Emerald

Emerald is a precious gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale. Most emeralds are highly included, so their toughness (resistance to breakage) is classified as generally poor. Emerald is a cyclosilicate.

History[edit | edit source]

The word "emerald" is derived (via Old French: esmeraude and Middle English: emeraude), from Vulgar Latin: esmaralda/esmaraldus, a variant of Latin smaragdus, which originated in Greek: σμάραγδος (smaragdos; "green gem").

Emeralds, like all colored gemstones, are graded using four basic parameters–the four Cs of Connoisseurship: Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat weight. Before the 20th century, jewelers used the term water, as in "a gem of the finest water", to express the combination of two qualities: color and clarity.

Sources[edit | edit source]

Emeralds are found all over the world, including Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan and Zambia. The value of the emerald depends on many factors and can vary greatly. For example, a high-quality emerald will also be highly transparent, meaning it does not have any cloudiness and is clear to see through.

Emeralds in antiquity[edit | edit source]

Emeralds were used as jewelry in antiquity and were mined by the Egyptians. There are also many myths surrounding emeralds in different cultures.

Emeralds in the modern era[edit | edit source]

Today, emeralds are used in a variety of ways. They are often used in jewelry, but are also used in certain types of industrial applications.

References[edit | edit source]

Emerald Resources
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