May Birthstone- The Precious Gem Emerald!

Emerald has been synonymous with the color green since ancient times. A fine emerald is a truly breathtaking sight, and this member of the beryl family is well deserving of its placement in the traditional “big four” gems along with sapphire, ruby, and diamond. Emerald is the birthstone for May and for commemorating the 20th and 35th wedding anniversaries.

Emerald is a medium or darker green to blue-green beryl gemstone, in which the green color is derived from impurities of chromium, vanadium, or a combination of both. Before 1963, the definition of emerald was limited to beryls with chromium impurities, but the discovery in Brazil of a large deposit of beryl stones colored green by vanadium led to modification. According to the modern definition, the purity and saturation of the green color of a beryl is what defines an emerald. However, in a situation similar to the division between pink sapphire and ruby, some chromium colored stones of light to medium-light green color are sometimes sold as emeralds though they could be considered green beryls.

Transparent emeralds are faceted into gem cuts for jewelry, and make one of the most popular jewelry gemstones. Emerald is very sensitive to pressure and banging, and the well-known emerald cut was developed specifically for this gem to reduce the amount of pressure during cutting. Translucent Emeralds are cut and polished into cabochons and beads, as are Trapiche Emeralds.

Buying an Emerald is much less technical than buying a diamond. Diamond’s are treasured for their brilliance while emeralds are loved for their color. Since it’s all about the color, you need to buy your emerald from that has high quality images of their stones. Shop @ Atwood Jewelers, 240 North Broadway, Salem NH 03079. Follow us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/AtwoodJewelers/and get updates on latest products.