Emerald Jewelry
Where the name comes from: Esmaralda Latin via Esmeraude and Emeraude from Old French and Middle English respectively, originally Greek Smaragdos which simply means green gem.Where the stones come from: Widespread. South America, particularly Colombia and Brazil, also Zambia, Zimbabwe and Madagascar in Africa, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Russia.
Chemistry: Beryllium aluminum silicate or Beryl, Be3Al2(SiO3)6 the green color is produced by small amounts of chromium and sometimes Vanadium ions.
Colors: Green in hues from blue-green to yellow-green.
...and another thing: Emeralds can range in age from some of the world's oldest gemstones, those from Zimbabwe may be 2600 million years old to a mere 9 million years for some Pakistani youngsters. Emeralds are one of the four precious gemstones along with diamonds, rubies and sapphires.
Prices correct at time of writing - subject to change
