Emerald is the birthstone for May, as the Northern hemisphere is in the heart of springtime the Emerald is said to represent rebirth and growth. This gemstone is prized for its stunning and vibrant green colour, the word derives from the Ancient Greek "smaragdos", which literally translates as "green gem."

The earliest known mine for Emeralds was in Egypt as early as 330 BC, there are those that estimate the oldest Emeralds are 2.97 billion years old. Now more than 50% of the worlds Emeralds are mined in Columbia, though they can also be found in an additional 30 countries including the USA, Switzerland and Brazil.

Similarly to other coloured gemstones Emeralds are graded on colour, clarity, cut and carat weight. The colour and clarity are most important of these attributes, and to be considered optimum, an Emerald must have a pure verdant green and high degree of transparency.

There is a small selection of Emerald rings on our website, we have a much larger collection of Emerald jewellery in our high street store, including earrings, rings, bracelets and pendants. We also currently have a number of secondhand Emerald items available in our store.

To learn more about birthstones, check out our blogs for all the latest news and information about each of the different birthstones, including April's and March's.