Ever wonder why Emerald is the birthstone for May?
One theory is that it represented life and springtime in many cultures. It's derived from the Greek work "Smaragdos" translating to "green gemstone". As with most gemstones, the darker and richer the color the more valuable the stone becomes. However, some of the most precious of these emeralds have a slight bluish tint.
Emerald is a member of the beryl family. The green color occurs when chromium, vanadium, and iron are present at the time of mineral formation. Varying amounts of these 3 elements is what gives it a range of colors. Iron gives the gemstone the bluish tint. Chromium and/or vanadium create a deep green color. Unlike other beryl gems, emeralds often contain natural inclusions, which are considered part of the gemstone charachter. On the Mohs scale of 1-10, emerald has a hardness of 7.5 - 8, which also makes it a popular choice for jewelry!
As always, see us here at The Hills Jewelry to select or design the perfect emerald jewelry. It can look beautiful on its own or it can be combined with numerous other gemstones and of course diamonds! We look forward to seeing you soon.!
One theory is that it represented life and springtime in many cultures. It's derived from the Greek work "Smaragdos" translating to "green gemstone". As with most gemstones, the darker and richer the color the more valuable the stone becomes. However, some of the most precious of these emeralds have a slight bluish tint.
Emerald is a member of the beryl family. The green color occurs when chromium, vanadium, and iron are present at the time of mineral formation. Varying amounts of these 3 elements is what gives it a range of colors. Iron gives the gemstone the bluish tint. Chromium and/or vanadium create a deep green color. Unlike other beryl gems, emeralds often contain natural inclusions, which are considered part of the gemstone charachter. On the Mohs scale of 1-10, emerald has a hardness of 7.5 - 8, which also makes it a popular choice for jewelry!
As always, see us here at The Hills Jewelry to select or design the perfect emerald jewelry. It can look beautiful on its own or it can be combined with numerous other gemstones and of course diamonds! We look forward to seeing you soon.!