Several famous historical artifacts were made of emeralds. Among them was the Crown of Andes, said to be worn by the last Inca king of Peru who was taken prisoner by Conquistador Pizzaro in 1532. In the 1940s, the crown was sold to, then broken up by, an American syndicate. Many of its stones are probably in the jewelry collections of wealthy Americans today.
Emeralds vary in color from light to deep green.
The stone can, however, lose its color when heated strongly. Beryl, or beryllium aluminum silicate in chemical jargon, is a six-sided symmetrical crystal. Beryl contains beryllium, aluminum, silicon and oxygen. But growing synthetic stones of fine quality began in the United States in 1946. There are also excellent imitation emeralds on the market made of colored cut glass.