Birthstones
Emerald
The colour of nature, emeralds have been said to signify faithfulness, unity and love. The most valuable emeralds are a beautiful deep green colour. As part of the beryl family, are emeralds have quite a high hardness rating, but they are susceptible to damage due to the fact that they are often quite highly included, featuring tiny fractures. Fine fractures in emeralds – unlike in diamonds – do not necessarily diminish the value of an emerald; a deep, lively green emerald will be worth more than an emerald with a paler hue.
The Incas and Aztecs of South America regarded the emerald as a holy gemstone, and some of the most rare emeralds come from emerald mining areas in Colombia, namely Muzo, Coscuez, and Chivor. The oldest known finds were once made near the Red Sea in Egypt in deposits later known as Cleopatra’s Mines, though these are now exhausted. Fine emeralds are now found in Zambia, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Russia. Zambia, Zimbabwe and Brazil.
To ensure that your birthstones stay looking as beautiful as ever, follow the Annoushka jewellery guide to Jewellery Care Gemstones >
