Introduction
Have you ever thought about which gemstone blesses those born in May? Well, the May babies are blessed with the gorgeous green emerald as their traditional birthstone. During ancient times, the month of May was known as Maius, either because of the Roman goddess of growth or because of the Greek goddess of nursing mothers, both named Maia. You would be amazed to know that the Ancient Romans also celebrated Floralia, a festival honoring the goddess of flowers, Flora, in May. The May birthstone emerald has a rich history and meaning. Today, apart from discussing the history and meaning of emeralds, we will also discuss their properties and origin.
Emerald: The May Birthstone’s Cultural & Historical Significance
You must be thinking, that since there are many birthstones for the same month, what is the original birthstone of May? Well, it depends. If you look in terms of the Biblical context, then, the Hebrew interpretation of May’s birthstone used to be agate, while the Arabic interpretation used to be emerald. The first modern standardized birthstone list, which was created by Jewelers of America (called as National Association of Jewelers at that time) in 1912 mentions emerald as the May birthstone. Similarly, in 1937, the British National Association of Goldsmiths listed emeralds as the traditional May birthstone, and chrysoprase as its alternative.
Ancient Emerald History & Mythology
The oldest records of the mining of emeralds date back to the ones found in Ancient Egypt from 1900 to 1500 BC. Back in the older times, Egypt remained the primary emerald producer until the 16th Century AD, when Colombia took over. The ancient Egyptians believed green to be sacred, and they also thought that emeralds symbolized agricultural fertility and immortality. Even Queen Cleopatra loved emeralds, and she adorned herself with many emeralds. You can imagine Queen Cleopatra’s love for emeralds by the fact that in 330 BC, she took exclusive rights to all emeralds mined in Egypt.
The ancient Romans and Greeks saw emeralds as the manifestation of gods and goddesses. One of the particular associations of emerald in their culture is with Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of love and beauty. In Vedic Astrology, Panna or emerald is linked to the planet Mercury and is believed to boost the wearer’s intellect. One of the famous Indian carvings featuring emeralds is the carving of Goddess Meenakshi, created from a single emerald crystal, displayed in Meenakshi Amman Temple.
Geological Marvel: The Formation of Emeralds
Precisely, emeralds are beryllium aluminum silicate minerals and a variety of beryl. They rank between 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs hardness scale, which is pretty high hardness, if you compare it with other gemstones. The green color of emerald is because of the impurities of vanadium, chromium, or both. The reason why emerald is rare, and is also considered to be one of the big four gemstones is because beryllium is rarely present in the same area as vanadium or chromium. If you are thinking about the place where most Emeralds originate from, then it is none other than Colombia, producing 60-70% of the world’s emeralds, followed by Zambia, producing about 20% of the world’s gem-quality emeralds.
Emeralds' Healing Properties
Just like the spring season, emeralds are linked with growth, fertility, and rebirth. The meaning of this May birthstone also extends to loyalty, good luck, and friendship. Even in Greek mythology, emeralds were worn to depict love. In ancient times, couples used to wear emeralds as they believed that emeralds protected them from being unfaithful. People believed that emerald jewelry would glow brighter when worn by a pure-hearted individual, and its shade would fade away if worn by an unfaithful individual. Historically, Emerald jewelry was also worn to depict unconditional loyalty between two friends, and in order to strengthen the bond of friendship, it is recommended that you wear an emerald.
As far as the healing properties of emerald jewelry go, it is said to promote peace of mind, thus improving one’s memory and intellect. Emerald jewelry is also said to heal heart-related problems, as well as help in better recovery of infectious diseases. Emerald works as a catalyst when it comes to the treatment of lung-related diseases, and it also aids in chronic pain or sore muscles in general. Lastly, by helping in liver detoxification, emerald jewelry also makes the immune system stronger.
Emerald Care & Cleaning
You need to handle your emerald jewelry with care; if you don’t, you will find that your emerald gemstone jewelry begins to develop scratches and chips. Because emerald jewelry ranks between 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, it is more susceptible to damage – be it as simple as scratches – in comparison to diamond, ruby, or sapphire. You can easily find internal birthmarks and inclusions in your emerald jewelry if the emerald in it is not treated in any shape or form.
Emeralds require special care in terms of cleaning them – it is best that you warm water and mild soap for cleaning your emerald jewelry. As a word of caution, never put your emerald jewelry in ultrasonic cleaners as the heat and vibrations could cause the stone to crack. If it is regularly used, we recommend you get your emerald jewelry professionally checked and cleaned three to four times a year.
Custom May Birthstone Jewelry for Jewelry Retailers
Are you a jewelry retailer, looking for custom May birthstone jewelry for your brick-and-mortar store or e-commerce website? If yes, then you can order custom birthstone jewelry from wholesale gemstone jewelry manufacturers and suppliers like Rananjay Exports. When you order custom jewelry from them, you get freedom of all sorts – from getting to a particular design and type of jewelry that you want to choosing the base metal and vermeil of your custom-made piece.
And, since most of the wholesalers work on multiple gemstones, you get a wide variety of gemstones to choose from in your custom jewelry piece. This is especially helpful when you want either a traditional birthstone or a modern birthstone, or perhaps both, custom-made for your jewelry store. The biggest benefit of buying birthstone jewelry from a wholesaler is, that you will get all the jewelry at an economically viable wholesale rate.
Conclusion
The May birthstone emerald vibes well with the month of May, when the flourishing flora is at its peak. As a jewelry retailer, do you wish to purchase emerald birthstone jewelry? If yes, then browse the official website of Rananjay Exports for all kinds of emerald jewelry – from emerald necklaces and emerald pendants to emerald rings and emerald bracelets. If you currently don’t need birthstone jewelry, you can also browse our collection of gemstone jewelry available in 250+ gemstones as well as 925 sterling silver jewelry. Thanks for reading this article – if you are reading here, we can say without a doubt that you liked this blog. As of now, you can go and check out our other blogs, or browse Rananjay Exports for ordering jewelry.
