The precious green emerald, which has gained popularity, is known for its healing and magical properties. Since ancient times, the stone has served as decoration and a talisman that influences a person’s fate. Rings and rings, which are still popular today, were especially loved. It is believed that the emerald should be worn on the little finger, but the ring can be worn on any finger. It’s just that the mystical and healing abilities of the crystal manifest themselves in different ways.
Varieties and colors
The color of natural emerald varies from light green to dark green. Depending on the place of extraction, the following types of mineral are distinguished:
- Colombian is a hexagonal stone, has a minimal number of defects and has a grassy color;
- Zambian - the mineral has a rich green tint with a blue or yellow tint;
- Zimbabwean - valued by jewelers due to its memorable yellow-green color;
- Brazilian - a light green stone, more transparent in comparison with the Colombian gem;
- South African - a cloudy mineral, most often sold in the form of a cabochon;
- Ural is an opaque stone of large size and bright green color - its shade is due to the high content of chromium and iron.
Note! There are no blue or red emeralds - they are man-made or beryl.
When evaluating a gem, its color is first taken into account: rich green minerals, even with defects, are most valued. Light and perfectly transparent emeralds are valued much cheaper.
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Emerald is one of the varieties of beryl - beryllium and aluminum silicate Be3Al2(SiO3)6. Pure beryl is colorless, and only inclusions such as chromium, vanadium or iron determine the beauty of the emerald color. Many green stones, after gemological examination, turn out to be not emeralds at all, but tourmalines, chrysolites or demantoids. By the way, the listed stones are also worthy of admiration.
The word “emerald” comes from the Greek “smaragd” and means “green stone”. The color green has always been the personification of life and beauty for many peoples. In ancient Rome, this color was the color of the gods. “Green color pleases the eye without getting tired.” You can be convinced of this - if you look and look at the emerald, it evokes the most pleasant emotions and has a calming effect. The standard for the best emerald color is the Colombian emerald color. But we all perceive beauty differently, and even more so color. Therefore, many people like emeralds from Zambia, Afghanistan, Russia, Madagascar, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India or other countries.
Emerald of excellent quality and color can be found in any deposit on our planet. Depending on the deposit, emeralds differ not only in color, but also in physical properties. And this difference affects their price.
The color in the stone is most often distributed unevenly. The sparkle of the crystal is glass. Emerald is a transparent stone and fragile. A high degree of transparency is a sign of high quality.
Emerald, like other gemstones, has inclusions that are not always considered defects, but sometimes they create a hazy appearance on the stone. For example, Brazilian emeralds, which have various inclusions, of all mined ones, about 80% cannot be cut.
Emerald without inclusions is very rare, and the price for them is also rare. But at the same time, when purchasing, you need to know that synthetic emeralds will certainly not have inclusions. However, there may be another option, when various defects are deliberately created in synthetic emerald. What is this for? Figure it out for yourself. Therefore, you need to buy emeralds from a reputable company, in whose honesty you are firmly confident, where your jewelry can undergo an examination and have a certificate for it.
It is very difficult to find pure and high quality emeralds. Most often, such an emerald will be found among Colombian ones. These emeralds, even with visible inclusions, are very expensive. By the way, there are about 150 deposits in Colombia, not all of which are used. The most developed ones are Muzo and Chivor, where emerald mining began during the time of the Incas. But today the Coscuez field operates more efficiently.
Colombia produces emeralds with the cat's eye effect, as well as trapiche emeralds. The latest emeralds have a characteristic six dark rays, which is associated with carbon impurities.
Colombian emeralds account for about 90% of the jewelry market. However, excellent stones are found in many places on our planet - in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Brazil, India, Afghanistan, Russia and many other countries. For the most part, all countries that can be considered suppliers of the highest quality emeralds have an extremely difficult political situation.
Due to its sensitivity to impact, a special cut was developed for emerald - a step cut, in which four corners are cut off. This cut was called “emerald”.
When cutting emeralds, jewelers leave the top surface flat, giving it the shape of a polygon, and the side faces - the shape of a trapezoid or triangles. The edges are placed one below the other. This type of cut adds beauty to the stone, advantageously represents the color of the stone and at the same time protects it from damage.
