Ten ThingsaboutEMERALDS

1

The first emerald mines date back to 1500 BCE in Northern Egypt.

2Emeralds were thought to enhance clairvoyance, especially if put on the tongue or worn on the left

side of the body.

3

The Chaldeans believed emerald contained Ishtar, the goddess of love and war.

4

Top quality emeralds are more valuable than diamonds.

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6

Weighing in at 840 pounds and containing approximately 180,000 carats of emerald crystals, the

“Bahia Emerald” is one of the largest emerald specimens ever found, valued at nearly $400 million.

Emeralds get their name from the Latin word smaragdus, meaning "green gem".

Pliny said, "No stone has a color that is more delightful to the eye, for, whereas the sight fixes itself with avidity upon the green grass and the foliage of the

trees, we have all the more pleasure in looking upon the emerald, there being no gem in existence

more intense than this."

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9

Colombia is the world's largest producer of emeralds.

Unlike a diamond, which requires magnification to grade clarity, an emerald is measured by

the naked eye.

10

Fans of emeralds are in good company. Cleopatra, Charlemagne, and Queen Elizabeth II

were just some of the gem's devotees.

For more interestinggemstones:

houseofgems.com

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