May Birthstone

If you’re interested in the list of emerald superpowers, the May birthstone’s origin, or simply need a piece of practical advice on how to take care of your emerald ring, refer to our guide. We created it to reveal all the relevant information about this green gemstone.

Did you know that each of the 12 months has a unique corresponding gemstone that gives people certain superabilities? Well, our ancestors were aware of this. Even in ancient times, they knew that an accurately chosen amulet gifts its owner extra strength and a better life. And for May people, emerald is the stone that will empower your jewelry with extraordinary abilities.

Emerald: The stone that will gift extra power to May people

Emerald is a stone that has a distinctive green color. Even its title “smaragdos,” having Greek roots, means “green stone.” Because of that, an emerald became one of the most prominent symbols of this color. There appeared many associations with this precious stone that hold many attributes commonly connected with green hue.

Throughout the years, green was the color of wealth, luck, calmness, and envy. Consequently, the emerald started symbolizing all these things too.

What does emerald mean to the humanity?

The beautiful color of emerald has won many people’s hearts – and on a grand scale. Ireland, as the whole country, has gained the description of “The Emerald Isle,” linking the strong connection between the gemstone and the national color.

However, this great love also led to the appearance of strange associations with an emerald. For example, there is a belief that putting this jewel under the tongue can help a person see the future, fix the speech eloquence, and protect peace of mind from internal demons. Among other superpowers, there are abilities to stop epilepsy, control bleeding, and fix stomach problems.

Here are some interesting facts about extraordinary emeralds as May birthstones:

Ancient Egypt was the first place for emerald mining. It has the most significant fan base of this gemstone. The Empress Cleopatra was especially fond of them, claiming the ownership of all the emerald mines in her country.

Egyptians practiced putting May birthstones to mummies to emblemize eternal youth. Greeks and Romans also loved emeralds, associating them with gods that represent romance and beauty: Aphrodite and Venus. In some cases, these stones were also used as currency.

Medieval people preferred emeralds above diamonds in their engagement rings. Only in 1477, Archduke Maximillian of Austria broke this tradition by gifting Mary of Burgundy the first diamond engagement ring.

Among the key healing factors of May birthstones, their ability to bring mental clarity is the most amusing one. Also, an emerald will cause emotional detoxification and establish the necessary balance between physical and spiritual well-being. Finally, the gemstone guides the heart, making it able to intensify the romantic connection and link yourself with other people.

The most famous reference to emerald in literature appears in a city of fantasy and delight in the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In the novel’s plot, a young girl Dorothy should follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to come home to Kansas.

Another common belief about May birthstones is that they are able to boost the subconscious mind and reopen intuition, increasing the accuracy of decision and judgements. Since the emerald color is connected with the heart chakra, it turns into a gold-mine of love, cordiality, sympathy, and joy.

Elizabeth Taylor was the owner of the most popular emerald. The pendant she wore while filming Cleopatra in Rome was estimated at $6.5 million later. Many other celebrities also preferred emerald jewelry. Among them, there are Angelina Jolie (she chooses emeralds for her red carpet appearances) and Jackie Kennedy (she received an extremely beautiful emerald and diamond engagement ring). Also, almost all the members of the British royal family love emeralds. The most famous story is connected with the 19-carat emerald engagement ring proposal from King Edward VIII of England to Wallis Simpson.

The country for mining emeralds is Colombia. Since conquistador times, South America in general and this country, in particular, became the greatest supplier of top-rank jewelry featuring emeralds for royals and nobility in Europe. These days, emeralds are also found in Brazil, Zambia, and Afghanistan.

The varieties of emerald, or how to differ an emerald from beryl

Emerald, as the representative of May birthstones, is the member of the beryl family – along with aquamarine, the official birthstone for people born in March. The exact chemical formula of emerald includes chromium, vanadium, and iron. Depending on the intensity and the proportion of these elements in the internal structure, the emerald will change its color from green to blue. For example, the more iron it has, the more blue color it gets.

The intensity of green makes the difference for May birthstones. If an emerald has a light tone, this gemstone is a green beryl. Only those jewels having medium to darker color tone are associated with the emerald.

Like diamonds, emeralds differ according to the 4C’s gradation of color, carat, cut, and clarity:

Clarity

The number of visible inclusions is not as critical for an emerald as it is for a diamond. The better hue and saturation are much more important. But, of course, clear emeralds are rare and valuable.

Color

In contrast to the diamond evaluation, color is the most important parameter to distinguish emeralds. In particular, the price of an emerald will dramatically increase once you become interested in a smoothly distributed and intense tone. So, to get a lower cost, choose light and dark emerald hues.

Carat

The weight of both emeralds and diamonds is measured in carats. And in the same manner, the more carats the gemstone has, the more expensive it turns for purchase.

Cut

The emerald cut can either boost or spoil the advantages of a diamond. Accurately done, it intensifies sparkling and beauty of an emerald – so, aim at ordering the one of the top clarity.

How to look after your emerald jewelry

In this section, we’ve gathered some recommendations on how to care about your precious emerald jewelry! Just follow them, and your emerald will never lose its color and sparkle:

The hardness of emerald is 7-8 Mohs. This parameter makes it useful for everyday wearing. At the same time, you should be careful while keeping emeralds with other gemstones – they can scratch each other.
In terms of jewelry price, the only gemstone that is more expensive than an emerald is a white diamond. So, don’t be surprised while seeing the price tag on your emerald ring – it’s always worth it!
Try not to use ultra-sonic cleansers because your emerald will lose the significant part of its sparkle and color. Chemicals destroy the fillers that make the jewel beautiful. Also, they accelerate the destroying effect light exposure commonly causes on emeralds. So, the best cleaning method not to damage your gemstone is to use soapy water and a soft brush. Wrap emeralds with a soft cloth if you need to dry them.
For extra polish and brilliance, try to put some cedar oil on an emerald.
The most beautiful settings for emeralds in rings and necklaces are commonly made of yellow, white, or rose gold.

To get professional expertise, refer to Diamond Registry! We’re passionate about precious stones and will help you buy and take care of your diamond.

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Read about other birthstones