Unlocking The Secrets Of Gemstones: Emerald Stone Meaning & Symbolism

Precious green gems are recorded throughout the Eastern and Western histories as having spiritual, monetary, aesthetic, and ceremonial values. In fact, Roman author and natural history expert, Pliny the Elder, extolled smaragdus (the ancient Greek name for ‘emerald’) as being the most intensely green thing in existence. In this guide, we will look into the past usage of the May birthstone and examine what emeralds represent today.

Due to the fact that the labelling of gemstones wasn’t always done the way it is now, with precious stones previously categorised according to their colour rather than their structural make-up or according to chemical elements, historians are not always sure that the emeralds treasured in historical texts are what we call emeralds today: green-coloured beryl.

In fact, the viridescent stones so valued by our ancient relatives may have been a number of other green minerals: for instance, green jasper, tourmaline, green sapphire, or green quartz.

In the first century BCE, Cleopatra is said to have so loved emeralds that she claimed the first known emerald mine in the world, located in Egypt, as her own. When pharaohs died, they were buried with emeralds which were believed to bestow eternal youth.

In the Bible’s Old Testament, a smaragdus was given to King Solomon by God, which gave him power over all God had created.

As early as the 15th century, Inca peoples saw emeralds as having spiritual power, incorporating them in their religious rites and wearing them as jewellery. The Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century traded emerald crystals for precious metals.

The Indian religious texts written sometime between 1500 BCE and 1200 BCE, the Vedas, refer to emeralds (among other precious gemstones) having the power to heal and bring about wartime success.

In Roman society, emerald stones held the meaning of fertility. This is shown in the 2nd century Roman ring pictured below, where a man and a woman are carved into the emerald surface.

Emeralds have also had mythical connections in human history. In Ancient Greece, laymen gave emeralds as offerings to the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite.

Emeralds have taken on a multitude of meanings in various categories: it’s associated with certain personality characteristics as the birthstone for May babies, represents moral or social values in jewellery, and is even believed to imbue a person or space with certain energy in metaphysical practice. Here, we’ll discuss the main meanings that emeralds still have in the modern day.

Looking at the etymology of the word ‘emerald’, we know that it was once used to refer to all green gemstones, not just what we treat as emeralds today. To say it another way, the magic ingredient was the colour itself.

The most popular meanings associated with the green of emerald gemstones are:

• Wealth (that is, after the introduction of green paper money);
• Spring, or new beginnings and renewal generally;
• Hope;
• Healing.

Besides his comment about the colour-defining quality of smaragdi, Pliny the Elder also said that lapidaries used emerald crystals to soothe and restore their eyesight after intense, up-close polishing and engraving work. There have actually been modern studies supporting the idea that a green environment has a calming effect on the eyes. (Read more about the wide range of emerald stone colours.)

Looking at the etymology of the word ‘emerald’, we know that it was once used to refer to all green gemstones, not just what we treat as emeralds today. To say it another way, the magic ingredient was the colour itself.

The most popular meanings associated with the green of emerald gemstones are:

• Wealth (that is, after the introduction of green paper money);
• Spring, or new beginnings and renewal generally;
• Hope;
• Healing.

Besides his comment about the colour-defining quality of smaragdi, Pliny the Elder also said that lapidaries used emerald crystals to soothe and restore their eyesight after intense, up-close polishing and engraving work. There have actually been modern studies supporting the idea that a green environment has a calming effect on the eyes. (Read more about the wide range of emerald stone colours.)

In the ‘new age’ world of practices including astrology, homeopathy, and meditation (which are in some ways actually renewals of ancient belief systems, as discussed above), the emerald has many uses as a conduit for powerful healing and protection.

In the seven chakras in Hinduism, emeralds or ‘panna’ in Sanskrit, are associated with the heart chakra. Within this system of belief, it provides emotional balance and promotes patience and harmony in relationships.

There is also a myth, attributed to medieval Europe, wherein people believed that if you put an emerald under your tongue, you could speak more eloquently, see the future, or even ascertain if your lover’s words are true or false.

Throughout the Middle Ages, Ancient Egypt, and ancient Greek times, emerald meaning included its function as a protective amulet. Whether worn as a pendant, bracelet, or ring, having the verdant gem (sometimes, with symbols or words of good luck engraved into it) touching your skin was believed to protect the wearer from metaphysical and physical evil forces.

Precious green emeralds have mesmerised humans for at least two thousand years thanks to their vivid green hue that seems almost impossible to be produced by nature. Unfortunately, in the contemporary world, gemstone mining has reached a pinnacle of frequency and scale where it actually has an adverse effect on the environment and people involved in obtaining them.

Ethical alternatives exist. Inter-Pacific Holdings, through the brand BIRON®, produces sustainable lab-grown emeralds, as well as sources lab-created rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and more created gemstones in seven colours and ten shapes. Contact us to discuss how we can assist your business in obtaining and cutting the finest of man-made gems.