Emerald Gemstones are beautiful birthstones
for the month of May.

Emerald is the birthstone for May, the month of springtime romance, and the anniversary gemstone for the twentieth year of marriage, the perfect emblem of an enduring love. When choosing an emerald, the most important value factor to consider is color.

The more vivid the green of the emerald, the more valuable the gemstone is.

There are also attractive bright stones with a lighter green color that often make a spectacular piece of jewelry. Darker green emeralds may also make up in rich color what they lose in brightness.

It is important to understand that emeralds without inclusions are very rare and extremely expensive. An inclusion is an imperfection in the emerald that shows up mostly as little black dots in the gemstone itself. Emeralds are not translucent like other gemstones, therefore inclusions are expected and do not detract from the value of the stone as much as with other gemstones.

However, you should look to make sure that fissures and inclusions do not go too deep into the stone so that it might be weakened enough to break if it were hit accidentally. The inclusions (fissures and fractures) are filled with oil to minimize their impact.

You should avoid cleaning emeralds with hot soapy water or steam and never clean an emerald in an ultrasonic cleaner because this oil could be removed or damaged, making the fissures more visible. The emerald is one of the most difficult gemstones to cut because of the high value of the rough stone and the many inclusions found in crystals.

Legend and lore of the emerald include beliefs that the emerald symbolizes love and rebirth. The emerald has been embraced for over 4,000 years by diverse cultures all around the world. It is believed to quicken intelligence and legend gives the emerald's owner the gift of eloquence.

Because the rich green color of emerald is the color of spring, the ancients prized it as the gemstone symbolizing love and rebirth. It is believed that Cleopatra prized her emeralds more than any other gemstone. Cleopatra's emerald mines have long been a mystery. Cleopatra's mines were discovered again a hundred years ago near the Red Sea.

Some tools found in the mine were dated at 1650 B.C. but no quality emeralds were found: the mines were exhausted thousands of years ago. Mummies in ancient Egypt were often buried with an emerald around their necks carved with the symbol to symbolize eternal youth.

The following is a list of Birthstones and their respective month.

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