“Nothing Greens Greener” –Pliny the Elder, 50 A.D.

These three words capture the timeless appeal that Emeralds have had throughout the ages. Adored by Cleopatra, mummies in ancient Egypt were often buried with an emerald on their necks. Islamic texts describe the Garden of Paradise as carpeted with emeralds. And the Incas had an emerald goddess.

Emeralds are among the rarest of gems. Columbia is still the world’s largest and most famous emerald-producing country, but both Brazil and Zamibia have emerged as major sources, each producing emeralds with their own unique characteristics.

The rich green color of emerald is the color of spring and has long symbolized love and rebirth. As the gem of Venus, it is also thought to aid in fertility.

Emeralds are almost always found with birthmarks, known as inclusions. Some inclusions are expected and do not detract from the value of the stone as much as they can with other gemstones. Emeralds are commonly treated with natural, colorless oil to make the inclusions less visible, but beware of emeralds that have deep inclusions that could weaken the stone enough to break if it were hit accidentally. Also, find out if the emerald has been treated with resin or epoxy, which is often used to improve the color and durability of a gem.

Avoid cleaning emeralds with hot soapy water or steam and never clean an emerald in an ultrasonic cleaner because the oil or resin could be removed or damaged, making inclusions more visible.

Emeralds are durable gemstones with a hardness of 7.5 to 8. However, emeralds with many inclusions should be treated with some care and be protected from blows.

Clean emerald with mild dish soap: use a toothbrush to scrub behind the stone where dust can collect.