May Birthstone History
Derived from the Greek word “Smaragdos” which is defined as “green stone”, emeralds have been mined dating back as early as 300 BC and were worn in Ancient Greece and Rome. Some estimate that the oldest emeralds are 2.97 billion years old. Europeans were attracted to the alluring gem when the Spanish invaded South America in the 1500s, where the Incas prized emeralds for hundreds of years. In that time, emeralds were also adored by the Mogul empires of India who deeply believed that this gem offered protection of the gods.