Emerald - The Green Beryl

Emerald, the Gem That Mirrors the Colour of Nature

Emerald, the birthstone of May is a luminous gem that occurs in different shades of green. The most expensive variety of beryl, emerald is one of the three most precious colour stones, the other two being sapphires and rubies.

Colour and Clarity

In gems, colours are a culmination of three individual factors, namely, tone, hue and saturation. Though they may seem to be the one and same, they are different. The natural hues that emerald bear are yellow to green to blue. In all the cases, green is the primary colour, which explains why all emeralds appear green. That makes the colours blue and yellow secondary hues in emerald. As for its tone, the gem occurs in light, medium and dark tones. Depending on that, the tone of the green deepens or lightens. All emeralds between medium and dark tones are categorically called emeralds. Those that bear light tones are segregated as green beryl. On a scale where 0% is colourless and 100% is fully opaque black, most emerald score about 75% which is fairly dark and hardly light. Gemmologists call an emerald quality when it is well saturated and has a vivid bright hue.

Clarity in emeralds is determined by two factors chiefly, inclusions and fissure. The presence or absence of either or both tells how high or low a stone is in the clarity scale. Interestingly, the grading is not done through a loupe examination, which, for diamond is a 10X magnification. Instead, emeralds are studied by eye and graded accordingly. Emeralds with no visible inclusions are rated flawless, while those having fissures and inclusions are graded accordingly. One that is not so commonly known about emerald is that almost all stones from Flawless to low grade are treated for enhanced clarity. All eye-clean emeralds bear a vivid green as their primary colour and yellow and blue as secondary which doesn’t exceed 15%. These are the stones that are priced highest.

Though emeralds, like diamonds are shaped into different cuts, cabochon is a common form, mostly inspired by the irregular shape of the stone, as commonly seen in emerald earrings and emerald necklaces. The most common cuts in emerald are oval, rectangle and emerald.

Three Highlights of Emeralds

Buyers often raise questions on why emerald is so high in demand in the market. The high sales of emerald jewelleries at AGN Sons is testimony to that record. To answer that question, emerald is one of the most precious 9 gems known to men. Though emeralds hardly occur in the grade as a flawless diamond does, its imperfections are its strengths.

·         Emeralds have 3 phase inclusions which means, the stones have impurities like fluid, rock salt and even gas bubbles, all of which contribute to the dark, arcane beauty of the stone.

·         As mentioned above, emeralds occur in non-uniform shapes in the nature. The best of these stones form hexagonal crystals, most of which a gorgeous flat top. The stones occur in hexagonal columns of sage green that look exceedingly beautiful in their rough forms. That is precisely why many jewelleries use cabochon emeralds instead of cut ones.

·         There are some folklore that swirl around emeralds making it one of the most interesting gems found in the planet. It is said that the Egyptians were the first to stumble upon an emerald mine. This discovery predates most civilizations. It is said to have happened as early as in 3500 BC. Considering that story as a framework of fact, these gems are very old and have been a part of our civilization for many thousand years.

Astrological Merits of Emerald

In astrology, emerald is believed to have many benefits. The birthstone of May is not just the most aesthetically brilliant choice one has, next to diamonds, but is also a reserve of goodness. An emerald benefits its wearers in some or all of the following ways:

·         Emeralds are a natural enhancer of intelligence and intellect. Dominated by the planet of Mercury, this stone balances out perspectives, brings deeper understanding and help develop a stronger command over subjects of study.

·         In intellect, emeralds exert a spurt that piques ones creativity, artistry and even lingual abilities. Wearing emerald has helped many ideate and innovate.

·         A less known merit of emerald is communicative improvement. Those with impeded communicative skills find themselves able to make clearer and better communication with others. Emerald helps its wearer to express themselves more lucidly and confidently without any external aid.

·         Medical astrology speaks of a bunch of benefits of emerald. The stones is said to have curative power in treating respiratory difficulties, allergies and even nervous disorders. Those with a case of stutter have been able to overcome their difficulties with the help of emerald.

·         Psychologically, emeralds are therapeutic. It helps in better concentration and stronger focus. It brings stability in the character of people with low level of concentration.

·         Emerald being a stone of Mercury helps its wearers gain fame and fortune through work. People have experienced mercurial ascents in their lives following wearing emeralds.

·         Emerald is immensely detoxifying when it comes to cleansing of emotional toxicity. It removes all emotional slug left from previous relationships whilst preparing the mind and the heart to accept new things. It helps heal scars and expunges delusional ideas.

·         The stone is particularly very helpful in bringing about remarkable progression in the professional lives of physicists, astrologers, healers and medical practitioners.

Lore and Legends

Like all gemstones that have been labelled precious, emeralds too have tons of lores and legends that thicken the mysticism surrounding the stone. The ancient Greeks named it “smaragdus” which means green in their tongue. There is a story behind that. Emerald was then used by early apothecaries to cure optical conditions. According to the early lapidaries, the soft, green shade of emeralds is the best comforter for weary eyes. Though that part of the theory has been retained by science, emeralds having any therapeutic effect for eyes has been nullified. According to myths, emerald is one among the four gems that God gave to the biblical king Solomon to have power over his creations.