Emerald - May Birthstones
The emerald, as green as spring grass and new foliage, will always
be the symbol of faith, kindness, goodness and the promises of nature.
Lovers believed the gem was endowed with the power to reveal the
faithfulness of one's beloved.
The emerald's supposed healing benefits included curing
fever and epilepsy when worn around the neck. If suspended so that
a stone touched the abdomen and another emerald was placed in the
mouth, the result was supposed to be relief of the ravages of dysentery.
At the time of the Spanish conquest, an emerald the
size of an ostrich egg was worshipped by the Peruvians and called
the Emerald Goddess Umina. Like other precious relics, it was only
displayed on high feast days, when the Indians flocked to the shrine
with gifts for the goddess. The priests had suggested the donation
of emeralds, saying that they were daughters of the goddess and
she would be pleased with them. A huge store of emeralds was thus
collected, but they were destined to fall into the hands of the
Spanish conquerors. The mother emerald, however, was so cleverly
hidden that the invaders never found it. Many of the pillaged emeralds
were destroyed because the new owners thought the test of a real
emerald was it ability to withstand the blows of a hammer. The old
and entirely false myth that a genuine diamond could survive such
a test may have been responsible.
The emerald has been the favorite of many historical
figures. Alexander the Great had a large one set in his jeweled
girdle; and emeralds were prominent among the stones in Charlemagne's
crown.
The word emerald has been traced to many ancient languages
and in each case means "green." As the birthstone for
those born in May, the emerald denotes love and success.
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