A variety of beryl, highly. Prized as a gemstone because of its unrivaled rich green color; one of the rarest of gems.
Describing the making of the high priest's breastplate, the Bible says:
And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle.... And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
Exodus 39: 10-11
(In Hebrew, nephek, meaning a shining stone, applied to the carbuncle; bdregeth, meaning glittering, described the emerald. For no known reason the King James translators reversed the terms, thus changing the order of the precious stones in the breastplate.) So we have confusion!
Emerald is the most interesting of all gemstones from the Biblical perspective! Some Colombian emerald contains a famous three phase inclusion. Crystallization traps a solid, liquid and a gas forming an amazing three phase inclusion.
Symbolically representative of the Trinity the three phases symbolize:
Solid -- God the Father
Liquid -- God the Son
Gas -- God the Holy Spirit
Reuben found his name inscribed upon a precious stone like the rest, a faltering man but nonetheless precious. The emerald, we are told, is sea green in color. How significant that Reuben of all names should be on it. The man who was as unstable as water found his name on a stone of the color of the ever rolling, restless sea. Instability, and yet on the Breastplate - surely " saved, though as by fire ". The Lord delivers us from being a Reuben.
The depth of green of the emerald's beauty caused various ancient cultures to use the stone as a symbol of spring and the earth's guardian of generation and ripening. It was believed to strengthen memory and eloquence, to foster improved vision and to be a warrant for honesty and reliability in early eras. Since it was supposed to measure a lover's fervor, it was the favorite stone of Venus. Symbolic significance was attached to different gems. Emerald, its green likened to the cool verdure of earth, meant tranquility. History records that Julius Caesar fancied emeralds, because he believed they had potent curative powers.
The emerald mines of Upper Egypt became famous in Cleopatra's time. The glamorous queen often wore the gems to enhance her beauty and frequently gave emeralds as gifts to those she wished particularly favored. Emeralds found in the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum probably came from the mines in Upper Egypt.
The glamour stone of the beautiful beryl family of minerals is the emerald. Of velvety, intensely deep green, it may be the rarest of gems, as well as the most valuable. Its unsurpassed color, produced by minute amounts of chromium oxide, is its distinguishing mark. Although a little softer than some gems, but still as hard as or harder than quartz, this is of no consequence considering the beauty of the stone. Emerald is more easily fractured than other varieties of beryl. The characteristic step-like pattern of faceting has given the name emerald cut to this style of cutting. Only rarely some emeralds are cut in the brilliant style of the diamond. Ancient stones were always cut in the rounded, or cabochon, form.
The old saying, An emerald without a flaw, denotes nearly unattainable perfection, for a flawless emerald is almost unknown. Emerald is considerably marred by internal fractures and by cloudy and discolored areas. Romanticized by the French term jardin or garden effect, emerald has a wonderful glow due to the clarity characteristics naturally present.
Although worked intermittently, the mines in Colombia, South America, at Muzo, Chivor, and Coscuez have furnished most of the emerald crystals of the world for several years. Colombia was the source of the fantastic collection of emeralds, many intricately and beautifully carved, of the ancient Inca civilization.
Many countries produce emeralds. Some of the important areas are in Brazil, Australia, Austria, Norway, South Africa, the Ural Mountains of the USSR and in the United States, North Carolina. Egypt remains a producing source of the ancient gem, emerald.
Sources:
Cyrstals, Gems & Minerals of the Bible, Wright & Chadbourne, pp 57-59
These are the Garments, Slemming pp 89-91
