Emerald Rings

Emerald Rings History

"Green Gemstone" is the translation from the Greek word 'smaragdos’. This is where the emerald gets her name. The emerald is a type of beryl – green beryl to be precise – whose color comes from chromium and vanadium. The emerald weighs in with a 7.5 – 8 on Mohs scale of hardness. Thursday is the emerald's day of the week and her wedding anniversary assignments are the 20th, the 35th and the 55th. The emerald is the birthstone of May – the month of spring when things are reborn and start to get green. The emerald and May are well matched.

In the Biblical book of Exodus, the emerald was mentioned in some quarters as being the stone on Aaron's breastplate that represents the tribe of Judah, Jacob's 4th son. Others say that the emerald stands for Levi, the 3rd born. It doesn't look like that discrepancy will be resolved, since there is evidence to support both arguments.

View our Entire Line of Emerald Rings  and Gemstone Rings.

The development of the gem cutting industry in Jaipur, India was presaged when the maharajahs began to have sacred texts inscribed on the emeralds, which had so enraptured them. The Mogul Emerald, at 217 carats one of the world's largest, was discovered in 1619. It is intricately engraved on both sides; sacred text on one, ornamental flowers on the other.

Sixteenth century Spanish explorers discovered emeralds among the treasures of the Incas and the Aztecs of Central and South America. Although emeralds are mined today in Zambia, Madagascar, Pakistan, India, Russia and even in the United States, the finest stones are still found in South America – notably, Colombia.

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