See the world in emerald lighting
The name emerald originates from the Latin word “esmerauds” and the Greek one ’smaragdos’, that have Semitic or ancient Indian roots. Supposingly, the word meant ‘a green gem’ and could be attributed to different jewels.
A green variety of limpid beryl, called emerald or smaragd, has been considered one of the most beautiful jewels for 4 000 years, and is also said to be very beneficial for a man’s well-being. From time to time emerald was valued even higher, than diamond, however, today, when the scientists have a possibility to produce artificial emeralds, the price of the gem has fallen.
The variety of green tints, emerald can possess, really can strike one imagination: dill-green, spinach-green, olive, pistachio, laurel, the colour of fresh leaves, dark-green. This variety is created by a different correlations of chrome, iron and vanadium admixtures, and the colouring is very stable. Only the emeralds of the highest quality can be limpid.
In ancient times the stone was mined near present-day Asuan, and the old mines are known today as The Emerald Mines of Cleopatra, though the works there had started long before the famous queen of beauty was born. Emerald used to be very important for the Egyptians, as there was a tradition to decorate mummies with this gem. The Emerald Mines of Cleopatra were re-opened at the beginning if the XIX century. But, of course, the most beautiful emeralds of the highest quality come to the customers from Columbia. It were Incas to start mining emeralds in this area, and later the mines were utterly forgotten and found only by the Spaniards, that started to supply Europe with strikingly beautiful Columbian emeralds in the XVI century, and continued to stay the only suppliers in the world up to the middle of the XIX century. Today high-quality emeralds are also mined in Russia, the USA, India, Afghanistan and South America.
Limpid gems, that are considered to be of the best quality, are extremely rare. Usually they are turbid, and this effect is produced by minor impurities or splits, which are called by the specialists with a French word jardin – garden. These inclusions prove, that the stone is of the natural origin.