In nature, it is almost impossible to find an emerald crystal that is equally colored over its entire surface, and even without cracks. Therefore, the most ideal crystal is one in which damage and color unevenness are invisible to the eye.
If there are various inclusions in the crystal, they may cause a crack. Cabochons are usually made from such crystals. Whatever the type of cut, if it was done by a great master, it will enhance the beauty of the color of the stone. An emerald cutter must be a high-class craftsman.
Therefore, if you have purchased a stone and plan to set it in a piece of jewelry, you should find such a craftsman. After all, a cut emerald can be damaged when setting due to the presence of internal cracks or other defects that are not visually noticeable. When cutting, experienced craftsmen try to minimize the influence of inclusions and achieve the best proportions. But, as already mentioned, for the sake of the beauty of the emerald’s radiance, the weight of the stone is lost. And it turns out it's not just weight.
Conveying the beauty of an emerald is not at all easy; sometimes you have to sacrifice not only carats, but also the unevenness of the surface of the cut crystal. It turns out that the deep color of an emerald is concentrated on the edges of the crystal and on its surface, in other words, the color is unevenly distributed throughout the crystal. Therefore, if a cutter brings a crystal to an ideal shape, there may be a loss in color, that is, beauty.
It turns out that emerald is not a simple stone at all, but a very capricious one. And it is difficult to mine, and great dangers await those who get into the jewelry business, and it is not easy to cut it.
And this is not all the concern in order to enhance and preserve the beauty of the stone. Even in Ancient Egypt, people learned to use various vegetable oils, namely those with a green extract, to coat emerald crystals. This was done so that the oil would penetrate into the cracks and fill them, thereby enhancing the color of the stone.
Nowadays, jewelry technology uses the experience of the ancient Egyptians, but with modern technologies and special equipment. So almost all emeralds in jewelry contain impurities of vegetable oils or their synthetic analogues.
Useful properties of emeralds. Emerald products can absorb negative energy, aggression and despondency. They bring good luck and prosperity to respectable people and change their character for the better. Thus, wearing jewelry makes unbalanced and hot-tempered people calmer.
The healing properties of silver jewelry with emeralds are also widely known. They are good for the cardiovascular system, have a beneficial effect on the organs of vision and effectively treat headaches. For people suffering from chronic fatigue, products can give vigor, efficiency and clarity of mind. Decorations can disinfect water, giving it beneficial properties.
Silver products with emeralds are recognized as guardians of tender feelings. If the owner of the jewelry has love in his heart, then the stone becomes brighter and more saturated. With the fading of feelings, color may also fade. In case of betrayal, the stone in the product may not only darken, but even split.
People have always believed in the magical properties of emerald. It was difficult for them to imagine that a stone of such amazing beauty could be ordinary. Some still believe in them today. Thus, lithotherapists claim that regularly wearing this stone can save a person from nightmares, fears, and inexplicable and unmotivated panic attacks. Looking at it, you can relieve stress and nervous tension.
It is even more useful for people who are accustomed to relying on their intuition, their “sixth sense.” It will help them strengthen it, understand people better, understand the reasons for their behavior, and predict it.
Another interesting property of emerald is related to its energy. It is believed that it is so positive and strong that it can influence the person wearing this stone, making him a better person, more calm and reasonable.
Crown of the Queen of Norway
Emeralds and celebrities
Since ancient times, emeralds have been considered one of the most desirable precious stones for women. Jewelry with emeralds can still be seen today on representatives of royal families, famous Hollywood actresses and influential business women. Modern technologies for processing and cutting emeralds make it possible to create real masterpieces of jewelry, which are displayed with great pleasure and pride by socialites and movie stars.
At the 2009 Oscars, Angelina Jolie stunned with a dazzling 65-carat emerald ring and a pair of 115-carat pear-shaped emerald earrings. This set was decorated with five large Colombian emeralds, worth a total of 2.5 million dollars.
Emeralds of the famous actress Elizabeth Taylor
In 2010, at the prestigious Golden Globe Awards, Julianne Moore showed the public stunning earrings with emeralds, which impressed some experts even more than Angelina Jolie’s jewelry.
