Fine emeralds are generally cut cushion shape with step cutting, and in East are often cut cabochon. Fine emeralds have advanced very rapidly during last few years, both on account of growing demand of fashion for gems and scarcity of really fine specimens.

Many curious legends of gigantic emeralds have been handed down to us, principally culled from narratives of early travelers, who thought every transparent green stone they saw to be an emerald.

The ancients valued emerald highly, not alone for its beauty, but for its supposed occult properties and its marvelous power of healing all diseases of eye—they also believed that if eyes of a serpent met gleam of emerald, it immediately became blind. Moore alludes to this superstition in lines:

Blinded like serpents when they gaze Upon emerald’s virgin blaze.

The Emperor Nero, who was shortsighted, had an eye-glass formed of an emerald, through which he gazed and gloated over cruel sports of arena.

Many interesting stories are told of first emeralds taken by early conquerors of Peru to Spain, and a certain Joseph D’ Acosta is said to have returned to Spain in 1587 with two chests of emeralds, each of which weighed over one hundred pounds. The truth of this story may be questioned, but it is a fact that stones were highly prized and much used by Incas and Aztecs in extraordinary civilization which once existed in Peru. The emerald was highly prized by ancients and by gem lovers of middle ages, and this accounts for many interesting legends and superstitions relating to gem.

As for today, emerald is still very highly valued as one of most precious stones. The emerald is May’s birthstone and is a favorite stone for fine jewelry craftsmen throughout world.

A little care and common sense can add life, luster and longevity to your precious jewelry and gems. Protect your investment by following above guidelines.