A gem that takes pride in its vivid beauty and interesting properties at the same time – that’s an emerald. Jewellery with an emerald makes its wearer look like a beacon of luxury, a property not many other stones have. It’s unmistakable with its colour. Imagine the brightest green. The green you see when nature wakes up in spring and regenerates after a long winter. The essence of this natural force can be spotted in the emerald.
Thanks to its bright green colour, magical powers have been attributed to the emerald by many cultures, all the way back to ancient times. For example, Cleopatra was a big fan of emeralds; she could even boast about having her own emerald mine. She liked decorating herself as well as her palace with emeralds, and she also gifted the stones to important guests. People in Ancient Egypt believed that the emerald supports fertility; the Romans associated it with Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. It was said that it can heal vision and allow one to see the truth and foresee the future. The emerald helps to calm and clear our minds, regenerate our body, and arouse love and compassion towards all living things.
The colour of an emerald is the key to determining its value. The more vivid and intense the colour, the more valuable the emerald is. However, we have to mention that the colour of most emeralds in Jewellery these days is enhanced, mainly by oil filling. This method can highlight the colour as well as fill in tiny cracks and fractures that are characteristic to emeralds.
Subtle imperfections are common in emeralds and are not considered to be faults unless they reduce the transparency and brightness of the stone. This natural emerald patterning is called “jardin,” which means “garden” in English. Therefore, we again see the ability of the emerald to evoke the beauty of nature. Clear emeralds without visible inclusions are extremely rare and are basically never found in Jewellery. If you come across a ring with a large green gemstone without a single inclusion for a relatively low price, it’s definitely a synthetic stone.
When looking back at history, we can admire jewellery pieces that excelled in extraordinary craftsmanship and decorated some of the most important women of their time. For example, one of them is an engagement ring shaped like a serpent with a large emerald and smaller rubies and diamonds that was designed by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria. Also, Jackie Kennedy had an emerald in her engagement ring. She had her ring, originally by Van Cleef & Arpels, redesigned to match her taste.
An emerald engagement ring might not be the most classic choice, but that’s precisely why it’s become increasingly popular in recent years with the demand for alternative and bohemian weddings.
Emerald jewellery sets are very popular among famous actresses and other celebrities. They often wear them for various occasions in the show business world. Remember Angelina Jolie’s stunning earrings with large drop-shaped emeralds that she wore with an emerald ring for the Oscars in 2009. Other famous wearers of emeralds include Beyoncé, Naomi Campbell, Julianne Moore, Catherine Zeta Jones, Kendall Jenner, and Zoë Kravitz.
However, emerald jewellery doesn’t just belong at special events. Emerald earrings, pendants, or bracelets for everyday wear are much more affordable with smaller stones than the above-mentioned jewellery, and they can brighten up even a very simple outfit. An emerald jewel looks great with an outfit in neutral tones, like black and white.
