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 - Demantoid

Demantoid means "diamond like" in Dutch. It is called that because although it is softer than a diamond it has a higher dispersion, so it flashes a rainbow of color when light hits it. This green gem is a variety of andradite and a member of the garnet family. Demantoid ranges from intense green to yellow green. Under a microscope, demantoid has what are called horse tails - wisps of long, golden, fiber-like inclusions that radiate from a central point. Demantoid was discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1868. Tiffany and Company bought up a bunch of it and marketed it as a cheaper alternative to emerald. It adorned much Victorian jewelry crafted between 1895 to 1915. The supply of demantoid has dwindled making it a prized collector's stone. Recently discovered in Namibia have slightly boosted the availability. Demantoid joins the garnet group in that it is a birthstone for January. It has a hardness of 6.5 - 7 on the Mohs Scale of hardness. It's toughness is considered fair to good. Extreme changes in temperature may cause this stone to fracture. Also, hydrofluoric acid will attack this gem. Ultrasonic cleaning is usually safe unless the stone contains liquid inclusions. Never steam clean this stone. The safest way to clean the stone is with warm and soapy water. Some alternatives include emerald, green sapphire, green zircon, peridot, tourmaline, and tsavorite garnet.

According to the ancient Jewish text the Talmud, a garnet provided the only source of light on Noah's Ark. Garnet jewelry has been found in Egyptian, Greek and Roman ruins. Some Asiatic tribes fashioned garnets into bullets believing that they would be more lethal than lead bullets. Garnet is also believed to protect its wearer from evil and disaster. The word garnet comes from a Latin word meaning pomegranate. Demantoid Garnet's are said to enhance creativity, understanding, and to help to bring success to business matters. Physically they are said to fight infectious diseases, blood poisonings, and heart and lung diseases.

Gemstones - Background and Lore - Aquamarine

Aquamarine's clear sea blue is reflected in its name, which is Latin for "sea water". Sages from times ago thought water touched by aquamarine would heal afflictions of the eyes and lungs. It was also believed that the wearer of aquamarine was given foresight and heightened insight.

Aquamarine crystals can grow to be quite large. They tend to have very good clarity too. The color ranges from greenish blue to blue green in light tones. The color tends to be more intense in larger stones.

Brazil supplies most of the aquamarine these days, but it also originates in Australia, China, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, US, and Zambia.

Aquamarine is the March birthstone. It is also known as the stone of courage. It accelerated the intellectual reasoning process and makes one unstoppable through learning - not only of the teachings of the past and present, but of oneself. According to legend, it has origin in the treasure chests of mermaids, and is considered good luck for sailors.

Aquamarine has a hardness of 7.5-8 on the Moh's Scale of Hardness, and it has good toughness. It is not recommended to expose the aquamarine to heat, but it is stable when exposed to light. Aquamarine does not tolerate exposure to hydrofluoric acid.

Aquamarines are routinely heat treated to remove yellow, resulting in a purer blue color.

To clean your aquamarine, ultrasonic cleaning and steam cleaning are usually safe as long as there are no feathers or liquid inclusions in the stone. The safest way to clean the stone is with warm, soapy water.

Some alternatives to aquamarine are blue topaz, sapphire, spinel, tanzanite, and tourmaline.

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