What Is the Birthstone of May?

The birthstone of May is the emerald (alternately, the sapphire, but this article will focus on the emerald, as it is the more commonly recognized stone for the month). Referenced as a precious stone since early antiquity, quality emeralds are highly valued--certain emeralds can even fetch higher prices than comparable diamonds.

History

The association of particular gemstones with months is a relatively recent phenomenon but one that grows out of a much older tradition of "zodiac stones"--gemstones associated with particular months, believed to have heightened powers during the time that their zodiac was ruling the sky. It is believed that people, regardless of their birth date or zodiac sign, would thus wear those particular stones during those times, rotating through the year, instead of having a particular stone that they always wore associated with the time of year they were born.

Significance

The emerald has been one of the most valued gemstones for as long as we have had record of it. The Romans and Egyptians both held this stone in high accord, and it has never lost this respected status. There are a variety of justifications available for it being May's birthstone in particular, largely centering around its green hue, a color widely associated with spring. A variety of properties have been attributed to emeralds, such as enhancing clairvoyance abilities, or increasing serenity and peace of mind.

Features

The emerald is a member of the beryl family of gemstones, which also includes the aquamarine. The beryl mineral itself is clear, and the green coloration of an emerald then is caused by impurities, namely chromium. The deeper the green, the more valued the stone. Vanadium can also give a beryl green coloration, and iron inclusions can enhance the color, but in many cases green beryls other than those colored by chromium are not considered emeralds (and are thus simply called "green beryl"). It is generally very difficult to find emeralds larger than a carat without inclusions, and so even though emeralds are fairly hard stones (7.5 to 8 Mohs), they should be considered fragile.

Geography

While Egypt was one of the first known sources of emeralds, today stones originating from the region are considered lower-quality than those from many other mines. Some of the most spectacular emeralds originate in Columbia, including the trapiche variety, which exhibits a six-pointed star pattern, resulting from carbon impurities. The Inca were well-known for their spectacular emeralds, although, unfortunately, many of these today are at the bottom of the sea, in Spanish shipwrecks. Modern high-quality emeralds are typically found in Zambia, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, the Urals Mountains in Russia, and North Carolina in the United States.

Considerations

When purchasing an emerald, there are a number of "disclosures" that a seller should advise the buyer about... but won't necessarily. To be a wise buyer, be sure to ask whether a particular stone is natural or "grown." Because emeralds are so valuable on today's market, an entire industry of synthetic stones has grown up. Prospective buyers should also be careful to ask about how a stone is treated: because emeralds do typically have many inclusions, it is common to give them an oil treatment or protective coating. This enhances their transparency, beauty and durability, but it might be a source of surprise down the road when you try to clean your stone and it comes out looking worse, because you removed the oil.