When I think of emeralds, I always picture the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz—that rich, glowing green we all know and love. Like spring leaves lit by sunshine—fresh, lush, and full of life.

But not all emeralds look like that! They come in a range of grades, and not every one is bright or clear. Emerald belongs to the beryl family (which also includes aquamarine), and it rates between 7.5 and 8 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. That makes it fairly hard, but it can still be fragile due to natural inclusions.

A Little Emerald History

Emeralds have a long and fascinating story. They were mined in ancient Egypt as early as 1500 BC—Cleopatra was famously obsessed with them! The Incas valued emeralds too, well before the Spanish arrived in South America and began trading them across Europe and Asia.

Fun fact: the first synthetic emerald was created in 1935 by an American chemist. It was a 1-carat beauty, and you can still see it at the Smithsonian. There’s also a quirky old myth that putting an emerald under your tongue could help you see the future... though we definitely don’t recommend popping crystals in your mouth!

What Makes an Emerald Valuable?

Most emeralds have inclusions—tiny natural marks inside the stone. Dealers call these jardin (French for “garden”) because they often look like little leafy patterns. Top-quality emeralds can actually be more valuable than diamonds, carat for carat!

When valuing an emerald, colour is the most important factor. The best stones are a vivid green or slightly blue-green with rich, even saturation and no colour zoning. Clarity, cut, and carat also matter—but colour always comes first.

Our Kind of Emerald at Blissful Things

At Blissful Things, we don’t usually stock the fine-jewellery-grade emeralds you might see in luxury stores. Instead, we offer more semi-precious varieties. I don’t like calling them “lower grade”—they’re just as beautiful in their natural way.

We carry more affordable options like beads, tumbles, and specimens in matrix—often paired with quartz, mica schist, or something in between. They're perfect for crystal lovers, collectors, or anyone who wants to work with emerald energy without the luxury price tag.

Emerald Meaning & Magic

Emerald is more than just a pretty green stone. It gets its colour from trace amounts of chromium (and sometimes vanadium), and it’s long been treasured for its metaphysical properties.

Known as a stone of the heart, emerald is believed to open the heart chakra, encouraging emotional healing, compassion, and unconditional love. It’s associated with growth, renewal, abundance, and connection, making it a lovely companion for those drawn to heart-centred living.

Whether you're born in May or simply love that rich green glow, emerald is a stone full of history, meaning, and magic.

To shop Emerald, here is the link. https://blissfulthings.rocketspark.co.nz/shop/#search=emerald