Elegant Emerald is May-Baby’s Main Mineral

Emerald Stone - Oval Cut

The precious gemstones are first diamond, then: sapphire or ruby corundum along with emerald from the beryl family of stones.  These 4 stones were once only available to royalty or the very rich.  Now that there are more deposits found in various locations and lab created versions exist, these stones have become available to many more people.  This is a good thing since they are also birthstones that can appear in jewelry celebrating an individual birth or in Mother’s Day rings, pins, and pendants.  This stone has many gift-giving purposes, including use as an anniversary stone for 30, 35, and 55 years of marriage.


Emerald is the elegant green birthstone for those born in May.  Its rich color not only celebrates spring, but it is so well-known that fashion experts know the color when the name is mentioned.  It also was selected this as the color of the year for 2013 in fashion.  Besides being a fashion statement, emeralds have a special stone cutting named after them because it shows off the stone best.  That cut is now being used in other gemstones as a way to show lack of inclusions and enhanced clarity.  As with many gemstones, emerald also has its own folklore and an interesting history.

Real emeralds can be found in just about every jewelry store for expensive prices and occasionally in department stores that have high-end jewelry counters.  True natural emeralds will typically have a cloudy or included appearance and may be treated to bring out more color or hide imperfections.  So beware when shopping for emeralds so you know what to look for if you want the real thing.  For sure lab-created and simulated emeralds can be found in most department stores and as often special sales items in major jewelry locations during the month of May and for certain holidays. 

If real emeralds are too cloudy for your personal taste, in other words – you like more sparkle.  Or perhaps you just cannot find the money in your budget to spend on a single piece of jewelry…  Consider either a lab-created, simulated version, or substitute Chrome Diopside.  Chrome Diopside is also known as Siberian Emerald or Russian Emerald since this is where it comes from.  Diopside is not an emerald but the color and clarity is even more beautiful than the natural emeralds.  You will not find this stone in most jewelry or department stores.  To find it, you will have to shop on-line at locations like JTV, ShopNBC, and HSN.