All that glitters is GREEN

The mysterious and enviable Emerald is the gem for us lucky May birthday girls.

Emerald gets its name from the ancient Greek word for green: smaragdus. As our trees fill with lush green leaves at this time of year, it is the obvious choice for the May birthstone. Ranging from crystal-clear lagoon-like greens through to rich deep evergreen, emeralds have been coveted as far back as ancient Egyptian times, where Cleopatra used them in her royal adornments.

Egyptian emeralds have long since been mined out, but emeralds are still found in South America, South East Asia and Africa. The world’s largest emerald ‘Lion’s Emerald’ was discovered by miners in Zambia, Africa in 2018. Weighing 2.5 pounds, 5,655 carats it has a value of £2m.

Due to its depth of colour, it is not surprising spectacular emeralds continue to fascinate and appeal to people, with Colombian emeralds taking the lead in popularity.

According to popular lore emeralds bring loyalty & domestic bliss, enhance unconditional love & unity and foster friendship. It is also said that they will keep partnerships in balance. This makes emeralds ideal for those special wedding anniversary gifts.

There are plenty of different designs and styles of emerald jewellery from traditional to contemporary, suiting all budgets and tastes.

Emeralds are perfectly suited to pendants, earrings and occasional rings as the gems need a bit of minding to keep their lush green colour.

If you would like to know more about emeralds and discover our specially curated range of emerald designer jewellery, feel free to pop in to DesignYard, 25 South Frederick Street, Dublin 2 or send us an email at info@designyard.ie.