Word of the Week: Smaragdine

Olive, sage, lime, sea, army, mint. All of these are shades of green that we're likely very familiar with. But what about the lesser known smaragdine?

Derived from 'Smaragdus,' the Latin word for emerald, smaragdine describes the yellowish green colour associated with these precious stones.

Considered one of the rarest gemstones, emeralds get their green colouring from trace quantities of chromium and sometimes vanadium.

Aside from their spiritual properties, emerald gemstones have an array of distinctive physical characteristics. Derived from the beryl mineral which measures 7.5-8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, emeralds possess a relatively brittle physical quality.

Despite common associations with the verdant countrysides of Ireland, 'The Emerald Isle' is a far cry from Egyptian mines where the first emeralds were discovered and extracted by humans around 1500 BC.