May's birthstone

Anyone born in May has the beautiful Emerald as their birthstone.

One of very few gemstones in which internal inclusions or flaws are acceptable, it is said to bring knowingness of the heart and peaceful dreams.

Emeralds used in historical jewellery would have come from Cleopatra's mines in Egypt but today the finest emeralds come from Colombia.

The emerald is one of the three favourite gemstones after the diamond, together with the ruby and sapphire.

Measuring 7.5 on the Mohs' scale, Emerald is a member of the Beryl family along with Aquamarine and Morganite (named after the American banker JP Morgan) - the difference in their colour is produced by chromium in the Emerald and manganese impurities in the Morganite.
In 1967 a crown containing a 91 carat carved Emerald from the Iranian Royal Treasury was made for the first empress of Iran.

If you were born under the Zodiac sign of Taurus (21 April - 21 May), the stone historically associated with your sign is the Sapphire.

If you were born under the Zodiac sign of Gemini (22 May - 22 June), the stone historically associated with your sign is the Agate.

The custom of wearing birthstone jewellery gained momentum in 18th Century Poland and is thought to stem from an interest in the significance of the original twelve stones in the breastplate of the Jewish high priest, as highlighted by St Jerome in the 5th Century.

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