Let us welcome May with its warmer days, flower blossoms and birdsong.
Emeralds are this month’s birthstone—amongst the post precious and coveted of gemstones. They were first mined in Egypt from 1500 BC and later in Austria and India from the 1300’s AD. Since then they have been found on most continents, most plentifully in South America and Africa. The name comes from the Vulgar Latin “esmaraldal esmaraldus” which means “green gem” and the color comes from chromium within the stone’s chemical structure. The most valuable emeralds have a dark (but bright) green coloration and great clarity.
The cufflinks above, alas, are emerald enamel, not emerald stones. Nevertheless they have a beautiful green color which displays the underlying “chrysanthemum guilloché” beautifully.
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