Emerald: Timeless Beauty

The beauty that represents beauty itself is the emerald. Loved by royals and the privileged, this majestic gemstone, is a coveted jewelry piece with timeless beauty.

The emerald gemstone has a color that has been known for centuries to symbolize love and beauty. For ancient Romans, the color of this gemstone was the color of Venus who is the goddess of love and beauty. Even nowadays, the green color of this gemstone still holds important meanings. Muslims for example consider green a holy color. In addition, the Roman Catholic Church considers the emerald color of the gemstone a symbol of the promise of a new life.

The emerald gemstone is believed to help heal the heart and can bridge the divide between two separated people. Some also say emeralds bring luck to love and if a lover is given an emerald piece of jewelry, the emerald gemstone will help the lover remain faithful. Interestingly there are also cultures that believe that this gemstone can heal any disease of the eyes.

Emerald jewelry of superior quality is so rare that its price is  likely higher than diamond pieces of the same carat weight. Necklaces utilizing  emerald gemstones of all quality are extremely beautiful and immensely valuable.

The name of emerald originated from the Greek word ‘smaragdos’ through ‘esmeralde’ which is an old French word meaning ‘green gemstones.’ The emerald gemstone is a green variety of beryl. Among all the green gemstones, emerald is the most preferred and popular for jewelry. Its beautiful luminous color makes this gemstone exceptional. The color of the emerald gemstone is caused by impurities from chromium and vanadium. The lighter the green color is, the lesser its value. While the deep green colored emerald jewelry is more sought after and valued higher.

Flawless emeralds are of great value and very rare to find. However, a number of people specifically choose emeralds with small flaws because this reflects its genuineness. Most authentic untreated emeralds will have flaws and the flaws demonstrate the gemstone’s authentic nature.

Colombia is the leading source of emerald gemstones of fine quality. The other countries known to produce good quality emerald gemstones are Afghanistan, Brazil, India, Madagascar, Pakistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In Nawanagar, a state in India, their royalty, Maharajah Jamsahib owned remarkable emerald jewelry pieces. One famous piece is an emerald necklace that was part of his royal family’s treasure for numerous centuries. The necklace has two large emerald pendants boasting 155 and 200 carats respectively. This necklace was lost during his death and then miraculously reappeared 72 years later. On September 23, 2005, the value of nearly $3 million dollars was placed on this emerald necklace.

Emerald jewelry has proven its undying beauty and timelessness. This is evidenced by famous faces of today that are also the trendsetters being photographed wearing emerald jewelry such as Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, Keira Knightley, and Princess Diana to name a few. Notably, Carrie Underwood, in the Country Music Award 2008, wore a stunning emerald necklace and emerald jewelry set that is said to be valued at $60 million dollars.