14 March: Emeralds

On National Jewel Day: 10 facts about emeralds.

1. Emeralds are always Green (unlike Diamonds, Sapphires and Rubies which can be colours other than the one usually associated with them) although they might not be the exact shade of green known as emerald green. The shade of green varies according to the exact amount of the elements Chromium and Vanadium present in the stone.

2. Emeralds belong to the beryl family of stones.

3. They are actually rarer, and therefore more expensive per carat, than diamonds. An emerald is lower in density than a diamond and so would be larger than a diamond of the same carat value. Emerald measures between 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness.

4. Colombia is the world’s biggest emerald producer, accounting for around 90% of the world’s emeralds. Zambia is the second largest producer. Emerald miners in Colombia get an occupational perk called “picando” in which for one day each month they can keep any emeralds they find for themselves.

5. Emeralds are the birth stone for people born in May, or under the astrological sign of Taurus. 55 years is an emerald anniversary.

6. The largest flawless emerald in the world was known as the Rockefeller Emerald until it was sold in an auction to a man called Harry Winston for $5.5 million. Since then it has been known as the Rockefeller-Winston emerald.

7. The word emerald comes to us via Old French, Vulgar Latin and Ancient Greek, and possibly even further back to Sanskrit or Persian. The Ancient Greek word simply meant “green gem”.

8. In Ancient Egypt, emeralds symbolised eternal youth and were often buried with people. Cleopatra loved emeralds so much that she took ownership of all the emerald mines in Egypt. Elizabeth Taylor was another fan. One of her emerald necklaces sold for $6.1 million in 2011. They are also a feature of the British Crown Jewels.

9. There is folklore associated with emeralds. They were once said to counteract poison to the extent that if a venomous creature so much as looked at one it would go blind. It was also said that placing an emerald under the tongue would reveal truth, and grant a person the ability to foresee the future. They protected against evil spells, cured leprosy, improved memory and eyesight and was potentially even a contraceptive as ancient alchemists believed that if a person wearing an emerald ring had sex, the emerald would break.

10. The Emerald City is the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz in L Frank Baum's Oz books.

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