Emerald The Birthstone of May Next Previous Emerald The Birthstone of May The beautiful rich green colour of the emerald makes the perfect birthstone for May as its colour fits with Spring Season. The word Emerald comes from the word “smaragdus”, which means green in Greek. Emerald is considered to be a symbol of rebirth, bring foresight, fortune and youth. It was also believed to have mystical powers that could cure stomach problems, control epilepsy and stop bleeding. In the past emerald was mined in Egypt 330 BC. Cleopatra is one of the most know figure to treasure emeralds, so much that she claimed all emerald mines in Egypt. Emeralds are prized for their brilliant vivid green and is often wore by the rich and famous at special events. You can determine the quality of the emerald by looking into the color, cut, clarity and carat weight. The highly priced should have an opaque and evenly distributed green. Most emeralds are cut into emerald shape since it helps bringing sparkle. The rarest emeralds have an intense green and blue colour. The most expensive emerald to date is the Bahia emerald worth $400 million and was discovered in Brazil. Shop Shop Shop