Mounted in an 18 karat gold rin
The emerald is one of the rarest of precious gems. Though sources for emeralds are found in both the old and new worlds, a stone of good quality is still an elusive abject. This gorgeous stone has a long and colorful history. Queen Cleopatra mined emeralds near Zabara on the Red Sea in the first century B. C. She loved to wear the jewel herself as did her paramour Julius Caesar. Emeralds were found in the buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, Probably mined in Egypt. In Mesoamerica emeralds were treasured by the native cultures, most particularly the Incas who worshipped them as sacred. Today, the major source is South America, especially Colombia where mines first worked by the Pre-Columbian people are still in use. The rarity of the emerald bas always made it a valuable and patent talisman. Its brilliant green makes it as desirable today as it bas always been through the ages.