May Birthstone: Emeralds

The birthstone for the month of May is the stunning green emerald. As lovers of all things jewellery we enjoy nothing more than talking about gemstones and jewels. With that in mind it’s time for some facts you might or might not have known about the emerald...

Emerald is one of the four recognised precious gemstones

The other three are ruby, sapphire and diamond, with all other stones being classed as semi-precious.

Emeralds are often given as 20th Wedding Anniversary presents

The traditional and modern day gift is china. We’d prefer emeralds, thanks.

Emeralds can be worth more than diamonds

You read that correctly. Emeralds without imperfections are extremely rare, thus raising the price for a very high quality emerald above that of some diamonds.

The oldest Emeralds in the world are around 3 billion years old

For very much the same reason as to why some diamonds are of the same age, emeralds have been formed by the earth for billions of years.

An emerald pendant was once sold for £4.5 million

It was sold in 2011 and belonged to none other than Elizabeth Taylor. If it was broken down into carats, it works out at roughly £200,000 per carat.

Emeralds help you see into the future

At least, that’s what ancient folklore said. It was thought that wearing an emerald underneath your tongue would allow you to look into the future.

The first emeralds to be be mined were in Egypt

They were thought to have been found in 1500 BC, and led to the green stone becoming one of Cleopatra’s favourite jewels.

Emerald is the official state stone of North Carolina

It’s also the name and most prominent building material of one of the best known cities in the world: Emerald City.

Here’s to emeralds and their beauty. We hope you receive something to help you celebrate your birthstone this month!