may birthstone

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EmeraldMay Birthstone

The birthstone for May is the Emerald. The gem received its name from either

the Greek word ‘smaragdos’ or from the Old French ‘esmaralde’ and possibly from the Indian Sanskrit language. Regardless of what the word origins are, each of the words translate to simply ‘green gemstone.’



This beryl gemstone has been mined since 1500 BC in:

Egypt India

And from the 14th century in Austria. Beryl has a hardness that reaches the upper

part of the 10-point Mohs scale of mineral hardness and is usually anywhere between 7.5 and 8. As most emeralds are highly included, that is to say has tiny flaws called inclusions; their resistance to breakage is usually in the poor classification.

Beryl contains: Beryllium Aluminum Silicon Oxygen Six-sided symmetrical crystal



The beryl family of minerals includes: Aquamarine Heliodor Morganite


About Emerald The colour green is usually

associated with emeralds although they can vary in colour from light to dark, deep green.

It can also lose its colour when heated strongly.


Producers of Emerald The world’s largest producer of

emeralds is Columbia, which supplies 50 to 95% of the entire inventory of the stone.

Zambia is a close second which has been producing 20% of the world’s gem quality stones.


Locations of Emerald Emeralds are also found in

Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Italy, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Untied States and Zimbabwe.


Folklore Points to the Emerald Emeralds were believed to be able to heal

all ailments. Boiling or crushing them into a paste and then applying to affected areas was supposed to heal cuts and a variety of other skin conditions.

Emeralds were supposed to correct included ear problems, digestive issues, heart disease, gallstones, hypertension, insomnia, miscarriages, paralysis and mental illness.

They were also believed to grant foresight, insight, hindsight, good fortune and youth.


Symbols of Emerald Ancient Romans dedicated

emeralds to the Goddess Venus as the green colour symbolized the reproductive forces of nature.

Christians saw the gem as a symbol of Christ’s resurrection and in the Middle Ages emeralds were held in high esteem due to the belief that they could foretell future events.


Emeralds have been used in a number of historic artifacts including:

The Crown of the Andes. It was worn by the last Inca (King)

of Peru, Atahualpa and was set with 450 emeralds, which weighed ten ounces.


Emeralds are graded using the four Cs:

1. Colour (usually the most important)2. Cut3. Clarity4. Crystal (when it comes to emeralds

crystal is considered a very close second)


3 Components of Colour1. Hue

Hues found in emeralds range from yellow-green to blue-green with green being the primary hue. Gems ranging from medium to dark in tone are considered emerald with green beryl the name used for gems that are light toned.

2. Saturation3. Tone


The finest of the emeralds on a scale where:

0% is colourless 100% is opaque black A stone with 75%


EmeraldMay Birthstone

may birthstone

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