May’s Birthstone: Emerald
20 September 2006Ok today class we are going to learn about May’s birthstone: Emerald. My witty observations are in green. The article is from Wikipedia.
“Emerald (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) is a variety of the mineral beryl, colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes iron. It is highly prized as a gemstone and by weight is the most valuable gemstone in the world, although it is often made less so by inclusions, which all emeralds have to some degree.”
Iron & Chromium are my friends, inclusions aren’t. All emeralds have inclusions, this is the only gemstone that the industry accepts eye visible inclusions as an industry standard. That wasn’t in the article, it’s just some useless stuff I know. Oh yeah emeralds are also the most valuable gemstone, bet you thought it was diamonds huh? It’s ok, don’t feel bad, most people do.
“Beryl has a hardness of 7.5 on the 10 point Mohs scale of hardness. However, this Mohs rating can decrease, depending on the number and severity of inclusions in a particular stone. Most emeralds are oiled as part of the post lapidary process. The amount of oil entering an emerald microfissure is roughly equivalent to the size of a period in print. Emeralds come in many shades of green and bluish green. There is a wide spectrum of clarity, along with various numbers of inclusions. Most emeralds are highly included, so it is quite rare to find an emerald with only minor inclusions.”
Emeralds are green.
“Emerald is a rare and valuable gemstone and, as such, it has provided the incentive for developing synthetic emeralds. Both hydrothermal and flux-growth synthetics have been produced and a method has been developed for producing an emerald overgrowth on colorless beryl. Flux-grown synthetic emeralds fluoresce a dull red with long wave UV light, due to an indicator added during the process of synthesizing the emerald, whereas natural specimens do not. Synthetic emeralds are often referred to as “created”, as their chemical and gemological composition is exactly same as its natural counterparts. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has very strict regulations as to what can and what can not be called “synthetic” stone. The FTC says: “…[created stone must have] essentially the same optical, physical, and chemical properties as the stone named.”[1] Furthermore, all natural emeralds, with the exception of the red Bixbite beryls from Utah which are anhydrous, have water inclusions, as emerald is of hydrothermal origin. Flux synthetic emeralds have no water, an integral part of any natural beryl (this also accounts for flux-grown emeralds being more stable when subjected to high temperatures). Hydrothermally-grown emeralds, however, contain water molecules. Wispy veil-like inclusions are common in flux-grown synthetic emeralds.”
I’m not a big fan of synthetic stones, but if I was going to buy one it would be an Emerald because they are so much better looking than the heavily included, cloudy emeralds that are in my price range. I’d much rather own a beautiful chrome diopside which most people mistake for an emerald, or marry into money.
“The Gachala Emerald is one of the largest emeralds in the world at 858 carats. This stone was found in 1967 at La Vega de San Juan mine in Gachalá, Colombia.”
If anyone wants to buy this for me as a birthday present sometime, I’d accept it.
“Emerald is regarded as the traditional birthstone for May, as well as the traditional gemstone for the astrological signs of Cancer and Taurus. According to legend, the emerald has the power to protect the chastity of the wearer and to ward off evil spirits. Furthermore, it was believed to cure epilepsy and dysentery, and to aid weak eyesight.”
That almost makes being sick worth it. Forget glasses, I need emeralds.
”The Emerald is also a symbol of Pride. According to Rebbenu Bachya, the Hebrew word “Nofech” in Exodus 28:18 means “Emerald”, and was the stone on the Ephod representing the tribe of Judah. According to other commentaries, “Nofech” means “garnet”, and another stone, the “Bareqet”, representing the tribe of Levi, is thought to be the emerald.”
People don’t know what “Nofech” means.
“In some cultures, the emerald is the traditional gift for the 55th wedding anniversary. It is also used as a 20th and 35th wedding anniversary stone.”
That makes staying married for long periods of time almost worth it.
