Together with diamonds, rubies and sapphires, emeralds belong to the ‘big four’ of the rarest natural gemstones. Their characteristic green colour is also hidden in their name, which comes from the French word émeraude (or Greek smaragdos), meaning a green gemstone.
Read on and find out more about this beautiful gemstone. We’ll also give you advice on how to wear it.
Where do emeralds come from and what you should know about them
Most emeralds are mined in Colombia but there are also other deposits in Brazil as well as some African countries. The largest emerald found so far comes from Brazil and is called Bahía. It weighs an unimaginable 752 lbs. and is worth approximately $400 million.
Jewellery designers advise that emeralds are relatively fragile stones that typically contain cracks and inclusions and thus require special care and attention. You should therefore save your emerald pendant or other emerald jewellery for special occasions and keep it safely hidden in a jewellery box when you are not wearing it.
Due to the great popularity of emeralds, jewellers have also developed a special type of cut for them called the emerald cut. It’s a rectangle or square with the corners cut – the ideal shape to highlight an emerald’s exceptional qualities as well as to prevent damage to it.
What occasions is emerald jewellery suitable for
It probably comes as no surprise that emerald earrings beautifully accentuate the green colour of eyes and make them stand out. Overall, these gemstones also go well with darker hair and outfits that complement their unmistakable colour. This could even be a wedding dress – an emerald jewellery set combined with white will look unique and luxurious.
If you want to buy a woman an emerald ring as a gift, the ideal occasion would be for example a 20th or a 35th wedding anniversary. But of course, you don’t have to wait just for these two relationship milestones. Emerald jewellery is also perfect as a birthday present, especially in May, which is the month that this green stone belongs to according to birthstones. And your beloved certainly wouldn’t reject it at Christmas either while emerald jewellery will also no doubt come in handy in the upcoming prom season.
How to enjoy emeralds to their fullest
Lastly, it’s worth adding that you can also think of emerald jewellery as a good investment, since the price of emeralds is expected to rise in the future. Between 2013 and 2017 alone, the price rose by 131%. However you should always choose trustworthy dealers to purchase the jewellery from and ask for a certificate of authenticity to ensure that you are buying a real emerald.
And be sure to avoid any temperature shocks when wearing emeralds – such as washing your hands with hot water while wearing a gold emerald ring. This will keep your jewellery beautiful for a long time so that it will bring you joy every time you take it out of the jewellery box.
