Friday 2 May 2014

Birthstone Unicorns - Emerald (May) & Celebrate the small things!

The gorgeous emerald is the traditional birthstone for those born during the month of May. A very fitting gem for the spring time as the colour green symbolises nature and the renewal of life. The word emerald is derived from the Greek word, smaragdus meaning green. They are associated with qualities such as loyalty, faithfulness and friendship. Thoughts that are very much echoed in the verse from the Gregorian Birthstone Poem;

"Who first beholds the light of day,
In spring's sweet, flower month of May,
And wears an Emerald all her life,
Shall be a loved and a loving wife."

Through history they have been linked to clairvoyance, memory and faith and have been reputed to be effective for a wide range of health problems including disorders of the eyes and spine, headaches, dysentery,fever, bleeding and panic.


Bluebell woods near our house, simply beautiful I had to share.



Worn by royalty in Babylon and Egypt. Tools dating back to 1300 B.C (reign of Rameses II) have been found in emerald mines in Egypt. Queen Cleopatra's emeralds were thought to have been mined in Southern Egypt close to the Red Sea.

Romans dedicated emeralds to the goddess Venus.

Early Christians saw them as a symbol of the resurrection of Christ.

In the Middle Ages they were believed to have the power to foretell the future.

Their magnificent green colour was said to relieve the eye. Emperor Nero is reputed to have worn eyeglasses made from emeralds to protect the health of his eyes whilst watching gladiator games.

Emeralds were a popular choice in Victorian jewellery.

Emeralds are also given for a 55th wedding anniversary.

Hope you enjoyed learning a little more about this gem, if you are celebrating this month I wish you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY. If you would like to meet, Emerald the Birthstone Unicorn, please click on the tab at the top of the page to read a short excerpt from her story. 



Thanks to Viklit for hosting our weekly celebrations. It's always good to reflect on the positive things in life.

This week I am celebrating,

 Another long weekend in UK! Hoping for some sunshine and the chance for a nice long walk. Also a little extra writing time.

Adding nearly 3K to one of my WIP's (a great weekly word count for me!).

The windows are finished and looking good.












35 comments:

  1. The emerald is my birthstone! Never knew all those facts about it before, though. Very cool! :)

    And congrats on writing 3K words this past week! That's such an awesome word count!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I knew there were gold and silver mines in Egypt, but didn't know about the emeralds. Cool info! Congrats on adding 3k to your WIP! I hope you find time for that long walk and more WIP work! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you learnt something new, Lexa. Hope you have a good weekend.

      Delete
  3. My birthstone is diamond, but I prefer the emerald. It's more interesting and less cold looking.

    Congrats on getting work done, and your windows. Oh and do enjoy a good walk (if the rain holds off). :) X

    shahwharton.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. As dragon I like all kind of precious stones, but emerals are among my favorites. I will prove their use with headavhes.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What lovely photos - they're tempting me to go out for a long walk at the weekend. I shall also inform my husband that the way to transform me from a nagging wife into a loving wife - is with an emerald or two. It has to be worth a try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely worth a try - let us know how you get on!

      Delete
  6. My favorite are emeralds!! Pictures around your house are awesome. Enjoy the long weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Have to get one and see if I can learn the lottery numbers in the future

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm also looking forward to the long weekend (although mine will be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
    Emeralds are lovely, I love their green colour :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hope you get to see some bluebells on your walk this weekend. They seem to have come early this year and are everywhere! Happy bank holiday weekend! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hurrah to finished windows and THE LONG WEEKEND.I too am excited for that!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very nice blog about emeralds, Suzanne! It's really fun to learn about them. My dad's birthday was in May and my husband's is as well. I hope you have warm, sunny weather to celebrate soon.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I never can remember--so I had to look it up. There's a birthstone that's bad luck if you wear it when it isn't your birthstone. It's the opal, not the emerald. I never can remember it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Stephanie, I'm glad you enjoyed the post. If you are interested in learning more about the opal check out my post

      http://suzannefurness.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/birthstone-unicorns-opal.html

      Delete
  13. Hi human, Suzanne,

    After reading this, I think I shall send my human to the Emerald Isle. Thanks for another gem of a pawsting.

    I do love me some bluebells. So nice to see them sprouting up and your photos are lovely.

    3K to your WIP, well done. Yay to our long weekend!

    Pawsitive wishes,

    Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love emeralds. So pretty. I was terribly lazy over all of my long weekends. :-D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We all need some time off sometimes, hope you enjoyed the break.

      Delete
  15. Looks like emeralds were really revered in days past, some big associations.

    Congrats on your WIP progress. Hope you've had some sun, none for us yet but still got Bank Holiday Monday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Nick. Hope you found a little sun over the weekend.

      Delete
  16. Well done on the 3k. The bank holiday rain has just reached us, but I hope you've had a good day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah not so great here this afternoon either. Yesterday was nice though.

      Delete
  17. Now I think I should get me an emerald. Loved reading about the history of that gem.

    Congratulations on those windows. . . oh, and on those 3K words!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you get some emeralds, they are beautiful :)

      Delete
  18. I hope you're enjoying your long weekend! And congrats on the windows being finished...it must be nice to have your house back to normal :)
    ~Katie
    TheCyborgMom
    Visual Proof

    ReplyDelete

I love reading your comments, thank you for taking the time to visit and interact but please note I have disabled anonymous comments due to too much spam!