The story of Emerald, the jewel of kings
Emerald’s beautiful green colour has captured the interests and hearts of people since ancient times. It has captured their curiosity as well. Just like many other gemstones, legends surrounded this rare green colour stone as well. One of the most popular & mysterious legends is the legend of Goddess Umina in today’s Ecuador.
Umina was the daughter of the king & queen of the ancient city of Manta who tragically died over her father’s grave. Her heart survived and turned into a large emerald stone the size of an ostrich egg. The people of the town kept this large emerald hidden in temples where priests allowed to let it out only during special holidays & rituals. This heart of Umina has become their goddess, and they worshipped it. Upon the Spanish conquest, the Spaniards found an enormous number of small emeralds, but they failed to find the Goddess Umina.
The Spanish were not fond of gemstones though, so they traded the lovely green precious stone-Emerald- to Europe & Asia in exchange for silver & gold. Due to this, Emerald demand in Europe & Asia has increased, and it started to be known as the jewel of kings.
However, the story of emeralds does not start here. The credit for having the first emerald mines goes back to the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, who was known for her affection for emeralds. She adorned herself with this precious stone in earrings, bracelets, etc. Also, she decorated her palace and gave gifts to her visitors of emeralds & jewellery embellished with Emerald.
Today, the charm of Emerald continues to grow. It’s used in jewellery to add an aesthetic touch with its green colour and to enhance the wearers' eloquently. It is believed that the Emerald is the stone of fidelity & true love. Therefore, an engagement emerald ring is a perfect choice to prove your real feelings.
A gold set studded with emerald is an excellent 20th-anniversary gift, or an emerald bracelet may be a suitable gift for a special one who was born in May, being it the birthstone of May.
Whatever reason drives you to buy emerald studded earrings, or necklaces for yourself or a beloved one, emerald is for sure a stone not to miss. It is among the precious gemstones list, and it has its own charm that manages to get the sight and hearts of people.
