The Emerald: A Garden of History
Considered part of the exclusive club of precious gemstones alongside sapphire, diamond, and ruby, the emerald with its deep green hue has captivated dreams for millennia. Known to humankind for ages, this gem has adorned jewelry and even served as currency. Its beauty sets it apart from other stones, increasing its value to the level of a precious gemstone. Its rarity makes it a coveted and cherished stone in the world of jewelry. But what about its history and evolution in the hearts of people?
Prisse Papyrus, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, XIIth dynasty, 1991-1785 BC.
The Ancient Emerald
Already known in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the emerald carried powerful symbolism. Whether as a symbol of fertility or luck, this gem was already considered important and precious at the time.
In ancient Egypt, around 2400 BCE, a certain Ptah-Hotep spoke of a "green stone" that was rarely found, saying, “A perfect word is more hidden than the green stone” in his teachings. This is a clear reference to this precious stone, highly valued in that region and era.
In ancient Greece, during the 4th-3rd centuries BCE, Theophrastus, in his treatise "On Stones," laid the foundations of mineralogy and described emeralds for the first time. At that time, mines in Upper Egypt and Austria were already being worked to uncover the beautiful gem.
The Romans later associated the emerald with Vesta, goddess of the hearth and sacred fire. Described in great detail by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History (1st century CE), we learn that emerald mines were found in numerous places (from Scythia to Ethiopia, Cyprus, and Attica), with varying qualities. Pliny even notes that Emperor Nero, a great admirer of these gems, supposedly watched a gladiator fight through an emerald to shield his eyes from the sun! Clearly, the emerald was appreciated and widely known in antiquity. However, it’s possible that it was sometimes confused with other stones, which could explain the variations described by Pliny.
Attributed to Jean Colombe, La Jérusalem Céleste, Apocalypse Figurée des Ducs de Savoie, date précise inconnue, XVème siècle, painting on parchment, 41 × 26,5 cm, Escorial E Vit. 5 - Folio 49v.
Zmaragdu and the Bible
The emerald is also mentioned in the Bible. The primary reference appears in the Book of Revelation (21:19), where the Heavenly Jerusalem is described with foundations set in precious and fine stones. The emerald is included, with the fourth foundation built from this gem. In Christian thought, therefore, the emerald holds a notable place, referred to by the name zmaragdu. Seen as a significant jewel, this stone was considered valuable enough to be part of the foundation of the New Jerusalem!
Eden Green
In Europe, during the Middle Ages and the early modern period, it was secular power that claimed authority over gems. Although gems were studied in the university theology faculties of the West—particularly by the urban bourgeois elite—diamonds especially became the preferred gemstone of the nobility. A true “triptych” of precious colors was established: blue, white, and red, represented by sapphire, diamond, and especially ruby/spinel/garnet, according to François Farges. But what about green stones? Reminiscent of the Garden of Eden, green is the Prophet’s favored color and enjoys immense popularity, though primarily in the East. At the time, emeralds were mainly sourced from the mines of Thebaid in Egypt, often referred to as the “Cleopatra Mines.” Islamic rulers would compete for these increasingly rare emeralds, especially as the ancient mine’s location gradually faded from memory in the Orient.
It is interesting to observe the relationship between minerals and power, as well as its consequences: for instance, the Church placed more emphasis on color than on the intrinsic value of the stone. As a result, ecclesiastical objects of this period were generally adorned with semi-precious stones or even colored glass.
Picture: Javier Hinojosa - INAH, gold crocodile with emeralds, found in Mexico.
On the Quest for the Emerald
Across the world, it has fascinated many peoples, and the Inca and Muisca ethnic groups were no exception when it came to attributing great value to it. Indeed, long before the arrival of the conquistadors, the civilizations of South America viewed emeralds as special stones and attributed specific virtues to them, such as fertility among the Incas, for example.
During the Spanish conquest of the 16th century, Hernán Cortés, the conqueror of the Aztec Empire, is said to have kept some emeralds from Montezuma's treasure and gifted them to his wife, Doña Juana de Zúñiga. According to Francisco López de Gómara, a 16th-century Spanish historian, these emeralds, numbering five, were cut into various shapes, including a rose and a fish. They even incited the jealousy of the Empress of Spain but ultimately sank into the Mediterranean Sea after a shipwreck when Cortés set sail for Algiers.
Green Athena's Wisdom by AGUAdeORO
The Green Frenzy
In the 19th century, Empress Josephine, the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, adored emeralds and owned several magnificent pieces set with these stones. Later, Princess Diana made headlines in 1985 by wearing a tiara necklace during a tour in Australia. This necklace, which belonged to Queen Mary, is adorned with multiple emeralds in a very Art Deco style and is considered to have defined Princess Diana's individuality that evening.
Another story concerning emeralds is the coronation and subsequent exile of the Iranian royal family. In 1971, Empress Farah wore Empress Eugénie's emeralds at the legendary coronation in Persepolis, complete with an emerald crown. Considered the party of the century, this coronation did not last as the Iranian royal family had to flee in 1979 during the revolution. Since then, these emeralds have been kept at the Central Bank of Tehran.
Rainforest Blossom, a splendid pear-shaped emerald set on an 18-carat gold ring, which is itself adorned with emeralds and sapphires.
The Emerald Today
The stone of the month of May, the emerald is one of the rarest of precious gems. It is riddled with natural inclusions known as ‘gardens’, giving each stone its own unique character. Emeralds are considered to be stones of great beauty, with a uniqueness that is unique to each gem. They have been dazzling people with their beauty for centuries, and their surprises are still going strong! They remain an essential jewel in the world of jewellery.
Emeralds have gone from being a stone of great symbolic value and prestige to one that has lost much of its symbolism, but still holds a special place in the hearts of connoisseurs. Although emeralds are becoming increasingly difficult to find, they are still highly prized for their magnificent intense green colour, which poses a problem for supply and demand. This evolution in the way emeralds are viewed is significant today, because they are now seen as a sign of prestige due to their rarity, rather than a symbol of fertility, for example. Rarer than diamonds, which are certainly precious stones but relatively easy to find compared with emeralds, which are more discreet, emeralds are a joy to behold for a discerning public.
Today, these precious stones remain one of the most sought-after gems in their natural state. Colombia remains the world's leading producer, but emeralds are also mined in other parts of the world, including Brazil, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, today, emerald mining, particularly in Colombia, poses a number of social problems. You can find out more about this in the excellent article ‘Colombia: emeralds at the heart of violence’.
It is now possible to obtain them from controlled environments, avoiding all the problems associated with mining. These new laboratory gems have the same characteristics as natural ones, without the harmful social and environmental implications of extracted gems. Our AGUAdeORO jewellery, made with emeralds that are not extracted from mines, avoids the problems associated with extraction, such as corruption, wars and the disillusionment of vulnerable mining communities.
Most of the stories surrounding these stones are magnificent, but does that mean we should be encouraging mining, which has brought so much misfortune? Socially, it's a real disaster, with a parallel economy that only benefits ill-intentioned cartels and long-toothed middlemen.The miners, for their part, generally receive little for their hard work and continue, day after day, to hope that they will stumble across the stone that will change their lives.
AGUAdeORO is a jewellery store founded in 2009 and based in Geneva and Zurich, offering its customers the opportunity to buy ethical jewellery made in Switzerland. Our aim is to offer jewellery that combines sustainable development and elegance.