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Emerald
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The emerald is the green variety of beryl. There is some speculation as to where its name originated but most scholars consider "emerald" to be a descendant of the Greek smaragdos. This as caused some conflation of folklore because smaragdos means green gem and has been applied to malachite and chrysocolla, as well as the green varieties of sapphire and turquoise. It is necessary to carefully examine the physical description of the stone in the early lapidaries to discern if their use of smaragdos is referring to the modern emerald or another green stone. Much of Cleopatra’s emerald collection has been shown to be peridot, and the “Moorish emeralds” that have survived in religious reliquaries and museums have also turned out to be peridot or glass.
Almost all of the lapidaries unintentionally misrepresent Aristotle’s poetic claim that the emerald is the most pleasing with the eye. This belief was later expanded into the belief that the stone would cure diseases of the eye and restore eyesight. Far more interesting was Aristotle’s claimed that the stone would increase the wearers charisma giving them success in business and victory in court cases. Later lapidaries also expanded this idea to argue that the stone would quicken the wit and bestow virtue.
The folklore of the emerald is tied to the concept of truth, and the cultural interpretations of that term have influenced how cultures have interpreted the virtues of the emerald in turn. Many of the stories concern fidelity between spouses, it both keeps a spouse chaste outside of marriage, enhances the love between them, and warns of the betrayal of the unfaithful. Many of the later lapidaries repeated Aristotle’s claim that the emerald was the stone of judges and merchants, but made the argument this was because the stone allowed the wearer to see through deceit and falsehood. This focus on truth made the emerald both the treasure and bane of sorcerers, giving the wearer the ability to see through illusion, banish evil, and cast out demons. This gem was even said to give the wearer the gift of prophesy and render null the works of witches.
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Colors
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All shades of green
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Locations
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Brazil, Colombia, Russia, USA
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Compisition
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Al2Be3 (Si6O18, aluminum beryllium silicate
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Hardness
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6 - 8, depending on impurities
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