Prized by Cleopatra and loaded with meaning, the elegant, exciting emerald is a stone with a story. Here’s a history lesson — and what to look for if you’re going green.

If stones had memoirs, the emerald’s would be a page-turner. The word emerald itself is derived from the Latin esmaralda/esmaraldus, a variant of the Latin smaragdus, which was via the Ancient Greek smáragdos, for “green gem.” Roman historian and naturalist Pliny the Elder described emeralds in his book Natural History, written in 77 A.D. “No color is more delightful in appearance,” he opined. “For although we enjoy looking at plants and leaves, we regard emeralds with all the more pleasure because, compared with them, there is nothing that is more intensely green … Nothing greens greener.” That rich green brings to mind the regeneration of spring and has long symbolized love, rebirth and fertility. Emeralds were mined in Egypt as early as 330 B.C., though the oldest emeralds are almost three billion years old. Cleopatra’s passion for emeralds was legendary. The queen even claimed ownership of all the emerald mines in Egypt during her reign. The ancient Egyptians used emeralds both in jewelry and in their elaborate burials: Mummies were often buried with emeralds as a symbol of protection and eternal youth.

The emeralds the ancients adored were nowhere near as beautiful as those mined today. The modern emeraldbounty began almost five centuries ago, when Spanish explorers arrived in the New World. Moctezuma presented Cortés with a staggering emerald crystal, much larger and finer than any ever seen before. The Aztecs and Incas believed emeralds empowered the owner with foresight and they were regarded as amulets of good fortune. The Spaniards spent years searching for the source of the mines of these glowing green gems. In 1537, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada learned that the source of the emeralds was located at Somondoco, meaning god of the green stones. They found it — finally — in what is present-day Colombia.

Colombia remains the world’s largest and most famous emerald source. Colombian stones have the highest reputation. However, Brazil, Zambia, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe have emerged as major sources, as well. Smaller, irregular amounts are produced from Madagascar, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Canada, Russia and others.

Emeralds are adored for their rich, distinctly green color of the beryl mineral family. Emeralds have been one of the most desirable and valuable colored stones for more than 5,000 years. An emerald can have a bluish-green to green to a slightly yellowish-green color. Stones with faint saturation that appear lighter are referred to as green beryl.

An emerald is most often cut in a rectangular step-cut, which is now popularly known as the emerald cut. Smaller sizes are also found in rounds, ovals, pear shapes and marquise cuts. You may have to look a while for an unusual shape in a larger size. Due to their rich color, emeralds are also spectacular when cut in a smooth-domed cabochon cut.

Emeralds, among the rarest of gems, are almost always found with birthmarks, known as inclusions. Some inclusions are expected and do not detract from the valueof the stone as much as with other gemstones. However, you should look to make sure that fissures do not go too deep into the stone, so that it might be weakened enough to break if it were hit accidentally. The fissures that are
characteristic of emeralds are traditionally filled with oil or resin to make them less visible. You should assume that your emerald has been improved in this way, unless it has a laboratory certificate indicating otherwise. Such rare stones command a considerable premium.

Emeralds have many special qualities, but colored-gemstone professionals generally agree that emeralds are primarily about color. Emeralds have been the standard for green among colored stones for thousands of years. Just like other colored gemstones, a well-trained eye is needed to identify the variations that make considerable differences pertaining to value.