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 bath the Old and New Worlds, a stone of
good quality is still an elusive abject. 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 B.C., 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 Mezo-America,
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 Borne
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.7159)
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