Emerald
The Egyptians mined emeralds nearly 4,000 years ago, but today most of the world's emeralds are mined in Colombia, Brazil and Zambia. Emerald is the birthstone for May. Emeralds can be cut in a variety of different shapes, but the traditional cut is the rectangular step cut, or “emerald-cut”. Although emerald itself is quite durable, most emeralds contain inclusions and should be treated carefully.