Emerald: May’s Birthstone

Are you green with envy?

I am because emerald is not my birthstone. Don’t get me wrong, I love garnet, my birthstone; but emerald is the epitome.

Green is my favorite color. This is one of the reasons emeralds are high up in my “gemstone love” top ten.

Green is not the easiest color. Some hues are very bright and eye catching. Less is more with these hues- best to use as an accent color for accessories, fashion and decor.

I enjoyed reading color maven Barbara Jacob’s paint suggestion for a sage, wheat, and raspberry color combo, it sounds beautiful AND yummy.

Wearing green is a different story [or a horse of a different color]

Beware head to toe green- not an easy shade to pull off. Worse is the green on top and brown slacks – the fashion equivalent of the “tree” in a school play.

Of course it is effortless to wear green when it is bright, sparkles and set in gold.

Left is the original ring that John F. Kennedy presented to Jackie in 1953 and on the right is a reproduction of what the stone looked like when they had it reset in 1962.

Wikipedia color charts showed me all the shades green has to offer and the ones I am drawn to most are the springs, hunter, kelly, chartreuse and emerald.

For me emeralds are the perfect shade of green. They never stray, green always, vibrant and full of life- a color only “Mother Earth” can create.

Speaking of mothers – my mom says ” It’s not that I want emeralds, I need emeralds.” She treated herself to an emerald ring years ago and wears it everyday.

How about the “Emerald City?” Can anything be more exotic or alluring? What a memorable scene when Dorothy comes upon the poppy fields and looks ahead to the bright and towering city at the end of the yellow brick road!

The ‘Grotta dello Smeraldo’ (Emerald Grotto) is not a fictional place. Nestled in the Amalfi Coast it is a true natural phenomenon rivaling Emerald City!

In my new issue of “In Style,” Vincent Longo’s liquid eyeliner in “Emerald” looks amazing on Selma Blair’s big brown eyes.

I got caught up in the way the “color” emerald is so striking. Back to emeralds – the stone….

It is a true gemstone, by definition not a semi-precious. Most emeralds carat for carat are more valuable then diamonds.

Cleopatra was a huge fan. The earliest known discovery was in Egypt near the Red Sea and the mines were named after her.

The best emeralds, however; are from South America. The early mines of the Aztecs and Incas are stilled bearing the most beautiful gems on the market today.

The only thing “wrong” with emeralds are the imperfections. It is far from a “perfect” stone- another reason why I love them so much. Past it’s faceted exterior lies many fractures and fissures. The French word for garden- “jardin” is how these crystallized striations are described- the natural “foliage” within the stone.

These inclusions make the emerald very hard to work with- cutting and setting can be catastrophic. Be careful when thinking of resetting an old stone, discuss with your jeweler the possibility of it cracking.

Green is the color of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

It is the color most representative of life, springtime and eternal love. A fresh vivid color that is soothing and harmonious. Wouldn’t it be soothing to put emerald studs in your ears? I know I would feel in harmony with nature sliding an emerald ring on my finger.

Are you like my mom and “need” emeralds? I am!

Sources:

• International Colored Gemstone Association…
• Green horse painting by Susana Arias…
• Picture of the Jackie Kennedy and rings from Wedding Bee…
• Picture of Emerald Grotto from Cassiopea-Positano…
• Painting of Cleopatra from Alibaba…