Marlene Dietrich said: “The best stone for a blonde is emerald.” And we will add that any woman, regardless of hair and skin color, will look amazing in emerald jewelry. The main thing is to choose the right image...
What to wear with emerald jewelry
— jewelry harmonizes well with evening dresses and cocktail dresses. They will look out of place with casual and business clothes;
- It is not advisable to wear emerald jewelry with green clothes. The emerald will be lost against such a background. He must play a separate part;
— the stone does not like being next to red or colorful clothes. Ideal to combine with things in white, beige, black colors;
— among fabrics you should prefer silk, satin, velvet. Do not wear emerald jewelry with clothes made of cotton or knitwear;
— you don’t need to wear all the jewelry with emeralds at the same time. Choose one or two decorations. It would be enough;
— emeralds look very beautiful on tanned skin;
— emeralds are not worn every day. They are intended for an evening out;
— jewelry with large stones should only be worn for special occasions. For dinner with friends or a date, you can wear a thin ring, small earrings with small emerald stones.
How to clean and store emerald jewelry
Under no circumstances should you wash emerald jewelry with aggressive agents. Cleaning emerald using ultrasonic cleaning devices is even more contraindicated. Due to possible cracks, even invisible to the eye, high-frequency vibrations can split or even crumble an emerald.
It is best to clean an emerald item with a jeweler using special cleaning products. Or, when buying an emerald, immediately buy such products. Treat emerald with care. Put it on after you have already applied cosmetics and perfumes. If you have an emerald ring, remove the ring before using hand cream. Remember that even these means of decorating us can spoil the emerald.
Another caution is how to store this delightful crystal. Emerald is easily scratched and should not be stored together with other stones that may scratch it. It is best to store emerald jewelry in a separate box on velvet.
Emerald is a beautiful and all-time favorite jewelry stone. The enchanting shine and deep green of an emerald can bewitch so much that it will be useless to resist the desire to buy it...
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Medicinal properties
Healing properties of emerald:
- normalization of blood pressure indicators;
- relief from severe headaches;
- stabilization of hormonal levels, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system;
- improvement during seasonal allergies;
- smoothing the menstrual cycle, reducing pain during menstrual periods and eliminating mood swings.
Regularly wearing jewelry with emeralds will help get rid of arthritis and arthrosis, as well as normalize the functioning of the nervous system. Applying pebbles to your eyelids for 10-15 minutes every day will help improve your vision.
Important! The gem has a bactericidal effect. If you place it in a glass of water overnight, you can drink the infused liquid in the morning or wash your face with it to eliminate skin diseases. An uncut stone has a greater healing effect on the owner’s body.
Content
- What are the features of emeralds?
- The magical qualities of emeralds
- Which zodiac signs is the stone suitable for?
- Colors of natural emeralds
- Popular shapes and cuts of emeralds
- How to identify a quality emerald
- Types of rings with emeralds:
- with emerald and diamond
- men's
- engagement
- white gold
Magic properties
Emerald is valued by esotericists and magicians due to its magical properties:
- reveals the gift of foresight, helps to see prophetic dreams;
- harmonizes spiritual and physical condition, eliminates negative energy;
- relieves bad thoughts, protects against depression and conflicts;
- protects the family from damage and gossip, strengthens feelings between spouses;
- protects during travel or extreme recreation;
- enhances creativity and activates inspiration;
- attracts good luck, helps to achieve success in all endeavors.
Care.
Emeralds, especially those set in rings, require special care and precautions. Due to their fragility, they are not intended for everyday wear. Most have tiny natural cracks that make them vulnerable to chipping and breaking; The less contact with the stone, the better.
Never wash your hands or apply lotion while wearing jewelry as this may damage the stone and may dull its color.
Always put it on last after you've applied your makeup, styled your hair, and gotten dressed.
Even small stains can potentially damage the stone. While it's ideal for formal occasions, wearing emeralds elsewhere is risky, so think carefully about where you'll be wearing them.
Let yourself sparkle and shine without worrying about damaging your beautiful gemstone.
Emerald and zodiac signs
According to the horoscope, emerald affects each zodiac sign differently.
