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Emerald - a Gem That Spreads Cheer and Good Health

Green is a colour, which acts as a soothing balm to the eyes of a human being and calms the frayed nerves around the wrinkles. The effect is so stunning that one feels at once re-invigorated and all charged up. The adage "Clean and green" is pronounced loud and clear around the world. One such object apart from plants, which symbolizes green at its best, is a gem called Emerald. It is referred to as a gem of eternal spring and historic facts records that it was much sought after by people in ancient days due to the fact it symbolized love and rebirth. Its history, popularity and magical capabilities is something that is awe inspiring and reeks of what one can call eternal glory and special charm. Let's have a peek into its history and other such trivia of this marvel Emerald.

History

Every entity has a history and so does emerald. It is a history, which seduces one to admire its richness. It has been treasured for over 4,000 years by various cultures all around the world and venerated archaeologists put its origin to 3,000 BC in ancient India and Egypt. Before one can gasp, it's better to take a breather and then gasp to take in the following facts-

• The ancient craze Cleopatra had a fondness for emerald than any other gemstone.
• It was cherished and loved by the Moguls of ancient India so much that they inscribed them with sacred text and also wore them as lucky talisman.
• It was also sought after by Romans and to such an extent that an adage was coined by scholar Pliny "nothing greens greener". He further added that emerald was the only gem, which fascinated the eye without causing fatigue and strain.
• Ancient Egypt mummies were said to have been buried with an emerald on their necks carved with the symbol for verdure, flourishing greenness, which symbolized eternal youth.
• The source of all evil Satan is said to have lost the emerald from his crown when he fell. Then it was converted into a bowel and later sent by the Queen of Sheba to Nicodemus. Christ used the bowl at the last supper. And Joseph of Arimantha used it catch blood falling from the cross. This part laid the ground for order of the Holy Grail.
• Emeralds from the South American country of Columbia is said to be the finest of its kind in the world. Its entry into the realm of business trade began on its discovery by Spanish conquerors back in the 16th century. The country houses the richest emerald mines in the world called Cosque.
• The conqueror of Mexico Hernando Cortes was carrying carved emeralds taken from the Aztecs in the shapes of fish and flowers and a carved emerald bell, and an emerald the size of a man's palm when he was shipwrecked. Many of the finest stones were lost forever. The Incas had an emerald goddess, a fabulous emerald the size of an ostrich egg. In tribute they sacrificed her children: smaller emeralds, which were presented to the goddess. Treasure hunters seeking wrecks of Spanish galleons are occasionally rewarded with the ultimate treasure: emeralds lost by the conquistadores long ago.

The gem is the birthstone of May and anniversary gemstones for the 20th and 46th years of marriage. Emerald is hankered for its distinctive appeal of the colour green, and this greenness is caused by the presence of chromium and vanadium. The gem belongs to the mineral group Beryl that is a chemical mixture of Beryllium Aluminium Silicate. It is generally colourless Crystals of emeralds grew long before human history in metamorphic rocks which usually restricts the size of emerald crystals making them rare in large sizes. It is highlighted from other gems with the help of its unique inclusions (means internal growth characteristics of the gem often seen as crystals and/or whitish cloudy areas), which gives it a touch of character and life. The gem with a history of spending centuries at the bottom of the ocean has a hardness of 7.5 to 8 and is known for its durability.

The word 'Emerald' sprouts from the Greek word 'smaragdos' which means green.

The gem in its finest form is found in Columbia, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt, Austria, USA, Norway and Zimbabwe. The latest entrant to the world of emerald is Zambia which has made a swift deep impression and all the more so for its vivid green colour. Another country that has also made its way into the field is Brazil and is said to produces the finest of emeralds, its mine Nova Era brings out top quality emeralds and today the nation is said to produce most number of emeralds in the world.

Features

Emerald known as the most well loved stone is used in rings, necklaces, bracelets, and pendants and is termed as a wonderful plus excellent birthday gift. Emerald possess the following features:

Cut

The cut of emerald has an effect on its shine and colour. The important part to be noted is that the gem should not be cut too deep or too shallow, and where there is a tossup between the two, the shallowness is preferred for its better saturation. Where its fissures and inclusions go too deep the gem might weaken and break, more so if it falls accidentally. The fissures and inclusions are traditionally filled with oil to lessen their impact. It is most often cut in a rectangular step-cut which is referred to by its popular term "emerald cut". And is said to look the most spectacular when cut in a smooth-domed cabochon cut. Smaller sizes are also found in rounds, ovals, pear shapes and marquise cuts. Where the gem has been cut exactingly and proportionately, it gives more light and colour to the eye and also looks more pleasing.

The gem is regarded as one of the most gemstones to cut due to the high value of the rough stone and the many inclusions found in crystals. Emeralds are cut in Jaipur, India and Telaviv, Israel and also in the mining countries.

Colour

Emerald is distinguished the most by its colour, which is best noticeable by hue, tone and saturation. Hue details the basic colour of the gem. The same of which is exemplified best by its pureness or slight hues of other colours in addition to the basic green colour.

Tone signifies the depth of the colour of the gem, which ranges from colourless to black. The tone is described as light or medium light or medium or medium-dark or dark.

Saturation is otherwise known as the purity of the colour of the gem. And this states the extent to which the gem is free from brown or grey hues. The most desirable gemstones, which reveal little grey or brown, are often described as having vivid or strong colour saturations.

The gem is found to most desirable in bright green colour and also when at the same time is free from inclusions.

Size

The carat weight of a gemstone does not necessarily lead to accurately envisage the size of the gemstone and different gemstones have different densities (mass per unit volume). So also do emerald and no two gems that appear to be the same size may actually have very different weights. For example, a ruby is denser than an emerald, so a 1-carat ruby will look smaller than a 1-carat emerald of the same dimensions

How to Keep the Gem Clean

There are some tips, which are a must to keep the gem clean and free from impurities. They are:

• It should be cleaned with only soft-dry cloth.
• Sudden changes in temperature should be avoided. Gem should not be exposed to household chemicals and ultrasonic jewellery cleaners.
• To get proper clarity, the gem should be irradiated.
• The gemstone should be stored in a case or a soft cloth to avoid the gems from touching each other or parts of other jewellery. Since the gems are harder than gold, silver and platinum and could starch the surfaces of other jewels if they are not kept separate.
• The gems would hold its sparkle where it is put by a person after the act of dressing and application of hair spray and makeup trivia. This should be done so to avoid damage to the gems.
• Emerald is treated with colourless oils such as linseed or cedar wood oils so as to soften and shore up the visible effect pf the inclusions. And it should not be cleaned with hot soapy water or steam. Nor should it be cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner since the oil could be removed or damaged thereby making the fissures more visible

Emerald is truly a marvel of a gem, hailed as the king of the greens it brings to the wearer the much required calmness to the eye and revs up the spirits.