Emerald

What does emerald mean?

Emerald is the stone of the heart in nearly every tradition that wrote about it. Ancient Egyptians are said to have buried it with the dead as a promise of eternal youth; Vedic astrology prizes it as the stone of Mercury, for intelligence and clear speech; medieval Europeans believed it could reveal truth and expose a lie. Modern practitioners describe emerald as a heart-chakra stone for love, loyalty, compassion and recovery after heartbreak, and crystal lore calls it the stone of successful love, the settled kind rather than the dramatic kind. Taurus, Gemini and Cancer are its signs.

How do people work with emerald?

Vedic practice wears emerald on the little finger or over the heart. Modern practitioners hold it during meditation on forgiveness or a relationship they want to mend, and charge it in the green light under trees rather than direct sun. For a set piece, we suggest moonlight, sound or a soft dry cloth for cleansing and charging. Water, salt and soil are hard on the setting and the plating, and the stone does not need them.

How has emerald been used through history?

The Egyptian workings known as Cleopatra's Mines were the ancient world's source, and emeralds traveled from there to Rome, where Nero is said to have watched the games through one. When the Spanish reached Colombia in the 1500s the Muzo and Chivor mines became the source every other emerald is measured against, and Mughal emperors inscribed Colombian crystals with prayers. The jardin, the garden of inclusions inside an emerald, has been accepted as part of the stone's character for just as long.

Where does emerald come from?

Emerald is beryl colored by chromium or vanadium. Colombia remains the benchmark, Zambia produces a cooler, bluer green, and Brazil, Ethiopia and Afghanistan's Panjshir valley round out the sources. Our emerald is set rough so the six-sided column and the internal veils stay in plain sight; the baguette and the Art Deco ring use Panjshir crystal, which runs clearer and cooler than most. Our emerald rough is sorted from what the cutting trade sets aside, crystals too small, too included or too irregular to facet, and from vintage lots bought out of old collections. The stone was already out of the ground before we found it; we give it a setting instead of a drawer.

Is raw emerald good for everyday wear?

Emerald is hard but its inclusions make it a little brittle, so avoid sharp knocks, keep it dry, skip ultrasonic cleaners and wipe with a soft cloth. Rings are best taken off for heavy work.

Looking for more? Browse May birthstone jewelry, aquamarine, emerald's blue sibling, more green gemstone jewelry, raw stone rings. Shoppers here most often start with Dainty Raw Emerald Ring and Oval Rosecut Raw Emerald Ring.