Change
Element | Sign | Characteristic |
Fire | Aries | It will strengthen the desire to develop in business terms, which will be noticed by management and will lead to long-awaited promotion. |
a lion | It will improve your health and protect you from problems on the road. | |
Earth | Capricorn | It will protect you from conflict situations in the work team and help you establish relationships with long-time relatives. |
Taurus | It will attract bright, unforgettable emotions into life, strengthen intuition, develop memory, and teach you not to give up on the path to your goal. | |
Virgo | It will channel the owner’s excess energy into the right direction, which will lead to monetary profit and recognition from superiors. | |
Air | Scales | It will get rid of laziness and make the owner more sociable and hospitable. |
Aquarius | It will teach you to appreciate true life values and put family first. | |
Twins | It will replace excessive hot temper with composure, teach you to make wise decisions even in emergency situations, improve concentration, and improve relationships with people around you. | |
Water | Cancer | It will bring peace to life, give confidence in one’s own abilities, and help identify true friends. |
Fish | It will protect you from attacks from colleagues, improve relationships in your family and close circle. |
Those who are definitely not suitable for emerald amulets according to their zodiac sign are Scorpio and Sagittarius, since in the lives of representatives of these signs the stone does not exhibit positive properties, but, on the contrary, increases a person’s aggression.
Important! You should not focus on zodiac compatibility with the stone. If after touching a gem you feel warmth and peace, you can safely purchase it.
The meaning of emerald in Feng Shui culture
Chinese philosophical teaching has a special attitude towards the stone, if only for its jade hue, which is considered sacred in the Celestial Empire. It symbolizes nature, absolute harmony with the surrounding world and achieving emotional balance. Here are just a few striking examples of how the importance of the mineral in the life of the owner is explained:
- The gem allows you to reveal your inner compassion for other people. Energy resists innate egoism, facilitates understanding of the problems of loved ones, and gives consolation to the suffering soul. This is the matter of generosity and mercy.
- The darker the crystal, the more strongly it is charged with the power of the Tree - one of the five pillars of Feng Shui. On the one hand, it attracts material wealth and success in business endeavors. The other reveals creative growth, hidden talents to create.
- The green color itself is the embodiment of the eastern side of the world, so the teaching strictly prohibits storing jewelry in the northern or western rooms of the house. They are antagonists, harboring the mundane needs of man.
- Finally, jade shades accompany the feminine Yin principle. It bestows receptivity and, according to yoga, reveals the Anahata heart chakra to the world. Therefore, the stone is recommended to be worn more often by the fair half of humanity.
Important: Feng Shui is sensitive to jewelry as a gift. Green gems cannot be presented as gifts for birthdays or public celebrations. But giving jewelry from the bottom of your heart as payment for services or as a gift to a sick person for recovery is the best step.
Compatibility with other stones
The gem belongs to the element of air and is not recommended to be worn together with the following water stones:
- topaz;
- opal;
- alexandrite;
- pearls
Of the gems of its element, emerald is least combined with amethyst: when worn together, these stones reduce the beneficial properties of each other. It is best to wear the green precious mineral along with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and peridots.
Before the purchase.
Before purchasing an emerald, make sure it is set in a bezel. This type of frame will protect it from accidental breakage.
Next, consider the type of accent stones used. Diamonds or white sapphires greatly enhance the natural beauty of the emerald and will protect it from side impacts.
Finally, it is important to ask your jeweler whether the emeralds have been smudged. Most emeralds are embedded in colorless oil or resin. Stones that have been treated with colored oils or epoxy resins are not as valuable.
How to wear and care
Mature women are recommended to choose jewelry framed in gold, and girls - in silver. To get the maximum effect, you should wear a set of earrings, a necklace and a ring with emeralds. Rings are worn on the little finger; single people should put them on the ring finger - this will positively change their personal life in the near future.
With frequent migraines, girls should give preference to earrings with gems, and men - pendants or bracelets. Emerald is highly durable and difficult to damage, but this gem still needs proper care:
- It is recommended to remove the jewelry while doing household chores: the stone does not react well to chemicals;
- wear jewelry after applying makeup: cosmetics negatively affect the condition of the mineral;
- Store emeralds in a cool, dark place and in a separate box or bag made of soft fabric.
