The word "Emerald" originally comes from "Sumarakata", a Sanskrit word for green stones. Emeralds vary in color from light to deep green.
The most valued is pure grass green or slightly bluish green.
A flawless, clear emerald is very rare and is usually found in only small sizes.
Emerald is known as the Queen of Gems, and the gem of queens.
Emeralds were Queen Cleopatra's favorite and her Emeralds are well known.
Legends & Lore
To the ancient Romans, emeralds were dedicated to the goddess Venus because it symbolized the reproductive forces of nature.
And the king Nero was told to watch the Roman games in the coliseum through a set of highly prized emerald glasses.
Emeralds in ancient Rome were highly prized and valued for the calming and soothing effects. The ancients held the emerald in great esteem, believing they sharpened the wearer��s eyesight and mind. The earliest engravers kept emeralds on their work tables to gaze upon from time to time to rest their tired eyes. Its magnificent green color was said to rest and relieve the eye.
Travelers relied on emeralds as protection against the hazards and perils of long journeys.
Also the stone was once believed to prevent epilepsy, stop bleeding, cure dysentery and fever, and protect the wearer from panic.
The green gem was also said to give its owner the power to predict the future.
According to legend, Emeralds strengthen the owner's memory, quicken the intelligence and assist in predicting the future, cure illness such as poor eyesight and infertility.
Ancient legends hold that the Egyptians believed that this stone helped in fertility and rebirth.
In History
The history of emeralds can be traced back to antiquity.
They were worn by royalty in Babylon and Egypt.
Tools dating back to 1300 B.C., during the reign of Rameses II, have been found in emerald mines in Egypt.
Queen Cleopatra's emeralds were seemed to originate from mines in Southern Egypt, near the Red Sea.
In ancient Egypt, emeralds were mined close to the Red Sea.
This tranquil green gem was highly prized by the wealthy and the priest craft. The high cost made it far beyond the average Egyptian's pocketbook.
Several famous historical artifacts were made of emeralds.
Among them was the Crown of Andes, said to be worn by the last Inca king of Peru who was taken prisoner by Conquistador Pizzaro in 1532.
The crown was said to be set with 453 emeralds, collectively weighing 10 ounces (1523 carats).
In the 1940s, the crown was sold to, then broken up by, an American syndicate.
Many of its stones are probably in the jewelry collections of wealthy Americans today.
Meanings & Symbol
Safety in child-bearing, Lucky in love, Happiness, Tranquility, Love and Success
