Emerald is a green and very important variety of beryl. Beryl is very rare in earth crust making emeralds rare and valuable, moreover emeralds without imperfections are seldom found. Emerald is arguably the most famous green birthstone. 

In the ancient world arguably the most famous occurrence of emeralds were ‘Cleopatra’s mines’ in Egypt. Nowadays the birthstone is mined in Australia, Colombia, Brazil, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia and multiple other places.

Emerald – one of the sacred gemstones of the Atlanteans. It is believed to be the gem of intelligence and action, wealth, and service for the benefit of humanity. 

The name emerald comes from the Sanskrit word meaning green. In other linguistic sources it is also called esmeralda, emeraude, smaragdus, smaragd, izumrud etc 

In biblical times it was sacred for the tribe of Levi, early Christians cherished it as a symbol of resurrection. The holy grail, Jesus’s glass from the last supper later used to collect his blood at crucifixion, was rumored to have been made from emerald.  

In Egypt emerald was cut in multiple shapes and used as a talisman in order to ward off evil.

Charubel, early 20th century occultist, wrote that the emerald is for those “who aspire to wisdom and seek enlightenment, and for those who seek the good of life”. 

Dreams of emeralds mean much to look forward to.

Emerald was a gemstone of Poland and Ireland.

In 1205 pope Innocent sent an emerald ring to King John of England, and attached a note to the gift saying that the gem was an emblem of faith. The gem was a favorite stone of an ancient god Serapis. 

Babylonian story hero Gilgames by the gates of the Ocean saw a beautiful magical tree that had most precious emeralds as fruit. Hathor, an Egyptian Venus, was also represented on earth by the tree which was called ‘Sycamore of the Emerald’. The gem was accepted as a love stone as it was closely associated with Venus. It was regarded as especially fortunate for ladies bringing safe childbirth, happiness in love and comfort in the family. 

Esmeralda, the Peruvian goddess, was said to live in an emerald as large as an ostrich egg and her devotees were gifting emeralds to her as well. Stevenson wrote in ‘Residence in South America’ that local people in Peru believed that emeralds protected against poison and cleansed humans from sin.

In many cultures this birthstone was believed to cure eye diseases and improve eyesight. Pliny, naval commander and philosopher of the Roman Empire, wrote that emerald was the only gem that could delight eyesight without fatiguing it.Persians applied ashes of burnt emerald to cure ulcers. They believed in the magical medicinal powers of the gem to cure stomach aches, jaundice, liver and body pains. They also said it brought mental tranquility to the wearer.In ancient Greece emerald was used as a remedy from hemorrhoids and epilepsy.  In Hindu tradition the gem was considered a laxative and dysentery cure.

It was believed that the emerald could foresee future events, and because of this the stone could disarm enemy enchantments. The birthstone was favoured among magicians and chamans. Those who were in love were also able to find a prophetic aid in emeralds. It was said that the gem could reveal whether the fiancee’s feelings were true or false. 

According to a Rabbinical legend, god presented 4 precious stones to King Solomon, and one of these gems was emerald. It was said the presented gems endowed the king with wisdom and power over all creation. 

Emerald was prescribed with powers of sharpening human intelligence and showing the path to wealth. Those who wanted to improve their memory and become prominent public speakers were advised to acquire a fine emerald. 

There are several very notable emerald stones that have their own names and places in history. One of the largest emeralds ever found is called Bahia, and was discovered in Bahia mines in Brazil. The rock weighs a whopping 1.7 million carats (752lbs) and is estimated to be worth about $400 million. The gemstone was in the middle of an ownership dispute, and ,after an unsuccessful attempt to sell it, it was seized and kept at Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department.

Gachala Emerald is a 858 carats gem found near Bogota, Columbia. It is one of the most valuable and famous emeralds in the word. Currently it is a part of the Smithsonian collection donated to the museum by Harry Winston, a renowned New York City jeweller.  

Angelina Jolie, Taylor Swift, Miranda Kerr, Emma Stone, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian… The list of celebrities wearing emeralds can be bigger than this entire page. You can confidently say that this birthstone is remarkable and is a very popular choice.