Silver Tetradrachm of Seleucid King Philip, 92 BCE - 83 CE
Silver-Emerald
FJ.5017
Silver tetradrachm of the Seleucid King Philip I mounted in a regal 18 karat gold pendant set with a beautiful emerald weighing 0.40 carats and 19 fully-cut diamonds weighing a...
Silver tetradrachm of the Seleucid King Philip I mounted in a regal 18 karat gold pendant set with a beautiful emerald weighing 0.40 carats and 19 fully-cut diamonds weighing a total of 0.20 carats.
Perhaps no gem delights the senses in quite the same way as the diamond, which burns with a deep internal fire. Crystalized carbon, formed under tremendous pressure over millennia, the diamond is famed for its everlasting hardness. Diamonds are normally colorless, but are also found in shades including yellow, pink, and blue. In Eastern belief, the diamond is said to enhance the full spectrum of energies in the body, mind and spirit. Within the circle of gems, the diamond defines the standards of beauty, rarity, and preciousness.
A deep green member of the beryl family, the emerald is the rarest of the so called precious gems. Though sources for emeralds are found in both the old and new worlds, a stone of good quality is still an elusive object. Emeralds without a flaw are almost unattainable, as the gem exhibits many natural inclusions, but these do not necessarily mar the stone’s intense green beauty. The famous queen Cleopatra of Egypt mined emeralds near Zabara on the red sea coast in the first century B.C., wearing the jewels herself or giving them as gifts to favored friends. Julius Caesar particularly valued the gem, to which he ascribed strong curative powers. Emeralds were found in the buried roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which probably came originally from Egypt. In Meso America, emeralds were treasured by the native cultures, most particularly the Incas who worshiped them as sacred. When the Spanish conquistadors plundered the Inca Empire for gold and jewels, many remarkable large emeralds were taken to Europe, where they entered the treasuries of courts. Today, the major source for emeralds is South America and especially Colombia, where mines first worked by the Pre-Columbian cultures are still in use. The rarity of the emerald has always made it a valuable and potent talisman. It is said to cure diseases of the eye, free the body from poisons, arrest physical decay of all sorts, stop dysentery, facilitate childbirth and end attacks of epilepsy. The bright green of this gem makes it as desirable today as it has always been throughout the ages.
Perhaps no gem delights the senses in quite the same way as the diamond, which burns with a deep internal fire. Crystalized carbon, formed under tremendous pressure over millennia, the diamond is famed for its everlasting hardness. Diamonds are normally colorless, but are also found in shades including yellow, pink, and blue. In Eastern belief, the diamond is said to enhance the full spectrum of energies in the body, mind and spirit. Within the circle of gems, the diamond defines the standards of beauty, rarity, and preciousness.
A deep green member of the beryl family, the emerald is the rarest of the so called precious gems. Though sources for emeralds are found in both the old and new worlds, a stone of good quality is still an elusive object. Emeralds without a flaw are almost unattainable, as the gem exhibits many natural inclusions, but these do not necessarily mar the stone’s intense green beauty. The famous queen Cleopatra of Egypt mined emeralds near Zabara on the red sea coast in the first century B.C., wearing the jewels herself or giving them as gifts to favored friends. Julius Caesar particularly valued the gem, to which he ascribed strong curative powers. Emeralds were found in the buried roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which probably came originally from Egypt. In Meso America, emeralds were treasured by the native cultures, most particularly the Incas who worshiped them as sacred. When the Spanish conquistadors plundered the Inca Empire for gold and jewels, many remarkable large emeralds were taken to Europe, where they entered the treasuries of courts. Today, the major source for emeralds is South America and especially Colombia, where mines first worked by the Pre-Columbian cultures are still in use. The rarity of the emerald has always made it a valuable and potent talisman. It is said to cure diseases of the eye, free the body from poisons, arrest physical decay of all sorts, stop dysentery, facilitate childbirth and end attacks of epilepsy. The bright green of this gem makes it as desirable today as it has always been throughout the ages.