Why are Emeralds special to you?
The beauty of Emeralds and why they are special to me since they are the oldest jewels. It's amazing in and of itself to learn that many of the gemstones that are commercially accessible, in this case, the emeralds mined in Zambia, were produced about 450 million years ago.
The world then was very different from what it is today. In one "supercontinent" known as Gondwana, the majority of the land masses of today were crammed together in the southern hemisphere. Many of the most valuable gemstones were formed during this period as a result of the Pan-African orogenesis, a gigantic mountain-building event.
Today, deposits of these may be found in Sri Lanka, Madagascar, eastern and southern Africa, and Brazil, among other locations. They have the same geological cradle and history, while currently being thousands of miles apart.
The Sandawana emeralds from Zimbabwe, which were produced around 2.65 billion years ago, are much older than the ones from Zambia. Additionally, emeralds originated 2.97 billion years ago in Graveloote, further south. The atmosphere at this period was essentially oxygen-free, the planet was still in its infancy, and there were no living forms higher than those found in gemstones.
It's exciting to hold a gemstone in your hand and realise it has lived through millions, if not billions, of years of Earth's history. Since an emerald is translucent, we may peer into it, explore its deep green interior, and examine the inclusions that long ago became entangled in the crystal's growth. This is simultaneously demeaning and inspiring.
