May's Birthstone is Emerald

May's birthstone is the emerald and once you understand the symbolism behind the month of May, it's easy to see why. May was named for the Greek goddess Maia, who symbolized rebirth. It was also believed Maia was responsible for new growth, such as spring's green grass or new buds on a tree. The emerald is also symbolic of rebirth and new life, with it's deep, green hue. The symbolism behind emeralds is so great, it's also believed to possess qualities that help strengthen and enhance love. The ancient Romans used to offer emeralds to the goddess Venus as she was the goddess of love.

The word emerald is derived from the Greek word "smaragdus" which means "green." When grading gemstones like the beautiful emerald, we use what's referred to as the four c's. These include cut, clarity, color and crystal or transparency. Traces of chromium and vanadium are what gives the emerald its deep, green hue, but there are other color variations possible. Sometimes, natural emeralds may have more bluish or yellowish tones due to their mineral content.

Emeralds are found worldwide, but Colombia is known for their extensive emerald mining. Many emeralds comes from Colombia. Between 50-95% of all emerald mining and production is from Colombian mines. The largest emerald mines in Colombia are located in Coscuez, Muzo and Chivor. Other popular mining locations include Canada, Norway, the United States, Brazil South Africa, China and Australia. It is believed that Cleopatra wore emeralds and the earliest records of emerald mining date back to 330 B.C. in ancient Egypt.

A high-quality emerald is certified and will possess a deep green, translucent color without any visible signs of cloudiness or breakage. On the color scale, high-quality emeralds will have a score of 75.

Today, emeralds are renown for their beauty. They have a hardness on the Mohs scale between 7.5 and 8. This makes them perfect for ornamental

Emerald Engagement Ring: Photo credit Amazon

work in jewelry and emeralds are also a popular engagement stone. You can see an example of an emerald style engagement ring in the photo to the right.

Those who would like to learn more about emeralds and how to choose them as well as tell certified emeralds from synthetic can watch the video below.


If you would like to see more about emerald engagement rings, you may visit my Amazon affiliate link below. This is the link for the photo above.