The amulet with these stones should be cleaned with a mild soap solution, and any remaining moisture should be removed with a napkin. For maximum protection, jewelers recommend applying a special protective layer to the surface of the emerald: it will significantly extend the life of the product.
Who wears emeralds more often - men or women?
If no questions arise about the shades, then gender reveals an abyss of disputes that have lasted for centuries. Each country or world region has developed its own tradition and etiquette standards, hence the completely different associations. For example, conservative Greeks are sure that emerald is 100% a masculine stone, and that it is inappropriate for ladies to wear it.
The Arab-Eastern world, on the contrary, attributes green crystals to the divine power, the bearer of which is a woman. Moreover, in the Middle East, it is customary to give emerald jewelry to the bride on her wedding day. It is believed that they will protect the future wife from the evil eye, and when she becomes pregnant, such an amulet will help to bear and give birth to a healthy child.
The Russian tradition of wearing items with emerald dates back to the era of Ivan the Terrible; there are even memories of the autocrat who admired the overseas stone and believed that it would protect the owner from all sorts of evil. True, only those close to the royal throne could afford to buy such luxury - the boyars themselves or their beautiful wives.
How to spot a fake
Characteristics by which you can distinguish a counterfeit product from the original:
- Color. Emeralds have a rich green hue. If it is too light, you have beryl. A strong shine indicates a fake.
- Edges. A natural emerald has clearly defined and sharp edges; smoothed corners mean it is fake.
- Dichroism. When turned in different directions, the gem has a golden or blue tint; fake jewelry does not change color.
- Structure. The mineral has a uniform structure; large stones may have small cracks or inclusions on the surface. A layered structure is inherent in a low-quality product.
- Ultraviolet. Emeralds in most cases do not react to direct exposure to ultraviolet rays, and synthetic crystals develop an orange glow.
- Natural emerald does not change its color after prolonged exposure to water or direct sunlight.
- Peridots or evening emeralds turn yellow during the daytime and turn green under artificial light.
On sale you can find a mixed stone: in such a product, a thin plate of emerald is glued on top of a cheaper mineral. Such an imitation is revealed with the help of a magnifying glass: by examining the mineral from the sides, you can see the gluing line.
Emeralds are often treated with special resins to give them a more refined appearance. By washing such a mineral with water with the addition of washing powder, you can identify the real type of gem.
Regular use of a talisman with a gem for several months will help get rid of accumulated aggression and negativity. If the owner of an emerald is involved in scams, has bad habits, is unfaithful to his significant other, or often lies, the stone will have a negative impact on his life and lead him down the wrong road.
How to choose the right emerald ring
The authenticity of the stone is the main selection criterion. You should make purchases only in trusted stores that can confirm the quality with appropriate certificates. As for the shape of the jewelry, the size of the stone and other characteristics, it all depends on who the jewelry is intended for:
- if a girl has short fingers, preference should be given to rings with inserts in the shape of a pear or a drop;
- for chubby fingers, rings with asymmetry are suitable;
- if a girl has wide hands, choose rings with oval-cut emeralds;
- girls with short fingers should wear rings with small gems.
What to look for when choosing
Under the guise of emerald, synthetic stones, doublets and triplets, as well as imitations can be inlaid into rings. High-quality imitation stones, grown in a laboratory using a geothermal synthesis process, have properties comparable to natural emeralds. However, stones of natural origin are of great value - they do not deteriorate when exposed to sunlight and are not susceptible to scratches.
· In ultraviolet rays, real emeralds acquire a brownish-red hue. But this method will not help identify imitation stones, since they also glow under the influence of UV rays.
· Duplexes and triplexes, consisting of several stones, can be distinguished by inclusions at the gluing points. Natural emeralds are not layered.
· When viewed from different angles, the emerald has a green-blue color; sometimes golden shades can be visible.
· The authenticity of high-quality large-sized emeralds is necessarily confirmed by gemological certificates.
· Inside natural stones there are cloudiness and inclusions: scratches, abrasions, microcracks.