Emerald: The Green That Named an Island
An emerald is a green gemstone, a variety of beryl. The word also stands on its own for a particular shade of green.
An emerald is beryl coloured green by traces of chromium or vanadium. Almost every emerald has internal flaws, and the trade politely calls them *jardin*, the French for garden — in this one stone, inclusions are expected rather than hidden.
- A green gemstone. *An emerald set in gold.*
- A rich green colour. *Emerald curtains.*
- Emerald cut — a rectangular cut with stepped corners. *An emerald-cut diamond.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | emerald | A flawless emerald. |
| Plural | emeralds | A row of emeralds. |
| Adjective | emerald | Emerald green. |
| Related | beryl | Beryl family stones. |
| Phrase | Emerald Isle | Ireland, the Emerald Isle. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The ring holds a single emerald.The stone itself.
- The valley was emerald after the rain.Used as a colour word.
- Colombia produces the finest emeralds.Still the leading source.
Green stones people confuse
- Emerald — green beryl, the most valuable of the green stones
- Peridot — olive green, softer and cheaper
- Jade — an opaque stone, carved rather than faceted
- Tourmaline — comes in many colours, including a near-emerald green
- Green sapphire — corundum, harder than emerald and far tougher
Through Old French *esmeraude* from Latin *smaragdus*, from Greek *smaragdos*, a word probably borrowed from a Semitic language. Ireland became the Emerald Isle in an eighteenth-century poem, and the nickname stuck.
Why do emeralds have visible flaws?
They form under conditions that trap other minerals and gas. A completely clean emerald is so rare that a flawless one is usually treated with suspicion.
Is emerald harder than diamond?
No. Diamond is the hardest natural material; emerald is fairly hard but brittle, which is why it chips.