Thursday, May 1, 2014

Emerald, the May Birthstone

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Emerald, the May Birthstone

Here are some fun facts to help improve your knowledge and lore of the stunning and ever-popular Emerald:
Emerald, the May Birthstone
  1. Emeralds are a variety of the mineral beryl.
  2. Emerald green is the most sought after and valuable shade of emerald.
  3. Emeralds get their green color from trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium.
  4. Ireland is known as “the Emerald Isle” for its lush green fields.
  5. The emerald is the gemstone for the Zodiac star sign, Taurus.
  6. Emeralds are traditionally given as gifts for 20th, 35th and 55th anniversaries.
  7. An emerald with the right color and characteristics can be rarer and more expensive than a diamond of similar size.
  8. Emeralds are symbolic of springtime and rebirth, and so are believed to help with  fertility, ensure a healthy pregnancy, and ease childbirth.
  9. The word emerald is derived from the Greek word, smaragdos, which means means green stone.
  10. On a scale of 10, emeralds are a 7.8 – 8 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
  11. Today, most emeralds are found in Colombia, and the most famous emerald deposit is called the Muzo mine, located northwest of Bogota.
  12. Up until around 200 years ago, peridots were commonly mistaken to be emeralds.
  13. Green Swarovski crystals are used to make replica emeralds because they can be more precisely faceted.