Emerald Jewellery

Necklaces & Earrings

Emerald, A Sumptuous & unmistakable Green Gemstone

The emerald is a sumptuous green gemstone part of the beryl mineral family. Impurities of chromium make up the green colouring, while bluish tones are due to the content of vanadium in the structure. When raw and uncut, this crystal emerges in a hexagonal shape and typically contain cracks, fluid bubbles and cloudy areas on its surface. Let’s dive into the subject and discover some of its origins, unique traits and use in jewellery fabrication. 

History & mining sites

The word emerald draws its roots from Vulgar Latin “smaragdi”, a denomination of the Ancient Greek word “smaragdos” which stands for green gem.

Archaeological evidence points out that emerald deposits near the Nile were found in Ancient Egypt around 500 BC. However, only the Romans carried large-scale mining hundreds of years later, referring to the site as Mons Smaragdus which translates to “emerald mountain” in old Latin.

Cleopatra is often depicted in paintings wearing emerald necklaces and jewellery and she was said to have an obsessive passion for lavishly collecting the vivid green gem. Babylonians played a key role in the trade of precious stone including emeralds across the entire Mediterranean sea.

Egypt was the main source for emeralds at that time and its trade was mainly fulfilled by the Babylonian and Roman Empires across the Mediterranean sea. It was later followed by the Byzantines who lost control to their Muslim conquerors. As of the 14th Century, new deposits were discovered in India and Austria. The gem is also associated with the Incas in South America, who used emeralds as traditional adornments during sacrificial rituals to the sun god. The Spaniards exchanged precious metals for Inca emeralds, which were then brought to Europe and Asia for commerce.

Nowadays, some of the purest verdant green emeralds are mined in Colombia. They are the brand representing the pureness of emeralds to the realm of precious stones. Colombia supplies more than 60% of emerald production worldwide. Its dark forest hue is often associated with supreme quality. Not to mention the trapiche emerald, a one-of-a-kind treasure looking like mysterious cat eyes.

Zambia must come second, however, many other mining deposits producing fairly quality emeralds include Brazil, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Australia, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania and the USA to mention a few.

Healing and spiritual attributes for the wearer

Emerald gemstones can relieve its owner of headaches, nightmares and insomnia. It serves to get rid of several types of psoriasis, infections and high fever. If you wear jewellery with emeralds, they can intensify the effect of any treatment. It also saves the owner from night blindness, various gastrointestinal diseases and cough.

It is believed that if this stone is placed in a water container for at least an hour, the liquid will free itself of harmful microbes and bacteria. If the stone is placed inside the house, any negative energy present will cast out over time.

Emerald used as green gemstone jewellery

With emeralds, colour is the most important feature when choosing a style of cut, rather than brilliance. Its relative non-uniformity motivates the cutting of emeralds in cabochon form, rather than faceted shapes. Faceted emeralds are most commonly given an oval cut, pear-shaped or the signature rectangular emerald cut. With a hardness of 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale, its firmness is usually categorised as poor. For this very same reason, cracks are filled with cedar oil or various polymers to enhance clarity and overall appearance.

Emeralds make marvelous jewellery items. Yellow gold emerald rings and pendants recall an instant vintage touch. On the other hand, white gold can be a safe alternative to accompany emerald drop earrings, bracelets and halo necklaces for a more contemporary look.

Armoura Designs are amongst one of the few passionate craftspeople that love creating unique pieces for our customers. Feel free to view some of our emerald earrings assortment if you’re keen to get some inspiration to craft your own.