Gemstones - Background and Lore - Emerald

The emerald's lush green has soothed souls and excited imaginations for a long time. It's name comes from the Greek word for green, "smaragdus". It was said to be good for the eyes as it is so soothing to look at. The first emeralds were mined in Egypt dating back to 330 B.C. Cleopatra was known to have a passion for emeralds and used them in her royal adornments. Emeralds from what is now Colombia were part of the plunder when sixteen-century Spanish explorers invaded the New World. Emerald is often mined and sold under peril - the natural resource Colombians cherish is also coveted by underworld drug traders. The availability of fine-quality emerald is limited, and emerald was plagued in the late 1990's by negative publicity about treatments used to improve its clarity. Emerald is the most famous member of the beryl family. Legend gave it the power to make its wearer more intelligent and quick-witted. It was once also believed to cure diseases like cholera and malaria. Its color reflects new spring growth, which makes it the perfect choice of a birthstone for the month of May. It's also the gemstone for the 20th and 35th wedding anniversary. It can be found in Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It is rated as a 7.5-8 on the Moh's Scale of hardness and the toughness is poor to good. Heat may cause the stone to fracture. Fracture fillings may dry out or alter under intense light. They may also be affected by any type of chemical. Emerald itself is resistant to all acids except hydrofluoric. Some emeralds are commonly fracture filled. This improves clarity, but it is not permanent. Some emeralds are dyed to improve color. This is rarely done and is not permanent. And sometimes a light colored beryl is coated with green plastic to appear to be an emerald. This is rare and is fraudulent if being represented as a true emerald. Emeralds should never be steam cleaned or ultrasonically cleaned. Warm soap and water is the best method, but you should avoid vigorous scrubbing. Some said emeralds would heal if simply worn, others said gaining help required gazing deeply into the green for a while. In every language, there were reports of the emerald helping eyesight. The Sumerians said that if an emerald was worn in a ring on the little finger of the left hand, it would cure inflammation of the eyes. During the time of Hippocrates, emeralds were crushed into a fine powder and made into an eye lotion. Some alternatives for an emerald include alexandrite, demantoid garnet, diopside, jadeite, peridot, sapphire, tourmaline, tsavorite garnet, and zircon.

Gemstones - Background and Lore - Alexandrite

Alexandrite - is a rare chrysoberyl variety with color change qualities. In daylight or fluorescent light, it is green in color, and in incandescent light, it is brownish or purplish red. It is sometimes referred to as "emerald by day, ruby by night."

Alexandrite deposits were first discovered in 1830 in the Ural Mountains of Russia. And so the gem was named after the young Czar Alexander II. The deposits in Russia eventually ran out and now alexandrite is found in Sri Lanka, East Africa, and Brazil. The newer deposits contain high quality stones, but many lack the intense color change of the Russian variety. They remain the quality standard for the stone.

Because Alexandrite is scarce, it is a relatively expensive stone in the chrysoberyl family.

Alexandrite is the birthstone for June. It is also the stone for the 45th and 55th anniversary. It's hardness rates an 8.5 on the Mohs Scale, and it's toughness is considered excellent. The Alexandrite stands up to heat, light, and chemicals. It is usually safe to clean alexandrite with an ultrasonic cleaner or steam cleaner, but warm soapy water is best.

There are less expensive alternatives for those of you that would like a color changing stone. Colro change garnets and color change sapphires are good options as well as synthetic color change spinels.

Alexandrite is considered the stone of good omen. Alexandrite can assist one in centering the self, reinforcing self-esteem, and increases ones ability to experience joy.

And for you astrology buffs, Alexandrite is associated with the planet Mercury -- the trickster. Alexandrite´s ability to change color and its obviously dual nature is further associated with the zodiac sign of Gemini, which is a sign ruled by Mercury. The association with the sign of Gemini means that Alexandrite has a connection with the month of June as this sign covering the period between 21st May and 21st June. In Russia, Alexandrite is associated with the month of August, and it´s zodiac sign Leo is related to royalty. As Mercury is associated with air, alexandrite is an air stone and so connected to the throat chakra. But, because of its duality in color, it has also been associated with the heart, the solar plexus, and the crown chakra.

Apart from astrology, green is the color of revival, hope, prosperity, rest, peace, calm, and fertility where as red is the color of blood, energy, activity, self-expression, power, aggression, and passion. This combination means that alexandrite is a symbol of love and jealousy at the same time. In its daytime appearance, it corresponds to luck and good fortune and at night, its appearance it is more closely associated with love. Some believe that an alexandrite in hand can help clarify doubts about love and marriage.

Alexandrite is the stone of duality. Green or red, good luck or misfortune, the significance is interpretive and related to the social and historical context of the time and the culture. Forever changing its colors, alexandrite is a magical gemstone with universal appeal that continues to fascinate and be admired by astrologers, scientists, and gem lovers throughout the world.

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