Emeralds are a grass green variety of Beryl. Beryl occurs in varying colors and go by differing names depending on these colors... here's a list.

Grass Green - Emerald
Yellow - Heliodor
Pink - Morganite
Blue - Aquamarine
Colorless - Goshenite

Pure Beryl is colorless and is rare. It however is not very valuable because it is not brilliant. Colors are caused by impurities and in the case of the Emerald it is Chromic Oxide.

The earliest source of Emeralds was near the Red Sea with the mines being known as Cleopatra's Emerald Mines. Most Emeralds found in anchient jewelry are believed to come from these mines.

Emeralds have been found in Austria since Roman times. Today Columbia is generally recognised as the producer of the world's finest quality Emeralds. Columbian Indians have been using them throughout their history. Later the Spanish discovered that the Emerald mines were at Somondoco, which means "god of the green stones", and which is now known as Chivor. The best coloured Columbian Emeralds are said to be those from the Muzo mine, although another mine at Cosquez is also highly rated. Russia is another important source. Emeralds from India vary in quality while others still come from South Africa, Australia, Norway, North Carolina, Connecticut, Maine, and New Hampshire although none of the last locales are very important finds.

Emeralds vary greatly in price with some selling for under a dollar a carat while the most expensive sold was a 10 carat Emerald which sold for one million dollars in 2000.

Some believe that the darker the green the better while others believe that lighter is more valued... this is a personal decission.

Most Emeralds are "oiled" which is to say they are immersed in oil which fills in cracks to which Emeralds are prone. This process reduces the visibility of the cracks while at the same time improving clarity and at times color. Green color oil is used at times as well to improve color and at times more permanent materials are used to create a more permanent effect. Because the oiling process is so common many feel it is not nessessary to disclose this fact. Most modern Emeralds are oiled at the mine as well as at the cutters.

Emeralds are very vulnerable to heat. As such one should keep them away from any direct intense heat sources.

Famous emeralds can be found in museums all over the world, with the largest collections found in the crown jewels of Iran most notably the Pahlabi Crown and the Nadir Throne which contains over a thousand emerald carats. In the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul a connoisseur of gemstones can find some of the world's finest emeralds. The museum is on the grounds of the palace complex of the sultan who lived there---Topkapi Saray. Among the artifacts is the famous Topkapi dagger that has three large emeralds from Columbia embedded in it. This dagger was commissioned by Sultan Mahmud I in 1747 as a gift for Nadir Shah, the ruler of Persia. The Shah died before he could receive it, and it remained in Turkey.

One of the most interesting pieces is known as one of the most famous and finest emeralds is The Crown of the Andes. The crown was never actually worn by any ruler or member of royalty, but instead was made to honor the Virgin Mary by the artisans Popayan, Columbia. It is known that many cultures thought that emeralds warded off disease. But while the people of Popayan wanted to give proper credit to Mary, they also wanted to recognize the importance of the emerald. Legend says the Virgin delivered the town from a plague which started in Ecuador. The legend claims that the Holy Virgin curtailed the spread of the vermin, stopping it from entering their city, and the Catholic Bishop there proposed that the populace do something to thank her for the intervention. Hence, The Crown of the Andes was born.

It took 24 goldsmiths and gem workers 6 years to produce it. It is made out of a 100 pound piece of gold. All of the gems used were originally owned by the Incas, with 447 emeralds included. The largest emerald is known as the Atahualpa, named after an Inca prince who died at the hands of the Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro in 1532.

The Crown made its public debut in a religious parade in 1599. It was stolen, recovered, and then sold to raise money for humanitarian projects such as the building of orphanages and hospitals. Eventually, after a long journey it came to rest in the hands of an anonymous American foundation. As far as anyone knows it is still owned by the foundation.

The Mogul Emerald is over 200 carats, and is considered to be one of the largest emeralds. At an auction at Christie's in New York it sold for $2,000,000 to an unidentified buyer. It is actually a rectangular tablet inscribed with Islamic prayers and also is engraved with representations of flowers. Emperor Aurangzeb was the last great Mogul ruler in India, and the emerald is believed to have its' historical origins during his reign in the 17th century. It was actually discovered in Columbia by the Spaniards, and like so many other emeralds eventually ended up in India.

The Patricia Emerald was discovered at the Chivor Mine in the Andes of Columbia in 1920, and is one of the largest uncut emeralds. The gem was named after the owner's daughter. Today, it is housed at the American Museum of Natural History. What makes this gem different from most other emeralds is that is twelve-sided while most emeralds have six sides.

The 6th Duke of Devonshire, William Cavendish, received an incredible gift from Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil. The gem he received was a magnificent emerald uncovered at the Columbian Muzo mine just outside of Bogota. It has been known as "The Duke's Diamond" and referred to as The Duke of Devonshire Emerald by collectors. The Duke, who never married but led a rather pleasure filled life accepted the gem into the family collection in 1831. It is a deep green and absolutely transparent in certain areas and greatly flawed in others. For many years it was the largest uncut emerald in existence, and weighs 1383.95.

There are many museums worldwide that have fine emerald specimens. One of the best collections in South America can be found at the famous Museo de Oro in Bogota, Columbia. This particular exhibit of native and ancient artifacts is very closely guarded. The most treasured works are in a large safe-like area. Patrons are allowed to go into that area every half hour. At that time a large door is closed, and is not unlocked until the next half hour. It is not known exactly how much this collection is worth. But, other famous collections of famous gems and ancient crafts it has to be worth millions. One might say that the whole locked area itself is----priceless.

Also please note that you do not need to have a gem quality emerald to gain these effects. non-gem quality is just as effective and much much cheaper.

Metaphysical key words

Communication
Creativity
Innovation
Helps one be fashion concsious
Stone of peace
Helps in piecing together that which has fallen apart
Strength through subtlety
Loyalty and sensitivity to the wearer
Harmony
Heart Chakra
Eliminate negativity
Love
Positive actions
Emotional Healing
Abundance
Fidelity
Peaceful Dreams

In Feng Shui it is used primarily in the southeast direction for wealth... Southwest direction for relationships and North for personal growth and journeying.

Healing...

Breathing issues
Heart health
Blood issues
Thymus
Labor/delivery
Eyesite
Disease

Deities associated with emeralds are Mercury, Isis,Ceres,Venus,Vishnu,Esmeralda and Surdurjaya. and since emerald is in the beryl family other deities MIGHT BE used are Hercules,Mara,Neptune(and Poseidon as the Greek counterpart can have different energies than the Roman one.) and Tiamat . Generally emeralds are considered luck stones and help with money.

When I worked with this stone I would find dropped money more often than normal. although i don`t think everyone using this stone will have the same effects. It also is said that by staring at an emerald, it will improve vision. I used one meditation where you just contemplate one object. I used a raw piece of emerald. my vision ddn`t improve, it might for someone else though. Although some sources will state that it will just relax weakened or tired eyes and it does. it helps with removing negative influences and enhance memory