May Birthstone - EmeraldHealing Properties and Interesting InformationHealingThe stone of successful love, Emerald is said to provide for domestic bliss and to instill both sensitivity and loyalty within the self and within others.Where FoundEmeralds are quite rare because of the rather limited geologic environment in which they can occur. Most emeralds form in contact metamorphic rocks---that is, the narrow, baked zone where a hot magma (lava) comes into contact with sedimentary rocks such as limestone or shale. Many emeralds come from contact metamorphosed black shale beds. Some emeralds form in limestone that has been subjected to contact metamorphism. In the United States, few emeralds have been found and most have been recovered from near Hidden, North Carolina. Almost all emerald is mined from in situ localities or deposits that are very close to the mother lode. This is because the emerald is a very weak stone---it will not endure the abuse and rigor of transportation in streams or in glacial ice. Australia has been a fairly important producer of emeralds. Several important sites in New South Wales and Western Australia have been described. The earliest known source for emeralds was called Cleopatra's Mine, located near the Red Sea in ancient Egypt. Other sources of emeralds include Columbia, Brazil, Austria, India, Australia, Egypt, South Africa, and the United States (North Carolina).History, mythologyIn ancient Rome people associated emeralds with the goddess Venus because the stone symbolized reproduction. Also believed to give a person psychic powers, Emerald could tell if a lover's affections were true. During the Middle Ages, people believed emeralds could stop bleeding and fevers and calm a person's mind. The stone was also connected to eyesight, and one legend reports the gem could blind snakes while they were being charmed. Today, emeralds are associated with the themes of rebirth, romance, and spring.Back to May Birthstones Summary Page
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