Happiest of Birthday’s to all you May babies this spring! Your gorgeous gemstone is the Emerald. Part of the Beryl family of gemstones, Emeralds are found in a variety of bluish green to green hues. Their crystals are most commonly found in an elongated six sided prism, sometimes with striations along their length. Some people use the trade term “jardin” – the French word for garden – to describe the mossy or garden like inclusions found in the stone. Though nearly all Emeralds have inclusions that are visible to the unaided eye, it is color that has the strongest influence on an emeralds value. Included Emeralds can undergo an accepted enhancement such as filling fractures with colorless oil or resin. This improves the gem’s color by making it look deeper and more even with fractures becoming less visible.