A deep green member of the beryl family, the
emerald is the rarest of the so-called precious
gems. Though sources for emeralds are found in
both the Old and New Worlds, a stone of good
quality is still an elusive object. Emeralds without
flaw are almost unattainable, as the gem exhibits
many natural inclusions, but these do not
necessarily mar the stone's intense green beauty.
The famous queen Cleopatra of Egypt mined
emeralds near Zabara on the Red Sea coast in the
first century BC, wearing the jewels herself or giving
them as gifts to favored friends. Julius Caesar
particularly valued the gem, to which he ascribed
strong curative powers. Emeralds were found in the
buried Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum,
which probably came originally from Egypt. In
Mesoamerica, emeralds were treasured by the native
cultures, most particularly the Incas who
worshipped them as sacred. When the Spanish
conquistadors plundered the Inca empire for gold
and jewels, many remarkable large emeralds were
taken to Europe, where they entered the treasuries
of royalty, or in some cases were traded farther East
to the Persian and Indian courts. Today, the major
source for emeralds is South America and especially
Colombia, where mines first worked by the pre-
Columbian cultures are still in use. The rarity of the
emerald has always made it a valuable and potent
talisman. It is said to cure diseases of the eye, free
the body from poisons, arrest physical decay of all
sorts, stop dysentery, facilitate childbirth and end
attacks of epilepsy. The bright velvety green of this
gem makes it as desirable today as it has always
been through the ages.
- (FJ.2938)
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