Emerald is beryl turned green by chromium, and no other stone has organized so much around itself: the emerald cut was developed to protect its corners, and the trade coined a word, jardin, for the garden of inclusions inside a fine one. Those inclusions are fingerprints rather than flaws; an emerald without them would draw suspicion. Colombia set the historic standard and Zambia now stands beside it. Our May birthstone guide follows the stone through the eras.
May's stone appears here in every register we handle: vintage and estate rings and earrings, modern eternity bands, pendants, and pieces where emerald plays against diamonds. If it is the shape rather than the stone that brought you, our emerald cut engagement rings carry the geometry into diamonds and beyond.
Emerald asks for slightly gentler habits than its numbers suggest. The mineral measures 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, but nearly every emerald is treated with oil to soften the look of its jardin, so skip ultrasonic machines and harsh chemicals and clean by hand with mild soap. Our jewelry care guide explains why that matters.
The rest of the calendar is in our birthstone jewelry guide.
