Enchanting Emeralds: Jewellery Creatives Share Their Love for the May Birthstone

We may only be halfway through 2024, but we’ve already seen a definitive step towards emeralds as a key mineral for the year. From January’s Paris Couture Week to the auctions and trade shows that dominate the early Spring/Summer season, emeralds really do abound in exciting designs! As we’ve arrived in the month of May, let’s hand the microphone to key creatives, designers and brand owners in our orbit to discover what they love about this brilliant beryl…

This time of year promises clearer skies, the approaching glint of summer vacations and most excitingly for us: emeralds– this month’s beautiful birthstone. The colour of this vivid gem, especially in its most valuable forms, is a saturated lush green hue, often used to describe forests, vibrant foliage, or beautifully rare-coloured eyes. These sought-after associations are perhaps why many talented jewellers enjoy working with the stone, often using emeralds to add colour and warmth to their most prestigious creations.

In January, Cartier’s Le Voyage Recommencé Yfalos necklace caught our eye with its delicate and discrete emerald beaded detail, as well as Dior’s use of the stone to create a Semi-Flower Décor lace pattern in its Dior Délicat collection. And let’s not forget the larger carat counts in David Morris’ Skye collection Mosaico choker crafted with a 15-carat Colombian emerald. It’s safe to say this evergreen stone is one of the gem protagonists on Place Vendôme right now.

Moving away from the Parisian epicentre of high jewellery, New York witnessed a flurry of emeralds for Van Cleef & Arpels’ Garden of Green exhibition, which ably showcased the brands archival and contemporary creations. Elsewhere, on the auction front, emeralds continue to be a hot commodity, most recently at Phillips Jewels, where ‘The Amazon Queen’ — a large octagonal step-cut stone Colombian emerald weighing over 280 carats was sold for just under 3 million Swiss Francs in Geneva, breaking records as one of the largest gem-quality emeralds to grace the auction market.

These are just a few of the many emerald highlights we’ve been graced with this year, which made us wonder why all designers love working with this stone. We asked some key characters in the KaterinaPerez.com community to share their passion for this mineral, and explain why they love using emeralds in their one-of-a-kind pieces. Here’s is what they had to say.

Alok Lodha, Owner and Creative Director, Alok Lodha

Emeralds hold a timeless allure that transcends generations. What truly sets emeralds apart is their individuality; no two stones are alike, each bearing its character, story and journey to earth itself. Incorporating emeralds into our creations allows us to capture this essence of uniqueness that resonates with our design ethos and the discerning clientele.

Marco Hadjibay, Creative Director, BAYCO

Emeralds are a regal stone. Throughout history, they have been one of the most sought-after gems by monarchs due to their rarity. I believe that their beautiful green colour is soothing to the eyes and has a captivating allure that most other gems do not have.

Jeremy Morris, Managing Director and Principal Designer, David Morris

Emeralds are incredibly challenging to perfect and work with, but that’s exactly what makes them so fascinating. Each emerald is unique, shaped by a myriad of factors—from the mines they originated from to how long ago they were extracted from the ground.

Anne-Eva Geffroy, Design Director, Graff 

Emeralds have been loved, worshipped, and adored for thousands of years. Remarkably rare, I am captivated by the evocative ‘garden’ that lies beneath the surface of an emerald, inspired by their vibrant, dramatic colour and excited by the opportunities these magnificent gemstones present.

Sonal Narang, Creative Head, Hazoorilal Legacy

I find working with emeralds and bringing their inclusivity to my designs appealing because of their timeless elegance and classic beauty which complements the brand’s commitment to heritage and tradition. To me, emeralds offer a distinctive and sophisticated aesthetic that adds a touch of luxury and refinement to my designs. Their rich green hue creates a captivating focal point, drawing me to the stones even more.

Eddie LeVian, CEO, Le Vian

Emeralds, with their vibrant green hue, have an unmatched allure. Featured in some of the most sought-after pieces in our collection, and prized by royalty for millennia, from Cleopatra to the British royals, the stone is a symbol of prosperity, rebirth and serenity. It is, in my opinion, a true showstopper that you simply can’t take your eyes off of.

Neha Dani, Designer and Creative Director, Neha Dani

I adore emeralds for their captivating green hue and clarity, which symbolise nature’s beauty and embody rebirth and eternal youth. As both a gemmologist and an artist, I love emeralds for their rich history, mystical aura, and how they seamlessly fit into my intricate designs, creating timeless pieces of art.

Whether for its rich history, colour or internal garden, these jewellery aficionados are unanimous in their love and admiration for emeralds. To help you find your next precious purchase, we have compiled a selection of our favourite emerald-centric creations on the market to date. Take a look!