Emerald is the most valuable member of the beryl family. Nero used emeralds as sunglasses as he watched the chariot races, since he believed that emeralds soothed his eyes.

The first known emerald mines were in southern Egypt. Ancient Egyptians believed that emeralds stood for fertility and rebirth.

The world's leading emerald mines are in Colombia. The finest color in emerald is an intense, medium-dark tone of green, blue green, or yellowish green.

If you want to read more about emeralds, Fred Green, a National Geographic journalist and photographer, has written an excellent book on these precious gems, entitled, Emeralds, published by Gem Book Publishers, Bethesda, MD.