Unlocking the Mystique of Emeralds: A Comprehensive Guide to the World's Most Enchanting Gemstone | Emerald History, Properties

Unlocking the Mystique of Emeralds: A Comprehensive Guide to the World's Most Enchanting Gemstone | Emerald History, Properties

Meaning of Emerald

The term “Emerald” was used for the first time in the 14th century.

            The word “Emerald ”is  derived from  French:  esmeraude, English: emeraude, Latin:smaragdus and Greek word, smàragdos meaning ‘GREEN GEM’

              In the Bible, it means “Resurrection or rebirth into a new and pure life.”

             Spiritually, the word “Emerald" means” eternity and everlasting love”.

 Emerald Crystal Structure

             Emerald belongs to a class of minerals called Beryl.  Emerald has perfect  hexagonal crystal structure. Bases of the crystals are usually flat. Pyramidal terminations are not usually found. Crystals usually exist as individual prismatic hexagons. Crystals also  occur in columnar aggregates and in massive. There are striations along the length of crystals.

  • Emerald Stone Properties/ Chemical/ Technical Properties of Emerald Gemstone

Chemical Formula

Be3Al2(SiO3)6

Colour

Bluish green to green to slightly yellowish green

Hardness

7.5 to 8 on Mohs Hardness Scale

Refractive Index

1.569 -1.602

Streak

White

Crystal System

Hexagonal

Habit

Perfect six-sided hexagons,prismatic hexagons, massive to well crystalline

Luster

Vitreous

Cleavage

Imperfect, poor basal cleavage on the [0001]

Transparency

Transparent to opaque

Fracture

Conchoidal to uneven

Tenacity

Brittle

Group

Beryl

Rock Type

Igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks

 

  • How Emerald gets its colour?

Beryl, the class of minerals to which emerald belongs, when pure, is colourless and is called goshenite. Trace amounts of impurities such as chromium, vanadium and iron in place of aluminium ions cause it to develop green colour. More precisely, the colour of emerald stones ranges between bluish green to yellowish green. Primary hue of emerald is necessarily green. Blue and yellow are secondary hues of emerald.

  •    Presence of chromium and vanadium is the cause of green colour of emerald.
  • Trace amounts of iron cause emerald to develop bluish green or slightly yellowish green colour based upon its oxidation state.

The best quality emeralds have vivid colours and are deeply saturated. The most preferred emerald stones are those having bluish green hue and intense saturation.

But some professionals in gem and jewellery trade believe that the stone should be named as “emerald” when presence of chromium causes it to develop green colour and when vanadium is the cause of green colour, the stone should be called  “ green beryl”.

  • History of Emerald Stone

           Emeralds have been one of the most eminent stones of all times. Emerald is one of the cardinal gems, an elite class of gems. These stones have been very expensive and used by royal and wealthy people either as jewellery or for the purpose of embellishment.

The ancient civilizations of Asia, Africa and South America discovered emeralds and made them gemstones of high quality. The emerald stones of South Africa are 2.97 billion years old. In Egypt, the emerald mines dated from 330 BC to 1700s. Queen Cleopatra had an aesthetic collection of green emeralds.

          For about 500 years, the Incas used emeralds in their jewellery. During the reign of Byzantine and Roman empires, Emerald industrial mining flourished. Emeralds became extremely famous in India and Austria in the 14th century.

          In the past, the Arabs, Hindus and the Spanish used emeralds against poison and dysentery.

Some of the famous emeralds which were played key role in culture in history are as follows;

The Mogul Mughal: This stone weighed 217 carats, originated in Colombia and was owned by the Mughals in the 17th century. 

The Duke of Devonshire Emerald: It was a 1383 carat stone. The duke of Devonshire acquired it in the 19th century.

The Chalk Emerald: This stone weighed 38.4 carat and in 1972, it  was granted to the Smithsonian Institution.

Elizabeth Taylor’s emerald jewellery: Elizabeth Taylor owned a  Bulgari necklace with a 23.44-carat emerald pendant.

The Bahia Emerald:This precious stone is one of the largest emeralds. Its weight is about 840 pounds

  • .Emerald Stone as Birthstone  

Emerald is the birthstone of May. Emeralds correspond to the Zodiac sign Cancer. Its soothing  green colour heralds the onset of spring.

Locations of Emerald Stone. Where it is found? Emerald Gemstone Location around the World

Colombia is the largest producer of emeralds in the world.

  •  Colombia (Chivor mine, Muzo mine, Coscuez)
  • Brazil (Bahia, Anagé, Brumado, Carnaiba, Salininha, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Borbur mine)
  • Australia (Poona, Emmaville)
  • Austria (Habachtal)
  • India (Ajmer)
  • Madagascar (Ankadilalana mine)
  • Mozambique (Morrua)
  • Norway (Eidsvoll)
  • Pakistan (Mingora, Bucha, Swat)
  • Russia (Urals)
  • South Africa (Cobra Mine, Transvaal)
  • Tanzania (Lake Manyara)
  • United States of America (North Carolina)
  • Zambia (Miku, Mufulira, Kitwe, Kafubu)
  • Zimbabwe (Sandawana mine field)

    What are Geologic and Geographic Occurrences of Emerald?

The geological processes that produce emeralds vary depending upon the location.

Emeralds are found in 

  • Hydrothermal Veins where the interaction of hot, mineral rich fluids with surrounding rocks causes the formation of emeralds.
  • Metamorphosed mica schists
  • Granite pegmatites 
  • Igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks

 

  • Emerald Price Guidelines.Value of Emerald Stones

             Prices of Emerald Stones depend upon the size, quality and origin of gemstone. Colombian Emeralds are the most expensive ones. There is an increase in the prices of recently discovered emeralds in Ethiopia and Brazil. In general, medium to dark green and intensely saturated emeralds are much more valuable than others.

     Price ranges of emeralds are given below:

Commercial grade:   $30-525 per carat                          

 Good:                          $525-1.125k per carat

 Fine:                           $1.125k-2.9k per carat

 Extra fine:                 $2.9k-9.8k+ per carat

 

  • Traditional Meaning and Myths about Emerald Stones

             Emerald is regarded as a superior jewel. The extraordinary green colour of emerald has bestowed it with an honoured status amongst the most beautiful gemstones. 

             Emeralds symbolise truth, love and loyalty. It is believed to be a friendship booster. Moreover, emeralds manifest material wealth, self-growth and empowerment and are thought to enhance wisdom, eloquence and foresight.

            It was believed that emeralds, when placed under the tongue, endowed the person with prophetic powers. Ancient people believed that emeralds conferred people with the ability of future prediction. Many people used emeralds as a source of protection against demons. Some thought that it could diminish lust because it had the ability to reveal the truth.

         In the Bible, emeralds have been mentioned  several times. According to the Christians, emeralds symbolise the resurrection of Christ and his attributes of kindness and goodness.

              It is said that four stones were given by the God to King Solomon and emerald was one of them. Those four stones were thought to be the cause of the king's power over all the creatures.

          Moreover, the fascinating green colour of Emerald was thought to be having a soothing effect on eyes under stress. 

         Thus, emerald has been hailed as a precious gemstone for its beauty since its discovery and is still a sign of glory and grandeur.

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