Emerald

Meaning: Most common meanings are vision, (long associated with good eyesight and the ability to foretell the future), clarity, wisdom, and ‘successful eternal love’

Name Origin: The oldest translation of Emerald comes from Sanskrit, meaning, ‘the green of growing things,’ but our use of the world translates from a Persian-to-Greek word, Smaragdus. However, Old Latin and French versions of the word eventually gave us our English variant. (For example, think ‘Esmaralda’ from the famous story Hunchback Notre Dame!)

History: Emeralds are one of the four ‘precious’ gemstones, (alongside the diamond, ruby and sapphire), so it has a long history of adoration. Records of the stone go back as far as 4,000 BCE. Excavations in Egypt discovered a massive Emerald mine that was in use during Queen Cleopatra’s reign, and given what historians know about her fascination and adoration of the Emerald stone, the site was dubbed “Cleopatra’s Mines.” In Egyptian lore, the Emerald was also associated with eternal life and has been found in many tombs of ancient pharaohs. Other ancient tribes, like the Incans and Chaldeans, worshipped the stone and associated it with their gods. One Chaldean goddess was said to live in an egg made of pure emerald!

Emerald was one of the 12 gemstones placed in the sacred breast-plate of Aaron and engraved with one of the names of the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel. God instructed Aaron (the high priest) to wear this breastplate every time he entered the tabernacle as a representation of ALL God’s people when revealing his will to Aaron. Scripture also lists Emerald as the 4th layer of the City of God in the book of Revelation.

When the conquistadors of Spain traveled to South America, they traded their precious metals (gold and silver) for the emerald, which brought the stunning gem to the attention of European and Asian royalty.

Sources: Emeralds are a form of Beryl, a very rare part of the earth’s crust, which makes authentic emeralds rare. The most famous location where emeralds were first found is known as ‘Cleopatra’s Mines,” in Egypt, but they are also found in Australia, Colombia, (currently the world’s biggest source), Brazil, Tanzania, South Africa, (and Zambia.)

Renaissance Colombian jewel recovered from ship wreck

Fun Facts:

· Emeralds are the stone for the 35th wedding anniversary

· Roman Historian, Pliny the Elder, said that the staring at the stone relieved the strain on one’s eyesight, which, strangely, was a sentiment echoed by the other cultures that revered the gem, (hence partly why the gem is associated with eyesight and vision).

· And to the above point, it is said that the Roman Emperor Nero watched the gladiator games through a thin emerald lens because he believed it soothed him.

· Elizabeth Taylor owned an Emerald pendant that sold for 6.5 million in 2011.

· Harkening back to the emerald’s Sanskrit translation, (“the green of growing things”), the Emerald has been associated with green lushness and natural beauty. Even now, instead of referring to the internal inclusions of the gem as ‘imperfections’ dealers often referred to them as ‘jardins,’ which is French for ‘garden.’

· Some people say that, during the Middle Ages, if a woman wore an emerald it would keep her chaste. (Insert an eye role, here.)

· On a funnier note, putting an emerald under your tongue was said to give you clairvoyance.

· At one time or another, (source unknown), it was said that if a woman were to wear an emerald during birth, it would prevent unwanted complications and procure a safe delivery for her baby. (I don’t know about you, but I’m amenable to the the idea of wearing an emerald during birth just to be classy! Haha. But, uh, just imagine a massive emerald-crusted pendant hanging from your neck accompanied by labor screams – the thought becomes instantly funny! But I’m sure that’s not how it was worn.)

· And lastly, old lore said that an emerald would determine the faithfulness of a lover, and it would give off a gorgeous green glow if the lover was true but fade in luster and color if the lover was unfaithful.