May Birthstone - Emerald

May is the month of the Emerald. It represents the beginning of Spring.  Nothing is greener than an emerald and in fact it's name is derived from a Persian word literally meaning "green gem".

The first emerald mines were in Egypt that have been dated back to at least 330 BC. Cleopatra loved emeralds and they were often used in her royal ornamentation. The emerald is considered “The Jewel of Kings”    

The Roman Emperor Nero was recorded to have worn flat emerald crystals to watch the gladiator games. Some other legends surrounding emerarlds include placing the gem under one's tongue to see the future, as a truth serum and of course to ward off evil spirits.  The emerald was also thought to cure cholera and malaria.  The color of emerald green has been proven to be the most restful color for the human eye and can improve vision. 

Pliny the Elder, a Roman scholar and naturalist from the 1st century AD said about emeralds...
"Indeed, no stone has a color that is more delightful to the eye, for, whereas the sight fixes itself with avidity upon the green grass and the foliage of the trees, we have all the more pleasure in looking upon the emerald, there being no gem in existence more intense than this."

Photo Credit:
The 75.47-carat Hooker Emerald was worn by Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II, the last sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Photo by Chip Clark, courtesy Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History.