said to have hoarded the green stone. The emerald was believed to have healing properties. This belief was adopted by the Arabs and found its way to Spain during the Moorish period. From there, it later reached South America. In Brazil, in particular, young doctors are still given an emerald ring when they pass their exams. In Arabia and North Africa, too, people still mistrust a doctor if he is not wearing an emerald on his finger.
In Egypt, on the other hand, the stone was a symbol of fertility and life. As early as 330 BC, gemstones were demonstrably mined here. Cleopatra claimed ownership of all emerald mines in Egypt during her reign. Her personal seal was made of an emerald.
Today, the emerald is a symbol of loyalty, new beginnings, peace and security. It is still valued by the rich and famous.
Emerald green
The term comes from the Greek “smaragdos” and means “green stone”.
The green color of the emerald comes from chromium or vanadium. There was a dispute among gemologists because chromium was originally known to be the only coloring element. Then it was found that emeralds from Colombia also contain vanadium. The question was raised as to whether emeralds colored by vanadium (such as those from Zambia) can even be called that.
Today, Colombian stones are considered the most valuable emeralds due to their deep green color.
The shades of green in this precious stone range from light to dark green.
Use
Emeralds have been used in many historical pieces of jewelry. Charlemagne's crown, for example, was set with emeralds. The Maximilian emerald was worn by Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico. The 21.4-carat emerald was made into a ring for this purpose.
There are also examples of famous pieces of jewelry with emeralds in more recent history. The actress Elizabeth Taylor owned numerous emeralds, in necklaces, earrings and also as pendants, in addition to other jewels. One of her most valuable pieces was an emerald-studded diamond necklace. This necklace was set with 16 octagonal Colombian emeralds, which in turn were framed with diamonds.
Emeralds go well not only with diamonds, but also with other pieces of jewelry made of white or yellow gold.
According to the American Gem Society, the emerald is the birthstone for the month of May. Its symbolism as the stone of peace and new beginnings makes it a beautiful piece of jewelry for anyone, not just those born in May.
Origin and mining sites
Until the High Middle Ages, the only known sites were in Egypt and in Habachtal in Austria. From the 16th century, Colombia was also added.
Spanish conquistadors discovered the well-hidden mines of the Muzo Indians about twenty years after the conquest of Colombia.
Emeralds are also mined in Colombia, in the Muzo and Chivor regions. Colombian emeralds are characterized by their high quality and deep green color. They are therefore considered the most valuable emeralds.
Emeralds were discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia around 1830. They are also found in Norway, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States.
Properties
The emerald belongs to the beryl group. Beryl is a mineral that also forms the basis of aquamarine, heliodor, morganite, goshenite and red beryl.
Emeralds have a hardness of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale.
Inclusions
Most emeralds have clearly visible inclusions. Flawless stones are rare – even rarer than rubies or sapphires. The inclusions of the emerald even have their own name: “jardin” (French for garden).
Treatment
Unlike the ruby and sapphire, the emerald is not heated but oiled. It is placed in a pressure vessel with cedar oil and subjected to high pressure, causing the oil to enter the cracks.
In addition to cedar oil, resins and synthetic resins are also used for this type of treatment. The best known is Opticon. After treatment with Opticon, it appears as if the stone never had any cracks.
Oil treatment is an accepted treatment technique for emeralds.
The emerald cut
A special cut was developed for emeralds: the emerald cut. This is an octagonal cut with “steps” that accentuate the green color of this stone.
The emerald cut is a facet cut. In contrast to the smooth cabochon cut, facet cuts can be recognized by their corners and edges. These reflect the light so that the color of the stones is shown to its best advantage.
There is no prescribed ratio for the length and width dimensions for the emerald cut. Therefore, stones with an almost square emerald cut can be found, but also stones that are rather elongated.
A perfect emerald cut has 57 facets, 25 in the top and 32 in the bottom. The number of facets may vary. How many facets are cut is assessed from stone to stone and depends on the quality of the rough stone.
