Another expensive month!
Emerald is probably the best known variety of beryl. The name comes from the greek “smaragdus”
which in turn came from a Persian word meaning “a green mineral”.
The earliest Emeralds come from Cleopatra’s mine by the red
sea, dating from about 2000BC. They were
considered by the Ancient Egyptians to represent rebirth and youth, and many
mummies were buried with them.
Emeralds have historically also been
associated with fidelity, truth, easing eye strain, and preventing epilepsy.
A Columbian legend tells of a god Are
creating two people to populate the land, called “Fura” and “Tena”. As long as they stayed faithful to one
another they would have eternal youth.
One day Fura met a young man called Zarbi,
who was looking for a flower that could cure any illness. She went with him to look for the flower, and
was unfaithful to Tena.
Immediately she began to age. She returned to Tena and upon seeing what she
had done he realised that she soon would die and he would be left alone. In his grief he took his own life.
Are returned to visit his creations, and
saw that they had broken his laws. He
turned them into two large rocks. The
tears that Fura cried then became emeralds within them.
Alternatives to Emerald could be beautiful green glass
beads, or the secondary birthstone of Chrysoprase.
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