Meet the May Birthstone "Emerald"

Emerald is the birthstone for the month of May.

Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl and gets it's stunning color from trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Emeralds occur in hues ranging from yellow-green to blue-green, with the primary hue necessarily being green.

Through time, the emerald has been known as a symbol of truth & love. In ancient Greece and Rome, emerald was said to be the gem of the goddess Venus, purveyor of love and hope. Ancient Incas believed that the emerald was a source of eternal life.

Beryl has a hardness of 7.5 - 8 on the Mohs scale so their toughness is classified as generally poor. It's important to treat your precious stones with extra care. Emeralds have much material trapped inside during the gem's formation, creating numerous inclusions and surface-breaking fissures. Stones that lack surface breaking fissures are extremely rare and therefore almost all emeralds are treated to enhance the apparent clarity.

Emeralds were first found and mined in Ancient Egypt at locations on Mount Smaragdus since 1500 BC, and India and Austria since at least the 14th century AD. In ancient Egypt, emeralds were believed to represent fertility, rebirth and eternal life. They were buried with pharaohs to ensure their immortality. Today, emeralds are mined all over the world. The highest quality emerald is mined in Columbia.

Emerald is a life-affirming stone. It opens the heart chakra and calms the emotions. It provides inspiration, balance, wisdom, and patience. It's said to promote friendship, peace, harmony, and domestic bliss by enabling the wearer to both give and receive unconditional love.

It is not recommended to place emerald jewelry in an ultrasonic cleaner. It is best to clean it with a soft toothbrush, warm water, mild soap or a commercial jewelry cleaning solution. Have your emerald jewelry periodically cleaned and its setting examined by a professional jeweler to maintain its beauty and integrity over time.