The Cottage May/Midsummer 2001 Issue

HOME

Midsummer June 21st | Midsummer Ritual | The Crone's Kitchen | The Crone's Garden | Crone's Crafts | Herb of the Month | Gem of the Month | May Diety | Dyad Moon | Ask The Crones | Contact Us | Archives
Gem of the Month

EMERALDS

EMERALD




NAME: The name is from the Greek [beryllos] indicating any green gemstone.

LEGEND and LORE: Emerald is considered a birthstone for the month of May.

"Who first beholds the light of day,
In spring's sweet flowery month of May,
And wears an Emerald all her life,
Shall be a loved, and happy wife."

MAGICAL PROPERTIES: "If you wish to bring a love into your life, buy an emerald and charge it with your magical need through your visualization, perhaps while placing it near a green candle. After this ritual, wear or carry the emerald somewhere near your heart. Do this in such a way that it cannot be seen by others. When you meet a future love, you'll know it wasn't the visible jewel that attracted him or her." (3) The Greeks associated this stone with the Goddess Venus. It has come to represent, for many people, the security of love. Emerald, like almost all of the green stones, is also advantageous for business/money ventures.

HEALING: Emerald is said to aid perception and inner clarity. Because of this, they are also associated with healing diseases of the eye, and problems affecting eyesight. It was believed that emeralds could counteract poisons and cure disentary.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: I sometimes use Emeralds in a stone layout. I will use them for their psychological/spiritual values of clarity and perception. If I am using them for this purpose, I use them in the area of the Heart Chakra, in conjunction with Rose Quartz, or Rhodochrosite for balanced energy. I've also used them for prosperity consciousness.

crones.jpg

crones.jpg

SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION: Emerald is a type of Beryl, Beryllium aluminum silicate, frequently with some sodium, lithium and cesium. It's chemistry is Be3Al2Si6O18. Beryls range in color from Bright green (emerald), blue, greenish blue (aquamarine), yellow (golden beryl), red, pink (morganite) to white. The streak is colorless. It's hardness is 7-1/2 to 8. The crystals are Hexagonal and they are common. Fine emeralds have velvety body appearance; their value lies in their even distribution of color. Inclusions are common in emerald, but other stones of this group are usually most valuable when free of flaws.

ENVIRONMENT: Beryl develops in pegmatites and certain metamorphic rocks. It occurs with quartz, microcline, and muscovite in pegmatites, and with quartz, muscovite, and almandine in schist of regional metamorphic rocks.

OCCURRENCE: Best emerald comes from Colombia. (NOTE: it is not necessary to spend thousands of dollars for a tiny chip of emerald to add to your healing/ magical collection. If you look around in rock shops, you may be able to come across some "less than perfect" stones that aren't faceted.

crones.jpg

-------bibliography-------

1. Scientific, Environment, Occurrence and Name are from (or paraphrased from) "The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals".

2. Legends and Lore, Magical Properties are from "Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic", by Scott Cunningham.

3. Some of the healing information may come from "Color and Crystals, A Journey Through the Chakras" by Joy Gardner. Other sources may be "Stone Power" by Dorothee L. Mella.

4. Personal Experience is from MY personal experience, journals and notebooks, by Tandika Star.

5. Birthstone poem from "The Occult and Curative Powers ofPrecious Stones" by William T. Fernie, M.D

Copyright © 1997-99 Herne, Thorn & The Celtic Connection, wicca.com. All rights reserved. http://www.wicca.com/celtic/stones/stonea-e.htm