Emerald & Chrysoprase - the Birthstones for May and Taurus Zodiac Sign

Unusually there are two birthstones for May and Taurus birthdays, one is the regal emerald and the other is the beautiful Chrysoprase. Both are green and have a long history of being used to bring lightness and freshness to pieces of jewellery. The green colours of both gemstones reflect the colours of spring, the greens of new growth and rejuvenation.

Emerald

 Emerald - the birthstone for May and Taurus Zodiac Sign

Emeralds have been seen in jewellery dating back for many centuries. Cleopatra wore jewellery adorned with emeralds and she loved this gem so much that she claimed ownership of all the Emerald mines in Egypt during her reign. Emerald mines have been found in Egypt dating back to before the reign of Cleopatra.

Venus, the Roman goddess of Love was associated with Emeralds as the ancient Romans believed that the Emerald embodied all the qualities of Venus, beauty, fertility and goodness. Similarly, ancient Greeks wore this green gem in honour of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess who represents fertility, love and beauty.

The exquisite green hues of the Emerald are believed to gives the wearer a sense of well-being. This gem is also associated with the star sign of ‘Taurus’.

Emerald & Diamond CZ Tennis Bracelet

Chrysoprase

 Chrysoprase - the Birthstone for May

Chrysoprase is an apple green to dark green gemstone and is a variety of green Chalcedony that contains nickel which gives it its distinctive colour. This gemstone has also been popular for thousands of years and examples can be found in jewellery created by the Greeks and Romans dating back many centuries. The name literally means “golden leek” in Greek, because this stone looks so bright that it might have come from nature. The Ancient Greeks said that Chrysoprase was the stone of Aphrodite, whose sacred colour was green.

Some people believe that Chrysoprase is an extremely useful stone for improving emotional health and promoting forgiveness, empathy, self-growth, self-love, and general joie de vivre.

The colour is so distinctive that it is at the core of many of the stories of Chrysoprase and its metaphysical meaning.

Chrysoprase & Sterling Silver Cufflinks