Hand Faceted Emerald Necklace

19” long, hand faceted natural Emerald, sterling silver chain and clasp.

Emerald is a green variety of Beryl and it’s natural pigment comes from chrome. The world ‘emerald’ comes from the Greek word ‘smaragdos’ which means green stone and in ancient times was applied to many other green stones. Emerald is the most precious stone in the beryl group and only the finest specimens are transparent. Often, emerald is more opaque with inclusions which is considered evidence as to the genuineness of the stone when compared to synthetic imitations. Early mining was done as far back as 1300 B.C. in Egypt but after the Spanish invaded South America in the 1500s, they found Emeralds that far surpassed the Egyptian sources and since then those deposits came to dominate the trade. However, gem-quality Emeralds are also sound in Russia and Africa.