Follow the yellow brick road all the way to Dickinson Jewelers! We’re your very own personal Emerald City this month while we celebrate May’s birthstone, emerald. But what’s so special about this gem besides its famous green hue? Read on to find out!
This gorgeous Yael Designs ring shows off May’s birthstone perfectly. While designs like this are fairly new, the emerald isn’t. Some estimate that the first emerald existed 2.97 billion years old! Gems this gorgeous have been captivating humans as long as humans have existed. That’s why Egyptians mined them starting in 330 BC and used emeralds both for everyday jewelry and for mummies’ sarcophagi. Egyptians believed that emeralds were a form of protection and liked to keep them close at hand. Cleopatra in particular loved emeralds and, when she was pharaoh, she demanded that she own all of the emerald mines. With pendants like these, who could blame her?
The Egyptians weren’t the only major civilization to fall head over heels with emeralds. The name “emerald” actually comes from the ancient Greeks, and Roman emperor Pliny the Elder used emeralds to relieve eye strain. Old Pliny isn’t the only person to find health benefits in emeralds: even today, many believe emeralds can help soothe stomach ailments, bleeding, and epilepsy. We’re not doctors, but we know these earrings can cure any May birthday woes you might have!
Don’t know any May babies? The emerald is the gem of 20th and 35th anniversaries, and it’s considered to be “the gem of spring.” Emerald and diamond combined make the perfect way to say “I love you” to your sweetheart.
If you’re in the market for an emerald, you’ll be in capable hands with our jewelry stylists. They can help guide you to the perfect stone - and there are a lot of perfect emeralds! The Gemstone Institute of America recommends looking for hexagonal crystals and an internal “jardin” or garden. We can’t wait to show you these amazing gems and all of their incredible features!