has made the working of the mine, at least until recently, quite precarious.
Fine emeralds are generally cut cushion shape with step cutting, and in the East are often cut cabochon. Fine
emeralds have advanced very rapidly during the last few years, both on
account of the growing demand of fashion for the gems and the scarcity
of really fine specimens.
Many
interesting stories are told of the first emeralds taken by the early
conquerors of Peru to Spain, and a certain Joseph D'Acosta is said to
have returned to Spain in 1587 with two chests of emeralds, each of
which weighed over one hundred pounds. The truth of this story may be
questioned, but it is a fact that the stones were highly prized and
much used by the Incas and Aztecs in the extraordinary civilization
which once existed in Peru. The emerald was highly prized by the
ancients and by gem lovers of the middle ages, and this accounts for
many interesting legends and superstitions relating to the gem.
