Legend has it that the Emerald was the gemstone most favored by Cleopatra. What we know for sure is that the earliest finds of Emeralds were mined by Egyptians near the Red Sea.

All through history people have been fascinated by Emeralds, the Aztecs, the Incas, Indian maharajas and the Ancient Romans whose goddess of beauty and love, Venus chose green as her color.http://www.lussori.com/emerald-jewelry-history.html

Emerald jewelry is still as popular today, who could forget how stunning Angelina Jolie looked when she wore Emerald earrings and an emerald ring at the Oscars?http://www.celebrityjewelryid.com/sighting/silver-jewelry/emerald-green-earrings-worn-angelina-jolie-oscars.html

Emeralds are from the "Beryl" family of gemstones and except in very rare and extremely valuable examples, have what is known as a "jardin", this is a series of tiny fissures and inclusions which can resemble foliage within the stone and is considered to enhance, rather than detract from, the beauty of the stone.

Although Emeralds score between 7-8 on the Moh’s scale of gemstone hardness, because of these inclusions and tiny cracks, they can be fragile and should never be cleaned with a sonic jewelry cleaner.http://www.gemselect.com/gem-info/gem-hardness-info.php

This guide will look at the various types and styles of Emerald jewelry, the different types of precious metal used to set the gemstones and how to select the best Emerald jewelry to add to your collection.

There are several factors to keep in mind when choosing an Emerald ring. The first one being, is it to be a larger central stone or a cluster ring? Usually Emerald rings have diamond accent stones around or to the sides. If it is to be a central stone have a close look at the color and cut, the classic cut for an emerald is of course, the Emerald cut. Developed for the gemstone, it shows off the color of a top quality Emerald also the clarity, so a gemstone of this cut needs to be as inclusion-free as possible.http://www.diamondring.com/forums/diamondtutorial.php?learn=10

It is worth asking if the emerald been treated or enhanced. For a long time, emeralds have been treated by immersing them in color-less oils such as linseed or cedar wood oils to lesson the visual effect of the inclusions. this process is accepted by the trade, but you should be given the informationhttp://www.jewelrycentral.com/Target_Emerald.asp

If you opt for a cluster ring, have a close look at the setting to check that the stones are mounted securely.

Next comes the choice of precious metal for your Emerald ring. If you like the color of white metal, Platinum would be an excellent choice, although more expensive than gold, it is extremely hard wearing, hypoallergenic and resistant to scratches. http://www.elsarings.com/platinum_care.asp11

Another favorite is White Gold. This precious metal has all the looks of Platinum, but is much more affordable, however it is not as durable as other metals and will not stand up to a lot of wear and tear without showing scratches and sometimes losing its color. http://engagementrings.lovetoknow.com/wiki/White_Gold_Engagement_Rings12 If a white gold ring is worn frequently it will need to be re-plated with Rhodium every so often or it will start to look yellow.

Yellow Gold is a popular favorite and other than normal care and cleaning will not require any special treatment.

Traditionally, Emeralds from Colombia are considered by experts to be the best, but some very fine emeralds have been mined from such locations as Zambia, Nigeria, Brazil, Russia or other localities.The ancient mines of Cleopatras day have long since become depleted.http://www.jewelrycentral.com/Target_Emerald.asp

The colors from these areas can vary quite considerably, so check that all the stones are a perfect match when buying Emerald earrings.

For your choice of Emerald earrings as with any other Emerald jewelry, a tour of the internet can be well worth while. This will provide you with a lot of price information as well as helping you decide whether to choose stud or drop earrings. Whichever style you select, check to see that they have either safety wires or a screw thread ear pin, rather than the traditional butterfly fitting.http://www.makermends.com/earrings.html Earrings are very easy to lose, it is unpleasant enough when they are cheaper ones, but to lose an Emerald earring would be very upsetting.

If you can't resist the look of Angelina Jolies' Emerald earrings which attracted so much attention when she wore them to the Oscars, there are quite a few replicas for sale, especially on the internet.http://www.amazon.com/Angelinas-Simulated-Emerald-Earrings-Original/dp/B002N89AEO Some of them are very good simulations, but few people would think them to be authentic given the size of the stones.

If you have chosen a pair of Emerald earrings, it will be very tempting at some point to complete the look with an Emerald necklace or a pendant.The choice of which is of course up to the individual and to some degree will depend on if it is to match earrings which you already have.

There are a couple of advantages in choosing a pendant, most women have several neck chains of various styles in their jewelry collection. If you are selecting an Emerald pendant, it would be possible to use one of these chains and direct the money saved to buying a better quality pendant. The other benefit with choosing a pendant is that it usually features one center stone, with maybe some accent diamonds, this will can mean a bigger Emerald than for the same money spent on a necklace.http://www.emeraldsandjewelry.com/

It would also be a good idea to take the earrings with you when shopping for a matching pendant or necklace so that you can best match the color of the Emeralds.

Macy's in particular have an extensive range of Emerald jewelry of all types, which can be viewed on-line as well as in store.http://www1.macys.com/catalog/index.ognc?CategoryID=558&PageID=2396767609047

Wherever you decide to buy your Emerald jewelry, you can be sure of one thing; your friends will be "green" with envy!