Favorite Gem of Cleopatra – Emerald

The birthstone for May – Emerald has always been highly valued. Emerald’s were considered holy stones & were also believed to have power of preventing epilepsy, improve memory, intelligence & sight. The name has been derived from French word esmaraude & Greek word smarados. Both the words mean “green stone”. They are found in many locations around the world with Colombia & Brazil being the major producers.


In ancient Egypt, near Red Sea there were emerald mines. It is known that Cleopatra prized them over all other gems & because of that the mines were named after her. Aztecs of South America, maharajas of India as well as Ancient Incas prized the stone & are known to have possessed many high quality stones in their times.


One of the largest emeralds in world which dates back to late 17th century is the Mogul Emerald, weighing more than 200 carats with prayer engravings on one side & floral ornamentations on the other side. This Mogul Emerald was auctioned at Christie’s in 2001 for $2.2 million.


Best quality emeralds have a grassy green color & outstanding clarity. Many of the stones have internal cracks which are known as inclusions. The number of inclusions & their severity can affect emerald’s value, but more than that the degree of transparency and color have more affect on value.


A very high quality emerald could be more in value than a diamond because they are extremely rare. Emeralds have meant different things to different people over time from being green of spring to being the stone which brings good luck.