Story Behind The Name - Emerald

The name emerald originates from the Latin word smaragdus also the Greek word smaragdos, which is further derived from the French word “esmeralda”,all of it essentially stands for the color green. Considered as holy stone Emerald is believed to be one of the gemstones found in breastplate of Aaron.

Many ancient mythologies have a special reference of these gemstones, the ancient scriptures of the Hindu religion, the Vedas regarded emerald as the healing stone. The religious text of Islam talks of heaven’s garden as carpeted with emeralds, the Incas and Aztecs who lived in South America regarded emerald as the gem from the Gods. Ireland is sometimes referred to as the Emerald Isle due to its lush greenery. Seattle is sometimes referred to as the Emerald City, because its abundant rainfall creates lush vegetation. The Green Zone in Baghdad is sometimes ironically and cynically referred to as The Emerald City.

Emerald Green

Emerald, one of the precious stone in green, is a valuable colored gemstone. They have the most beautiful, most intense and most radiant green color that can possibly be imagined. The stone is part of the beryl family and known as the stone of peace. Very highly prized, emerald is available in a variety of shades of green ranging from lush green, vibrant vivid green to bluish green.

Know Your Sapphire

Love sapphires? Here’s all you need to know about this lovely blue gemstone.

For starters sapphires are not just blue, fancy sapphires occur in other colors too. Sapphires belong to the Corundum family of gemstones which for you and me means that these are hard gemstones that can withstand the daily wear and tear.

Color
Perfect blue sapphires are the most valued ones. Shades of black and grey lower the cost but not necessarily the appearance. Beauty is subjective so you need to follow your instincts more than the market standard.

Fancy sapphires are also very priced possessions. Tough sapphires are in many hues we’ll discuss the most popular ones.

Padparadscha: Lotus colored, pinkish orange, these gems are extremely rare and very expensive. These are found only in Sri Lanka. A brown shadow lowers the cost.

Pink: Pretty and very feminine. Mostly found in Africa and Kanchanaburi – Thailand.

Clarity
Do not look for a clear stone in sapphires for flawless corundum is extremely rare and expensive. Just make sure the inclusions do not mar the face-up appearance or the durability of the stone.

Carat
Larger sapphires are a rarity and thus can be exorbitantly costly. Do not compare two stones of different species for their size. Since sapphires are denser than diamonds, a sapphire weighing one carat could be considerably smaller than a one carat diamond.

Sapphire Lore

I love sapphires not just for the beauty but for the exotic mysticism attached to the gemstones. In olden days it was believed that earth was actually a huge sapphire and hence the sky got its blue color. According to another belief sapphires were believed to be symbolic to purity, divinity and enduring love. Kings wore sapphires to be able to think wisely. Lovers wore sapphires to indicate pure and enduring love. It was believed that if an unfaithful lover wore a sapphire, the color of the gem would dim. Sapphires were also believed to bestow the wearer with good luck and spiritualism.

Sapphire Cradle

In case of gemstones the origin becomes one of the prime criterions for evaluation of value of the gemstone. The color and quality of a gemstone is typical to the place of its origin. Here is a brief on sapphires and the origin.

Sapphires are found in many places around the world but few locations have gem quality sapphire. Finest sapphires are found in the following locations.

Ceylon – Sri Lanka

One of the most ancient and valued producers of fine sapphire, Sri Lanka has lovely blue and the priced orangish pink sapphire called the Padparadscha. Blue sapphires from Sri Lanka are identical in color and quality to the gems from Madagascar.

Burma

Another celebrated source for fine sapphires is Burma (now called Myanmar). Burmese sapphires are celebrated for their royal blue color. Burmese sapphires make great collector’s stones. Though Burma produces stones in smaller quantities, but the gems are in larger sizes which makes them even more desirable. And for their celebrated beauty, sapphires from Burma command a premium over the stones from Sri Lanka or Madagascar.

Kashmir – India

Kashmir in India has been the source of most beautiful blue sapphires the world has seen. In the beginning of the 19th century, Kashmir sapphires were found in a very remote mountainous region of India. Kashmir sapphires had an exceptional beauty with deep royal blue hue and velvety luster. The source some how has waned now and only heirlooms and collector’s gems are available.

Other sapphire producing locations

Other important locations of fine sapphires are Thailand, Tanzania, Australia, Montana (USA), and Cambodia.

The sapphires from these locations make fine stones for jewelry as well.

Sapphire - The Gemstone of Heaven

With its deep midnight blue, Sapphire is called the celestial gemstone or the gemstone of Heaven. Ancient Persians believed that earth was embedded in an enormous solitaire Sapphire.

Sapphires - The versatile gemstone occurs in almost all colors of the rainbow including white, pink, yellow, peach, orange, brown, violet, purple, green etc other than red. Red sapphires are actually ruby. Sapphires belong to the corundum family and the red crystals of the corundum mineral family are called ruby. The most valued color of sapphire is vivid dark blue.

The word "sapphire" has been derived from the Latin word "sapphirus" (meaning "blue"). Since ancient times sapphires have been believed to possess talismanic powers - kings and royals of the ancient times wore sapphire to protect them from wicked thoughts and charm divine favor, priests in ancient times used these gems to help them decipher Oracles, the Greeks sanctified sapphire and associated it to their Sky God – Zeus. Sapphire was regarded as a symbol of truth, chasteness and endurance. Traditionally Sapphire was regarded as a gemstone that symbolized purity; it was believed that if a disloyal lover or spouse wore a sapphire ring, the brilliance of the gem would dim.

Sapphire is the birthstone for the month of September and astrological stone for Libra zodiac sign. Sapphire is anniversary gift for the 5th and the 45th wedding anniversary.

Princess Amethyst with Designer Diamond V-Bale in 14k White Gold

Lavish and lovely. The diamonds arranged as a trillion just above a charming amethyst reflect color and shimmer. The designer v-bale adds an interesting character to the pendant that appeals to one and all.