Emerald was one of the first mined precious gemstone by ancient Egyptians in what is now called Cleopatras mines. Legend has it that Cleopatra loved emeralds. It has been treasured by many different cultures for over 4000 years. Many prized it as a symbol of love and rebirth, because the Green color was a sign of spring when all things come to life. Some legends say emeralds give the owner the gift of eloquence and intelligence.

Currently Emeralds are mined in Columbia, Zambia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Zimbabwe and Brazil. The most sought after come from Columbia, some mines in Columbia will have emeralds with a bluish tone and other mines will have a yellowish tone. Zambia also has very good clean quality emeralds which are less expensive than the Columbian ones and they have mostly a bluish tone to them.

The traditional 25th & 35th wedding anniversary is the emerald. Emeralds are so rare that in perfect condition they are worth far more than a diamond of the same size. On the MOHS hardness scale, which measures a substances ability to scratch anothers, emeralds are 7.5- 8 where as diamonds are a 10 the hardest. If you buy an emerald with no inclusions, it very well maybe a lab creation.