Emeralds have been known and loved for at least 5000 years. From Egyptian Pharaohs to the Aztecs and Incas of pre Colombia Emeralds have dazzled the t hearts of rulers through out History. The first know avid collector of Emeralds was Cleopatra. Remains of "Cleopatra's Emerald Mines" were discovered about 1817, along Red Sea coast.

Shah Jahan, the builder of the beautiful Taj Mahal, loved emeralds so much he inscribed them with sacred text and wore them as talismans to bring luck and word off evil. If you read the history of Shah Jahan you know this did not work well for him....more