The perfect gem to help welcome spring, the evergreen emerald is known for symbolising rebirth and renewal. Its naturally green colour is often associated with the lush green hues of nature’s foliage, making it the most commonly used green gem in jewellery design. Its unique connection with nature is not only limited to its colour. Whilst most gems are reproached for having inclusion, many rare emeralds are in fact admired for their internal patterns. Nicknamed “emerald gardens” or “Jardins”, in French, these inclusions are often described as looking mossy or garden-like. No two sets of “Jardins” are the same, and they can even be used to identify individual emerald gems.
Emerald jewellery dates as far back as ancient Egypt, Cleopatra was famed for having the world's largest collection of emerald stones, wearing them as talismans during her religious and spiritual rituals. Thought to house powerful energies that had been transformed into stone, the Ancient Egyptians would use beads of emerald in necklaces to protect them by warding off evil energies, as well as bringing them serenity and peace of mind. Also considered a healing gem, emeralds were thought to bring the wearer a sense of immense calm.
When it comes to jewellery design, emeralds have always been a popular choice, from classical Greek and Roman jewels to the pieces we see gracing the market today, Their unique colour has always been admired by jewellery designers. Perhaps their most popular period to date was the Art Deco era of fine jewellery, a design movement that came to life in 1925 in Paris, France. This style embodied the modernity of the era. Bright and bold-shaped jewellery pieces with strong geometric symmetry adorned with glittering diamonds and minimal colour became “du moment”. Designers from this movement would use the lush green tones of emeralds to soften their designs’ aesthetics.
Today emeralds are still one of the most popular gems used in jewellery design when an injection of colour is needed in a piece. The most recent high jewellery creation to come from FORMS jewellery brand, based in Hong Kong and Geneva, is a full suite of diamond jewellery with emerald green accents. With over 100 carats of Muzo emeralds, each piece is a juxtaposition of strong and angular diamond forms set with juicy green emeralds. The strong gem shapes and settings combined with the fluidity of the emeralds’ hues create softness in each piece.
When it comes to wearing an emerald jewel, we suggest you invest in a true statement piece. Because of their fragile nature, emeralds are best worn on special occasions, to add a powerful colour accent to an all-black ensemble or even to create contrast with other bright and bold colours. An eye-catching emerald cocktail ring from Van Cleef and Arpels or a pair of green pavé emerald floral Dior earrings will do the trick just fine!
