THE VAULT
EMERALD CITY 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.
EMERALD RIVIERE NECKLACE . Set with 63 round faceted prong set emeralds totaling over 98 carats and set in 18K white gold.
I f 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 noth- ing 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 Egyp- tians used emeralds both in jewelry and in their elaborate burials: Mummies were often buried with emeralds as a symbol of protection and eternal youth.
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